When James Cameron’s first Avatar film premiered in 2009, it was a game-changer with visual effects and became the biggest movie of all time–a record it still holds almost 20 years later. It also redefined the brand of the word “Avatar.” The epic Nickelodeon animated series had just wrapped the previous year and had a movie in the works, which was going to be retitled The Last Airbender to avoid any sort of confusion.
However, that still didn’t completely help actor Ken Leung when auditioning for the Netflix adaption of the animated series, as he thought he was going after a role in Cameron’s movies. Leung, who plays Commander Zhao (originally voiced by Jason Isaacs for the show), was confused when he went after the part because auditions were held in secret and wasn’t familiar with the animated series.
“I didn’t know the original [series] at all,” he told Deadline. “Maybe it’s an age thing, but I didn’t know about it. In fact, when I first heard about it was about Avatar–first of all the audition…you couldn’t tell that was for Avatar–so it was kind of disguised as a different project. When I first heard it was for Avatar, I thought I was going to be blue. So, you know, looking back I kind of love that I came in blank.”
The series hit a bumpy start at Netflix when the original creators of the show, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, left the production a few years in.
“We have complete respect and admiration for Michael and Bryan and the story that they created in the Avatar animated series,” Netflix said in a statement (via The Verge). “Although they have chosen to depart the live-action project, we are confident in the creative team and their adaptation.”
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is available to stream now. There is no official update as of yet about a renewal. You can read our full review here.
