Live-action 'The Last Airbender' series adds elements of its own
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[February 22, 2024]
By Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Paul Sun-Hyung Lee feels like being cast in
Netflix's "Avatar: The Last Airbender" is both a dream come true and a
great responsibility.
The American adventure-fantasy series, which arrives on the streaming
service on Thursday, is a live-action adaptation of the highly acclaimed
animated television series of the same name created by Michael DiMartino
and Bryan Konietzko in 2005.
While he loves the original series, Sun-Hyung Lee feels it is important
to bring something different to the fan-favorite character he portrays,
Uncle Iroh.
"You want to do your job and fulfill that responsibility of staying true
to that character, but at the same time, not mimic a character," he said
in an interview.
"I'm not brought on to be a mimic, I'm brought on as an artist," added
the actor, who has also starred in Canadian sitcom "Kim's Convenience"
and "Star Wars" spin-off "The Mandalorian."
Like the original series, the live-action is set in a world inspired by
Asian and Indigenous American cultures, in which some people have the
power to manipulate water, earth, fire or air.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Feb/22/images/ads/current/ldn_booksda_CHASSKAREN_010924.png)
The Avatar is a being who protects the world by using all the elements,
but when the Fire Nation wages war on the other nations, is nowhere to
be found. The current Avatar - an airbender named Aang - is located by
two Water Tribe kids that help him master all the elements.
Dallas Liu, who plays Prince Zuko of the Fire nation, believes the
live-action series is a chance to explore fresh aspects of the story.
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![](../images/022224PIX/ent_d.28.jpg)
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee attends the The Mandalorian, Season 3 premiere at
the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California, U.S. February 28,
2023. REUTERS/Allison Dinner/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Feb/22/images/ads/current/longview_lda_EDUCATION_2024.png) "Obviously it felt like there were
big shoes to fill. But I also understand that we were trying to give
this show its own identity," Liu said, adding that he sought to
bring new complexity to his character.
Gordon Cormier, who plays Aang, felt instantly comfortable with the
adaptation's vision for his character.
"I didn't even really have to become him. I kind of just was born
that way," said the 14-year-old.
He feels that he and Aang have the same hyper energy - although he
only started watching the animated series once he won the role.
The remake was originally expected to involve DiMartino and
Konietzko, but they left due to creative differences. The world they
created has also spawned a movie, comic books and video games.
In 2021, the production company Avatar Studios was launched by
Nickelodeon with the co-creators serving as co-chief creative
officers for a slate of animated films.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross, Editing by Rosalba
O'Brien)
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