Fans of the original "Avatar: The Last Airbender" were thrilled when the cult favorite animated television series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" launched on Netflix in May. (Opens in new tab) So the news that the show would be reimagined by Netflix as a live-action version was both thrilling and, for some, a little worrisome, as the content is notoriously difficult to adapt. Creators were quick to point out that this version would be very different from M. Night Shyamalan's film The Last Airbender; Netflix announced news of a new live-action remake in 2018 (opens in new tab), but it is unclear what the release date will be It's not clear: it's currently slated for 2020, but given the production delays caused by the coronavirus, it could be around 2021. At this point, the show is still in development/pre-production (open in new tab) and details are rather scarce, but what do we know so far?

Production on the series will begin in 2019, with original show creators Michael DiMartino and Brian Konietzko joining the project as showrunners and executive producers (which bodes well for a faithful adaptation). Original composer Jeremy Zuckerman and original voice actor Dante Vasco are also apparently on board.

It is unclear who the live-action cast is or will be, but DiMartino and Konietzko issued an incredibly encouraging statement: "As we have always imagined, bringing the world of Aang to life with a cinematically and culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast I can't wait to see it. This is a once in a thousand opportunity to delve deeper into the characters, the story, the action, and the world."

They added, "Netflix is completely dedicated to realizing our vision for this retelling and we are incredibly grateful to be partnering with them." This raises some interesting questions - yes, the actors will be age-appropriate (10-15), but it is unclear exactly how the different (fictional) cultures in the anime will translate to the actual casting.

So far the only visuals are concept art, but so far they look beautiful:

Konietzko urged fans to be patient while working out the details of this "daunting and tremendously complex thing" and to go slow to represent the content as well as possible He explained that they are working on things:

and hope that all the time invested in the new series will pay off.

Yes, Nickelodeon's award-winning original series, which aired from 2005 to 2008, returned to Netflix (open in new tab) this May (the sequel series "The Legend of Korra" is not currently on Netflix)! For those not familiar with the basic plot of the original show:

"Avatar: The Last Airbender" takes place in a medieval fantasy world where certain people can control one of the four classical elements: water, earth, fire, and air. The person is called an Avatar, and when an Avatar dies, he or she is reborn in the next generation, so there is always someone keeping the world in balance.A:TLA's protagonist is Aang (Zack Tyler Eisen), who was frozen in a block of ice for 100 years after his race, the Airbenders, were wiped out in a massacre Aang was... Aang is... . must work with friends like Katara (Mae Whitman) and Sokka (Jack DeSena) to end the war and restore balance.

The animated series quickly became a Netflix favorite (open in new tab). In addition to longtime fans of the series, it likely attracted new viewers. Although ostensibly a children's show, people claim that adults will absolutely enjoy The Last Airbender. (Open in new tab)

Watch "Avatar: The Last Airbender" on Netflix (open in new tab)