Flameo, hotman: The new trailer for Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender is out.
If this is the first you're hearing of the series, according to Netflix, it's a "live-action reimagining of the beloved animated series." It'll have eight hour-long episodes and include Gordon Cormier as Aang, Ian Ousley as Sokka, Kiawentiio as Katara, and Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko.
The production has faced some hiccups along the way — namely with the departure of the show's original creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, from the creative team in 2020. Instead, the showrunner for the Netflix version is Albert Kim, who was previously the showrunner for the series Sleepy Hollow.
Well now, courtesy of Netflix's Geek Week, we finally have a better idea of what the series will actually look like. Behold, the teaser trailer!
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Let's break it down. The trailer opens on what is presumably Sozin's comet, along with a voiceover talking about time.
We then get our first look at our water bender babes, including Katara, Sokka, and the iceberg:
We also see our fire nation hotties. Two personal things: One, I think Zuko's scarring honestly looks pretty tame compared to the show (but far better than the movie that shall not be named). Two, Ozai is shown right off the jump in the trailer. I enjoyed how the animated show built up terror for Ozai by not showing his face, so I hope this version is just as frightening.
The Kyoshi warriors also get their own moment, with a romantic moment between Sokka and Suki shown. It's not clear if Yue will be a character, but this chest-to-hand moment looks a lot more intimate than what we first see of Sokka and Suki in the cartoon, IMHO.
The voiceover dramatically says, "Always remember who you are," á la Mufasa. It's worth noting that every shot of Aang looks very worldly and serious, save for one shot where he's playing with Momo and actually smiling.
We also get our first glance of some of the worlds of Avatar, including Omashu and Crescent Island, which all look gorge.
Honestly, my main gripe is how Momo is animated, as he looks comparatively unnatural and a little spooky. We don't see Appa's face, so presumably, he has been kept as a handsome lad.
Aang and Katara's age difference is also a lot more jarring in live action, but we'll have to see how their romantic subplot ends up going. It need not be a beat-for-beat remake, after all! The cartoon is perfection! Oh lord, please be good to it!
