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Geek Dad
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Get Ready for More Avatar: The Last Airbender
I've been ranking and rating things for years. A few years back, when I painstakingly ranked every TV show I've ever loved, the number two show on my list was Nickelodeon's animated Avatar: The Last Airbender . To this day, when I want to reference a show that has characters with well-written multi-season arcs, this is the show. It's no wonder that this nearly 20-year-old cartoon maintains such a devoted fan base. Last year, Netflix's long-awaited live action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender came out, and my family devoured it. While I'll agree that no remake will ever stand up to the greatness of the animated original, the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender was pure fan service in the best way possible. I've recently learned that the show has been renewed for seasons two and three, and that the second season has already wrapped filming. I immediately went back and re-watched the available season, cementing my views on a number of things about the show, not least the casting. Casting Hands-down my favorite character in the live action adaptation is Ian Ousley's Sokka. He replicates the animated Sokka's cartoonish vibe wonderfully. Of course, Sokka was also my favorite character in the animated series. Full disclosure: my cat is named Sokka. Gordon Cormier was also excellent as the live action Aang. His voice and his facial expressions do a better job than I'd thought possible of bringing the title character to life. Both Aang's childish playfulness and his precocious solemnity come through in Cormier's acting. Nobody else will ever be a replacement for the great Mako, who voiced Iroh in the original series. But Paul Sun-Hyung Lee does as good a job as is possible. I was lukewarm on the portrayals of Katara and Bumi, and both Azula and Gran Gran just did not work at all for me. But Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai works in a way I'd not have expected. Lastly, they cast Matthew Yang King as the voices of Appa and Momo, which excited me, as I was a big fan of his on the GeeksOn podcast twenty years ago. Effects The most important effects work in the show was always going to be the bending. And in that, the show has succeeded. The water whips, flame sprays, and stone walls all look excellent and realistic. Even Aang's gliding and spiral levitation look good. Likewise the show's creatures such as Koh the Face Stealer and June's shirshu Nyla look great. The only complaint I can muster about the special effects is that occasionally when the kids jump high into the air, flipping and whirling, it looks wildly unrealistic. Fan Service Fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender are wildly devoted and can be somewhat fanatical about adherence to canon. That's why I was so pleased to see characters like Koh the Face Stealer, The Mechanist and his paralyzed son, June the bounty Hunter and her shirshu mount, and Jet the straw-chewing freedom fighter make an appearance. The Blue Spirit plot, although truncated and slightly altered, was adapted beautifully from the original. And when Azula eventually pulled out the lightning in a somewhat spectacular display, I no longer cared that the actress didn't look or sound like her animated counterpart. The song Leaves From The Vine , along with Mako's rendition and voice acting of Iroh, has brought many an Avatar fan to tears. Its subtle incorporation into a few select scenes of this adaptation likely went completely unnoticed by many viewers, but those of us who know Lu Ten's story caught the reference. And although it was altered, even the name Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis the Third showed up. That one got a huge cheer in my house. But not as large a cheer as when the cabbage merchant showed up in Omashu. Even before he said the words, my family was screaming 'My cabbages!' But easily my favorite bit of fan service came in episode 4 during the Cave of Two Lovers interlude when the minstrels made an appearance, looking exactly the way they had in the cartoon. It's probably my favorite episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender , and those actors absolutely nailed the role, from the floppy dancing to the stoner vibe of the singer. I only wish he'd had more hilariously idiotic one-liners to drive Sokka crazy. All I can say at this point is that if Melon Lord doesn't make an appearance in upcoming seasons, I might lose my mind. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
Geek Feed
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Feed
Season 3 for The Last Airbender has Already Started Filming
We haven't even gotten the second season of Netflix's The Last Airbender yet, but it looks like the series is trying to beat out the clock with Gordon Cormier's puberty. Just as they've announced the wrap for Season 2 of Airbender, they also revealed that Season 3 has also started production. Check this out: That's a wrap on Season 2. The time of Sozin's comet draws near. AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Season 3 is now in production! — Avatar: The Last Airbender (@AvatarNetflix) May 20, 2025 What's more, the series has also revealed several characters that will be arriving in the incoming seasons including Azula's firebending mentors Lo and Li (Dolly De Leon) as well as Sokka's master Piandao (Jon Jon Briones). Check out the cast announcement: Welcome the new faces joining the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender in Seasons 2 and 3. — Avatar: The Last Airbender (@AvatarNetflix) May 20, 2025 Though fans have an idea of what to expect with each season, the live-action series does tend to mix things up a bit. For one, Jeong Jeong was supposed to be in the first season, but it looks like he's going to be in either Book 1 or 2 of the live-action series. In contrast, the Secret Tunnel of Omashu was supposed to be revealed in the second season, but it was pushed forward for the live-action series—possibly revealing that they won't be bringing back Omashu for Season 2. I'll admit, I wasn't a fan of some of the changes in the first season—specifically with the characterization of a lot of the characters like Aang and Suki, but maybe the show is going to change some of that with future seasons now that they've had more feedback. I never expect these adaptations to be 1:1, but they should at least keep true to core elements of the original—like Aang's free spirit, or Sokka's character development. No release date has been revealed for The Last Airbender Season 2 on Netflix, but hopefully we get something before the year ends.
Geek Girl Authority
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Cast Announces Season 3 Is in Production
Production on Season 3 of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender has begun. Seven new cast members were also announced for both upcoming seasons. All episodes of Season 1 are now streaming on Netflix. With production on Season 2 of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender almost complete, the streamer announced they're getting to work on Season 3. Read on to see who's joining the world of Avatar. RELATED: 5 Reasons You Should Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender The Story So Far When Avatar: The Last Airbender originally aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008, the animated series was a huge hit. Netflix first announced a live-action adaptation in 2018. Netflix's live-action adaptation premiered in early 2024, and the streamer quickly announced the show's renewal for two more seasons just a month later. Avatar: The Last Airbender takes place in a world divided into four nations, each ruled by one of the four elements. While benders from each nation can manipulate an element, the Avatar can control all four. The Avatar is meant to balance all four nations, but, as they say in the show, 'when the world needed him most, he vanished.' After 100 years without an Avatar, a 12-year-old Airbender named Aang (Gordon Cormier) appears to take on the role. Together with his new friends, he must defeat the Fire Nation army bent on ruling the world. RELATED: Teas Your Favorite Characters Probably Drink: Avatar: The Last Airbender New Cast Members Netflix dropped a video with the cast announcing that Season 2 had wrapped, and that work was beginning on Season 3. They also told readers on TUDUM about a few new cast members appearing in both seasons. Season 2 will feature appearances by Terry Chen as Jeong Jeong, Dolly De Leon as Lo and Li, Lily Gao as Ursa, Madison Hu as Fei and Dichen Lachman as Avatar Yangchen. As for Season 3, there are a few major roles yet to come. Jon Jon Briones ( Hadestown, The Last Voyage of the Demeter ) will appear as the swordmaster Piando. We'll also get to see Tantoo Cardinal ( Dances With Wolves, Killers of the Flower Moon ) as Hama. Both characters appear in the original animated series and serve as influential mentors for Aang and his friends. You can watch the Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 3 announcement below, then let us know what you're most excited to see in the upcoming seasons! All episodes of Season 1 are currently streaming on Netflix. Dave Bautista and Eric Nam Cast in AANG: THE LAST AIRBENDER Film
