Fans were understandably excited when Netflix announced that a new live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender is in the works. After all, it was confirmed that the animated show's co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko would be involved in the ambitious project.
However, it looks like things are not working out behind the scenes of the highly anticipated new series. DiMartino and Konietzko have just made an official announcement that they will no longer be working on the show.
Back in 2018, Netflix announced that both Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko will be developing the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series. The news was met with excitement since this would mean fans who were disappointed with M. Night Shyamalan's film will finally get the proper adaptation of the animated show.
Since then, there haven't been many updates about the new series and people just thought the co-creators were working hard on developing the reboot. Sadly, things changed when DiMartino posted an open letter on his website.
In the statement, Michael Dante DiMartino confirmed that he and Bryan Konietzko are no longer involved with Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation. Interestingly, it was revealed that they had actually departed the project in June 2020.
"When Bryan and I signed on to the project in 2018, we were hired as executive producers and showrunners. In a joint announcement for the series, Netflix said that it was committed to honoring our vision for this retelling and to supporting us on creating the series. And we expressed how excited we were for the opportunity to be at the helm. Unfortunately, things did not go as we had hoped," DiMartino wrote.
Bryan Konietzko also addressed the departure in an Instagram post and left a hopeful message for fans. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the Avatar: The Last Airbender fans, and I'm sorry our involvement in the live-action project did not work out. Time to get on with my life. Onward and upward," he wrote.
Netflix also spoke up about the Avatar: The Last Airbender co-creators' departure from the project, expressing their "complete respect and admiration for Michael and Bryan." The statement then adds that, "Although they have chosen to depart the live-action project, we are confident in the creative team and their adaptation."
The Netflix adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender has not yet been given an official release date. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.
