Netflix has announced a quartet of actors who will be joining the streamer’s live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The series is said to be an “authentic adaptation” of the award-winning and beloved Nickelodeon animated series.
Gordon Cormier (“The Stand“), Kiawentiio (“Anne with an E“), Ian Ousley (“13 Reasons Why“), and Dallas Liu (“PEN15“) join as series regulars. A brief bio of their characters can be found below.
• Gordon Cormier (he/him) is Aang (12), a fearless and fun-loving twelve-year-old who just happens to be the Avatar, master of all four elements and the keeper of balance and peace in the world. An airbending prodigy, Aang is a reluctant hero, struggling to deal with the burden of his duties while still holding on to his adventurous and playful nature.
• Kiawentiio (she/her) is Katara (14), a determined and hopeful waterbender, the last in her small village. Though only fourteen, she’s already endured great personal tragedy, which has held her back from rising to her true potential, though it’s never dimmed her warm and caring spirit.
• Ian Ousley (he/him) is Sokka (16), Katara’s sardonic and resourceful 16-year-old brother. Outwardly confident, even brash, he takes his responsibility as the leader of his tribe seriously, despite his inner doubts over his warrior skills… doubts that he masks with his wit and deadpan sense of humor.
• Dallas Liu (he/him) is Zuko (17), a skilled firebender and the intense and guarded Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Currently roaming the world in exile, he’s on an obsessive quest to capture the Avatar because he believes that is the only way to reclaim his life and live up to the demands of his cruel and controlling father, the Fire Lord.
“A live-action version would establish a new benchmark in representation and bring in a whole new generation of fans,” says showrunner Albert Kim. “This was a chance to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as living, breathing people. Not just in a cartoon, but in a world that truly exists, very similar to the one we live in.”
Albert Kim (“Sleepy Hollow,” “Nikita“) who also serves as executive producer, is joined by directors by Michael Goi (“The Rookie“), Roseanne Liang and Jabbar Raisani (“Lost in Space“).
Rowell was born and raised on Maui, Hawai’i, and now lives in the almost-as-green Pacific Northwest. He’s obsessed with Cirque du Soleil, loves teen dramas (especially those with a supernatural element) and horror movies, and is addicted to sushi. Prior to PopWire, he created individual fan sites for the shows Friends, Hellcats, Nikita and others, which led to creating and working on OMFGTV.
