Netflix says Avatar series will be different from the cartoon

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We are all eagerly awaiting Netflix’s live action adaptation of the legendary cartoon, Avatar: The Last Airbender. In addition to exciting details about the series, confusing details also emerge. Today we will touch upon one of them.

Sozin’s Comet will be handled differently in Avatar TV series

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, series director Albert Kim revealed that the adaptation will use Sozin’s Comet as the plot for the first season only for now. A celestial phenomenon in the original animated series, the comet provided a significant power boost for firebenders and accelerated Team Avatar’s quest to be fully prepared for its arrival.

The decision to make the comet the focus of only the first season is attributed to the difficulties posed by the aging of the young cast. Unlike the animated characters, who do not age, the actors portraying Aang and Katara, played by Gordon Cormier and Kiawentiio, began filming the series in their teenage years and have grown since then.

While the original cartoon ran for about a year, filming of the series adaptation began in 2022. This temporal mismatch required adjustments to the story to accommodate the natural aging process of the actors.

“We couldn’t know exactly how old our players would be in subsequent seasons,” said Albert Kim, acknowledging that it was unpredictable how quickly young players aged. As a result, the director and creative team decided to focus on the immediate challenges posed by the first season, leaving the door open for possible story adjustments in subsequent seasons.

Going forward, Kim expressed hope that the actors in future seasons of the series will be better equipped to avoid reflecting their aging. This decision means that the series may have a different story than the cartoon, due to the constraints of the series’ production, where the physical growth of the actors over time may create difficulties in maintaining consistency in the series’ story.

The TV series adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender will debut on Netflix on February 22. Kim describes the current phase of production as “a race to the finish line.” What do you think about the removal of Sozin’s Comet from the narrative? Please don’t forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments.