Meet Uncle Iroh, Fire Lord Ozai, Commander Zhao, and Azula of the Fire Nation in new photos.

The Avatar’s return is nearly upon us

The premiere date and first teaser trailer for Netflix’s live-action reimagining of Avatar: The Last Airbender were revealed during Geeked Week 2023. You can watch the first footage from the show above. 

An adaptation of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Aang, the young Avatar, as he learns to master the four elements (Water, Earth, Fire, and Air) to restore balance to a world threatened by the terrifying Fire Nation. The jam-packed teaser shows Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko in action; showcases some of the exciting elemental bending to come; and reveals our very first look at several important characters in the story, including Aang’s animal companions, Appa and Momo, whom we can see soaring through the sky.

In June, Gordon Cormier, who plays Aang, previewed what fans could expect from the live-action series at Tudum: A Global Fan Event in Brazil. 

“Avatar: The Last Airbender live action I feel like is going to bring everything you know and love about the original series back to life,” said Cormier when he and his co-stars took the stage at Tudum. “And hopefully [it will] just bring a bunch of new fans who have never heard [of] the show before into this universe, and to me that’s pretty exciting. I’m a fan of the show personally, and I’m just as excited for this as you guys are.”

Below you’ll find everything else you need to know about the series.

When does Avatar: The Last Airbender premiere?

Avatar: The Last Airbender premieres Feb. 22, 2024.

What is the plot of Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Here’s the official synopsis: “Water. Earth. Fire. Air. The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step taken by the firebenders towards conquering the world. With the current incarnation of the Avatar yet to emerge, the world has lost hope.

But like a light in the darkness, hope springs forth when Aang, a young Air Nomad — and the last of his kind — reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka and Katara, siblings and members of the Southern Water Tribe, Aang embarks on a fantastical, action-packed quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai. But with a driven Crown Prince Zuko determined to capture them, it won’t be an easy task. They’ll need the help of the many allies and colorful characters they meet along the way.”

In August 2021, showrunner Albert Kim wrote a statement explaining why he was excited about adapting the iconic Nicklelodeon animated show. “A live-action version can not only faithfully translate what had been done in animation — it can bring a rich new visual dimension to a fantastic world,” Kim wrote. “We’ll be able to see bending in a real and visceral way we’ve never seen before.”

At Tudum in June, Kiawentiio said she wasn’t disappointed when she received an early look at the bending. “I’ve only [gotten] to see one finished scene with the effects, but it was so cool and I can’t wait to see the whole series done,” Katara’s portrayer said. “I know everybody is working really hard to make it the best that it can be.” 

The actor also teased an important episode in the first season. “Another personal favorite of mine is Episode 5. It was my favorite when I read it, and as soon as I read it, I couldn’t wait to film it,” she said. “The characters go through a lot of different things, and they see their situation through different perspectives, and I just can’t wait for you guys to see that.” 

Who’s in the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Gordon Cormier will star as Aang, the fearless, easygoing 12-year-old who is keeper of the world’s balance and peace (no pressure). He’ll be joined by Kiawentiio as waterbender Katara; Ian Ousley as Katara’s brother, Sokka; Dallas Liu as firebending royalty, Zuko; Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai; Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iroh; Elizabeth Yu as Azula; and Ken Leung as Commander Zhao. Here’s a peek at each of them in costume.

At Tudum, Ousley revealed that “haircut day” was one of his favorite memories from shooting the show because it’s where the cast “really got to transform into the characters for the first time,” which elicited loud cheers from the audience. “That day was a little easier for some than others,” he said with a laugh. “Another thing that was a huge moment for me was getting to hold and unsheathe my boomerang for the first time. That was amazing.” 

The world of Avatar is expansive — and so is the cast. It also includes Amber Midthunder (Prey) as Princess Yue, Arden Cho (Partner Track) as June, Danny Pudi (Community) as the Mechanist and many, many more.  (You can view the full cast lists here (https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/avatar-the-last-airbender-netflix-cast-announcement) and here (https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/avatar-the-last-airbender-cast-additions).) 

“A cool personal thing for me was getting to work with actors that I was fans of beforehand, like Danny Pudi from Community,”said Ousley. 

Meanwhile, Liu loved how much time he got to spend with Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. “He’s the perfect Uncle Iroh. There isn’t anyone that could’ve done a better job than him. But I received advice probably on the daily about anything that you can think of, from what it means to be leader or how to present yourself as a professional on set. He’s a real-life Uncle Iroh to me now,” said Liu. “And Daniel Dae Kim, he has the real life presence of Fire Lord Ozai. The day he walked on set, he was so intimidating. I knew he was the Fire Lord, and I think everyone can agree on that. But what I received from him was validation. He made me feel I belonged to be working alongside these amazing people.” 

Is there anything else I should know? 

The opening theme of Avatar: The Last Airbender was recorded by the Synchron Stage Orchestra and Choir. Check out behind-the-scenes photos below:

As we wait, make sure you take an occasional break from the Spirit World to check Tudum.com for updates.

For more scoops from Geeked Week 2023, head to geekedweek.com and follow Netflix Geeked on X.

By: CHRISTOPHER HUDSPETH
Originally published at: Netflix TUDUM