It's finally here! We officially have our first peek at Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and it looks stunning. As a lifelong fan of the animated series, I was admittedly a bit nervous about this project. However, after seeing this visually-stunning teaser trailer, I'm in genuine shock, and I think we're in for a real treat.
The trailer for Netflix's Airbender takes us on a journey across the four nations, showing aspects of the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribe and Air Temples. We also get our first look at many of the characters, including our lead trio: Aang, Katara and Sokka, as well as Aang's beloved creatures, his flying bison Appa and lemur Momo.
Visually, this trailer truly took my breath away. The glacier Aang is frozen in when Sokka and Katara find him is gargantuan and gorgeous. The Fire Nation is visceral, dark and scary. Plus, the Kyoshi Warriors and their home are incredibly beautiful and steeped in detail. Clearly, this show understands how vast and nuanced this world is, and even in this teaser, we got to see that the people behind this show truly get the universe Aang's story is based in.
There were two moments in the trailer that really took my breath away. The first was Aang's entrance. The wind blowing around him as he landed on the ground, and seeing the little airbender in action was incredibly exciting. The second came when Zuko was shown for the first time, walking through other Fire Nation warriors before it cut to Uncle Iroh.
This story, and the animated series' first season in particular, follows Avatar Aang's journey to master the elements, specifically water. Meanwhile, Zuko, the exiled prince of the Fire Nation, is trying to capture the Avatar in an effort to regain his father, the Fire Lord's, trust. This trailer seemed to imply that this story would play out in Season 1, and I can't believe how much the characters and their world resemble the beloved Nickelodeon show.
Gordon Cormier and Dallas Liu, who play Aang and Zuko, respectively, already have a friendly rivalry brewing behind the scenes, and I can't wait to see that dynamic play out on screen. While they weren't together in the trailer, it's clear to me that this rivalry is about to be epic in Netflix's series.
These moments are also a testament to how incredible the Avatar: The Last Airbender cast is. As images for Airbender have come out, I've become cautiously optimistic about this major adaptation, and I think it has the potential to be one of Netflix's best shows. However, now that we've seen our real first look at this vast and beautiful world of the Avatar, I can't wait for the entire series.
This teaser showed me that the creative team behind the show understood the assignment, and now it's just a matter of time before we really find out if they've aced it or not.
Speaking of the wait, it actually won't be that long before we're able to see every episode of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender because it's set to premiere on the 2024 TV schedule on February 22. In the meantime, you can stream the incredible animated series this show is inspired by with a Netflix subscription.
