All eyes of comic book movie fans are on James Gunn as he takes up the task of rebooting the whole DC film universe. Regardless of the perception of Gunn by the devoted DC followers, the filmmaker has a habit of engaging with fans directly on social media. He has a tendency to answer questions, dispel rumors, gauge public opinion, get involved with debates and just be as transparent as he can. Part of the fun for Gunn has also been teasing the little nuggets of information that he’ll drop here and there about the projects he’s working on. Now that he’s especially under the microscope with his Superman: Legacy film, people online pick up on what information can be given for this anchor entry into the new universe.
Gunn also has to walk a fine line with speculation being made with every new post he makes. ComicBook.com has reported on a photo that Gunn posted on his Instagram, where he took a selfie with two of his actors from the DC series, Peacemaker, as they visited the set of Superman: Legacy. This may have led to some rumblings amongst people online, but Gunn was quick to clarify that these actors were merely taking a tour of the production and are not involved with the film. His photo has a caption that reads, “With Freddie Stroma & @jenniferlholland showing them around the #Superman sets (no they’re not in the movie).”
While the DC film universe gets its overhaul, two projects remain in the revamping. Last year’s Blue Beetle, which was originally conceived and made for the DCEU, is officially part of the new DCU. And Gunn’s own series, Peacemaker, which is a spin-off of his DCEU film The Suicide Squad, is due to return on HBO and Max. Holland had expressed her excitement about her character’s arc, “I love her character arc through the whole season. I think it’s really, really nuanced and it doesn’t rush itself. I really love the way that it was written into the whole series. I think, for me, I didn’t want to hold back. I wanted Harcourt to be as cold and closed off as she could be in the earlier episodes, because I wanted her to really have that full character arc throughout the season.”
Additionally, Gunn insists that the existence of Peacemakerwon’t make things confusing with the new universe getting rebooted. Gunn said, “You’ll have to wait and see how that works out!” Gunn was then asked why he doesn’t just make a different show instead of risking confusion with the shift between universe. He answered, “Because it’s my favorite thing to do, it’s the biggest original Max show ever, and I have a way in. It won’t be confusing.“
Superman: Legacy flies into theaters on July 11, 2025.
PLOT: Years after her sister disappeared at Arvores National Park, a young woman named Lennon gets a job as an Arvores park ranger in hopes of finding out what happened to her sibling. Unfortunately for her, she does find out.
REVIEW: Teresa Sutherland wrote the screenplay for Emma Tammi’s 2018 horror Western The Wind and was part of the writing staff on the Mike Flanagan series Midnight Mass, and now she has made her feature directorial debut with the horror film Lovely, Dark, and Deep, which she was inspired to make after hearing “real-life conspiracy theories surrounding the unusually high number of unsolved missing person cases that happen in national parks and forests”. She came up with a theory of her own… something dealing with an ancient supernatural force that still operates in these isolated places “where it still gets dark”… and delivered it in the form of a movie that has some interesting ideas, but doesn’t make for a very satisfying viewing experience.
Georgina Campbell, whose breakthrough role in the genre hit Barbarian (not to mention a BAFTA win for Murdered by My Boyfriend) has led to her landing roles in things like Bird Box Barcelona and an upcoming film directed by a Shyamalan daughter, stars in Lovely, Dark, and Deep as a young woman named Lennon, who has taken a job as a ranger at the Arvores National Park with an ulterior motive: when she was a child, her sister Jenny went missing in this park, and she intends to scour the land in hopes of figuring out what exactly happened to her sibling. When a ranger stationed in a remote location disappears, leaving behind only a note where he said he owes the land a body, Lennon gets the chance to replace him for 90 days, which she’s going to spend searching through the back country. One of the podcasts Lennon listens to at a couple different points in the movie informs us that Arvores National Park has the highest number of missing persons cases out of any place in the world, which certainly deepens the mystery she’s trying to solve. It’s an interesting set-up, and Campbell was a strong choice for the lead. She has the acting skills and the screen presence to carry the entire film on her shoulders, which is very important since she’s the only person on screen for long stretches of it.
While Campbell does a great job with the material she was given to work with, she was let down by the script a bit, as we don’t really get to know Lennon as a person. We know she’s deeply traumatized by the disappearance of her sister, she’s quiet and has such high anxiety that she’ll chew her fingernails until her fingers bleed, but I don’t feel that I know much about her beyond that. There’s nothing to go by other than her drive to find missing people.
Sutherland took the slow burn approach with this one, so we end up spending a lot of time watching Lennon quietly make her way around the forest, going about her ranger duties. This sort of build-up needs to lead to a great pay-off to be worth the time spent on it… but the movie doesn’t have that. Instead, there comes a point where it goes completely off the rails, with Lennon slipping into some different plain of existence where she’s just bombarded with trippy visuals for a stretch of 40 minutes or so. This part of the film will still work for some viewers who are more inclined to go along for the ride with something like this, but for me there are few things more irritating than when a movie turns into nothing but scene after scene of a character just bumbling their way through nightmares. Especially when there’s no Freddy Krueger around to liven things up.
Lovely, Dark, and Deep is not something I’ll ever want to watch again, but the writer/director does show promise with it. As mentioned, there are interesting ideas in the story, they just didn’t come together in a way I found to be satisfying. The concept of this film would have worked very well for a short film, but there’s not enough substance here to sustain the feature running time. Padded out beyond reason, the movie’s 87 minutes eventually start to feel interminable. When we reach the end, the destination wasn’t worth the journey, because things kind of just sputter out. But even when it’s frustrating to watch, which is for a large percentage of the time, it’s still a nice movie to look at, as Sutherland and cinematographer Rui Poças were able to capture some great images of the forest where it all takes place. (The story is set in the United States, but the filming location was Portugal.)
So we have intriguing ideas, a good lead actress, and nice cinematography, yet the movie still falls short. I think Sutherland could make an effective horror movie at some point, but Lovely, Dark, and Deep just didn’t work for me.
Lovely, Dark, and Deep is set to receive a VOD release on February 22nd.
A year and a half ago, Get Out, Us, and Nope writer/director Jordan Peele‘s production company Monkeypaw Productions acquired the genre film pitch Goat from writers Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie, the plan being that Peele would be producing Goat as part of Monkeypaw’s overall deal with Universal Pictures. Now the sports-related horror project is finally making its way toward production, and in recent weeks we’ve learned that Justin Tipping – who made his feature directorial debut with the 2016 drama Kicks – will be directing the film, with lead roles going to Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie) and Tyriq Withers (The Game). Now Deadline reports that the female lead role has gone to Julia Fox.
Deadline also says that Fox is “best known for her New York Times best-selling book Down the Drain“, while the description for that book (you can pick up a copy HERE) says, “Julia Fox is famous for many things: her captivating acting, such as her breakout role in the film Uncut Gems; her trendsetting style, including bleached eyebrows, exaggerated eyeshadow, and cutout dresses; her mastery of social media, where she entertains and educates her millions of followers. But all these share the trait for which she is most famous: unabashedly and unapologetically being herself.” Fox made her feature acting debut with Uncut Gems, and since then has had roles in PVT CHAT, Puppet, and the Steven Soderbergh projects No Sudden Move and Presence. Details on the character she’ll be playing in Goat haven’t been revealed.
Akers and Bronkie’s script centers on a promising young athlete who is invited to train with a team’s retiring star. How exactly horror enters the picture is being kept under wraps. ComicBook.com has heard that the script centers on a rookie QB who goes to train with a retiring star QB who may hold a secret about how he has played so long at such a high level. So obviously the GOAT has been using unusual methods to achieve his success, and finding out about them are going to cause the rookie some trouble.
Wayans will be playing the titular greatest-of-all-time athlete, while Withers will be playing the promising young athlete / rookie QB.
Writers Akers and Bronkie previously created the Facebook Watch series Limetown, which starred Jessica Biel. Since making Kicks, Tipping has gone on to direct episodes of multiple TV shows, including Black Monday, The Chi, Dear White People, Dare Me, Twenties, Run the World, Flatbush Misdemeanors, and Joe vs. Carole.
Peele is producing Goat with Win Rosenfeld, Ian Cooper, and Jamal Watson. David Kern and Kate Oh serve as executive producers. Universal EVP Production Development Sara Scott and Director of Development Tony Ducret are overseeing the project for the studio.
Does Goat sound interesting to you? What do you think of Julia Fox being cast the female lead? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Luc Besson’s DogMan has received another trailer ahead of its release next month, capping off a journey that also saw the film competing for the Golden Lion at last year’s Venice Film Festival.
DogMan is writer/director Besson’s first film since 2019’s Anna and one that has built the most buzz in quite some time. The cast features Caleb Landry Jones, who was remarkable in 2021’s Nitram, and Jojo T. Gibbs, who appears in Past Lives, which is up for Best Picture this year. They are joined by Christopher Denham (Oppenheimer) and Clemens Shick (Star Wars series Andor).
Here is the synopsis of DogMan: “Having just been arrested, Douglas opens his heart to tell the moving story of his life. As a survivor of childhood trauma, with a violent father who forces him to live in the family kennel, he develops a bond with dogs that defies understanding. Out of this hell, he grows to discover love, theatre, and cabaret, but also the injustice and disillusionment of the human world. In a life that’s been broken a thousand times, only the love of his dogs can bring salvation.”
DogMan will open in a limited release on March 29th before going wide the next week on April 5th. Those who have been following DogMan will note that the release has actually been pushed back two weeks from when it was originally intended to hit theaters. Regardless, for Luc Besson fans, his latest will be an event.
While DogMan didn’t snag the Golden Lion, it did actually win Fanheart3’s Graffetta d’Oro for Best Film, which is awarded to a work with the “highest chance to become a cult movie: the one every fan should watch, the one people will talk about the most, the one with the cast more related to fandoms already in existence.” Based on the trailer – which shows off some of the movie’s off-kilter tone and style – we can see why it won.
What do you think of the DogMan trailer? Will you be catching it in theaters? Let us know below!
Cillian Murphy recently had some choice words for his film Red Eye (watch it HERE), a Wes Craven-directed thriller that was released back in 2005. But he wasn’t entirely negative. So that got me thinking: Is Red Eye a good film? Or is it more in the so bad it’s good category? I personally saw Red Eye in theaters and have always had a soft spot for it. But if Oppenheimer‘s own Cillian Murphy has an issue with it, maybe it’s worth a second gander. So let’s see whether it’s good, bad, or somewhere in between as we revisit Red Eye in the video embedded above!
Scripted by Carl Ellsworth, who crafted the story with Dan Foos, Red Eye has the following synopsis: In the wake of her grandmother’s funeral, hotel manager Lisa Reisert is waiting to fly back home when she meets charming Jackson Rippner at check-in. She thinks it luck that they’re seated together on the plane, but soon learns otherwise. Jackson hopes to assassinate the head of Homeland Security, but to do so, he needs Lisa to reassign the official’s room number at her hotel. As insurance, Jackson has kidnapped Lisa’s father.
Murphy is joined in the cast by Rachel McAdams, Brian Cox, Jayma Mays, Jack Scalia, Robert Pine, Teresa Press-Marx, Angela Paton, Suzie Plakson, Monica McSwain, Dane Farwell, Laura Johnson, Loren Lester, Max Kasch, Kyle Gallner, Brittany Oaks, Beth Toussaint, Colby Donaldson, Marc Macaulay, and Jenny Wade.
The Red Eye episode of Revisited was Written, Narrated, and Edited by Tyler Nichols, Produced by Tyler Nichols and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
What do you think of Wes Craven’s Red Eye? Do you agree with Cillian Murphy that it’s “not a good movie”, or do you find it to be an entertaining thriller? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Two previous episodes of Revisited can be seen below. To see more of our shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals channel – and subscribe while you’re at it!
Maybe you can’t see John Cena but it’s hard to turn a blind eye to the accusations of battery and trafficking against former WWE head Vince McMahon that ultimately saw him resigning from his position at TKO. And while Cena may not be outright ignoring the alleged incidents, he is still showing his support for his former boss.
Speaking with Howard Stern this week, Cena said of the McMahon situation, “I don’t think it’s complicated to talk about…I think it’s complicated to listen to. That’s kinda why I don’t necessarily put a lot of time and equity into it. Again, there’s still a long ways to go. I can say this, I’m a big advocate of love and friendship and honesty and communication. But in the same breath, I’m also a big advocate of accountability.” Adding to this, Cena expressed his genuine love for McMahon while definitive answers remain untold. “If someone’s behavior lies so far outside your value system, that the balance shifts, of like, man, I can’t operate in a world where this works. That’s the end result of being accountable. Right now, what I’m gonna do is love the person I love, be their friend, and by that, it means like, hey, I love you. You got a hill to climb.”
While it may seem a bit concerning that John Cena hasn’t outright condemned Vince McMahon, we do have to remember that McMahon was the man who helped nurture Cena’s career as an eventual 16-champ world champ and one of the biggest pro wrestling superstars in the industry’s history, up there with Hulk Hogan and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Cena also saw McMahon as a father figure throughout, so it may not be terribly surprising that he doesn’t want to make a final judgment at this moment.
Cena’s statements on McMahon aren’t that far off from another WWE superstar, Randy Orton, who said he doesn’t want to believe in the accusations because of his contributions to his own career. Still, he did also add that McMahon is indeed fallible.
Outside of McMahon, Cena had some other thoughts on the squared circle, saying retirement may have him at a two-count, pointing to 50 as being perhaps the sweet spot to hang up the sweatbands. With 47 just around the corner and no WrestleMania match on the card for this year, the number of matches left for Cena is much lower than many hope.
What do you make of John Cena’s statements on Vince McMahon? Is he leaning more towards denial, support or objectivity? Give us your thoughts below.
After a series of projects that were not well-received, people are wondering if the production company of Marvel Studios is imploding under the weight of success it has built up for over a decade. With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Secret Invasion and The Marvels failing to live up to the much more profitable films of the past, the comic banner under the Disney umbrella is now seeking to retool its creative output. Even though the anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine is turning out to be the sole film released from Marvel Studios this year, many think it might actually be the film to save the MCU.
One of two OG Avengers that people still think can carry the load is Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk. Although the character has already had a solo movie with Edward Norton in the role in The Incredible Hulk from 2008, Ruffalo’s interpretation was a slightly different take and yet to be given his own film. However, according to Deadline, Ruffalo doesn’t see the logistics for Marvel wanting to do a new solo Hulk film. In a recent GQ profile, Ruffalo stated, “I’d love to do a standalone Hulk. I just don’t think that’s ever going to happen.” He cites that the price of Hulk’s CGI would be far too much for a whole feature film, even though the technology has advanced in the years since his first appearance. He adds, “It’s very expensive if you did a whole movie, which is why they use the Hulk so sparingly. I priced myself out!”
Ruffalo also thinks that Marvel oversaturated their output, which may be what contributed to their current status. He says their “expansion into streaming was really exciting. But the thing about Marvel movies is, you had to wait three years and that created a mystique.” With Bob Iger aiming to stifle some of the releases for Marvel, Ruffalo sees the benefit of the course correction strategy. “These corrections could be really positive things. Will it be what it was? I don’t know.”
Last week, a seeming misunderstanding of a question at a Q&A led to Ruffalo basically revealing that Hulk may return earlier than we might think when he outright said that he appears in Captain America: Brave New World. However, it has since been cleared up that he mistook the question being asked and his answer was not referring to Hulk’s appearance in the upcoming film.
Paramount Pictures didn’t have a bad 2023 but had put a lot of hopes on the latest in the Mission: Impossible franchise to push them towards a great year. After Tom Cruise soared with Top Gun: Maverick, they had hoped fans would flock to theaters once again to see him in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One. Off that’s a long title. It underperformed, so the next film will get a new name. What can fans look forward to on Paramount’s 2024 release schedule?
A new music biopic, which has been a trend that has proved profitable over the last few decades. This one is with the cooperation of the Marley family. I’m curious to see if the film will show anything that might put the singer in a bad light. The biggest problem with these types of films is that they try to paint the subject in the best light possible. They might acknowledge the problems that followed them, but it’s usually to show them overcome them. Either way, it should be an interesting insight into the legendary musician. Read our review!
John Krasinski has been getting a lot of praise over the last few years. With his work on the Quiet Place franchise, he seems to have earned quite a place for himself as a filmmaker. This children’s movie is labeled as “From The Imagination Of John Krasinski” as a selling point. Seems like a lot to put on the faith of one guy who was in The Office. It also has Ryan Reynolds, and that guy seems to print money, so maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about. I was hoping for more of a take on imaginary friends along the lines of Drop Dead Fred, but this looks more targeted towards younger kids. It would be nice if Fred at least got a name-drop.
This is labelled as a spin-off of the popular franchise focusing on the initial invasion of the alien antagonists we know (and fear) from this franchise. Lupita Nyong’o stars opposite newly mintedFantastic Four star Joseph Quinn. So far, we don’t really know exactly what the whole premise is, but it looks to be just as good as the other films, even if it has a new director in Pig‘s Michael Sarnoski. This is perhaps the biggest release on Paramount’s 2024 release schedule.
An animated prequel to the popular film franchise will be set on Cybertron. It is said it will focus on the relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron. The cast is stacked with A-List power from Scarlett Johansson, Laurence Fishburn, and Chris Hemsworth. The latter of which will replace all-time best Optimus Prime voice actor Peter Cullen in the role. We’ll have to see if that’s a good choice or not. Are we tired of Transformers movies? It seems like the popularity keeps going down, but Paramount seems intent on keeping them going.
This film has for sure been rushed into development after the first film was a surprise smash. It was initially supposed to go straight to streaming, but it was given a theatrical run after test screenings went very positively. The response from audiences made it number 1 at the box office. Last year was great for the horror genre, and this film definitely helped. It’s no surprise that this film was pushed forward to quickly capitalize. Will it be a great follow-up to the original, or are they making a mistake? With their interesting marketing campaign of sending people out to sporting events to sit in the front row and look directly into the camera, I can only hope to see something fun starting with the Super Bowl.
When this was announced, it seemed like a strange idea. The main character died (SPOILER!) at the end of the first film. How can we continue this story without Russell Crowe’s award-winning performance? Well, according to the very limited details we know about the film, you have it follow Lucius. He is the son of Maximus’ love Lucilla. Okay. Even if that doesn’t lead some fans into the theater, the cast is loaded with some great performers who should put on some interesting performances. Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal are the two biggest names, along with Connie Nielson reprising her character from the original. With Ridley Scott back at the helm, it should at least be worth checking out.+
Mario may have finally gotten a decent film in 2023, but Sonic has been doing a pretty good job since 2020. After some retooling of the graphics, that is. An early trailer nearly destroyed any chance this franchise had, but the studio listened to fans. With the recent news that Jim Carrey is returning as Dr. Robotnik for this outing, fans have to be excited. Now that Sonic is a full-fledged movie star, when are we going to end up getting a full-on Super Smash Bros. movie? Do it!
What are you looking forward to from Paramount’s 2024 release schedule? Let us know in the comments.
We smell what The Rock is cookin’ – and that is a Ric Flair biopic, a long-awaited project about the stylin’ and profilin’ icon of the squared circle, the news of which can make us say only one thing: Woooooo! That’s right, Dwayne Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions will send a Flair biopic to the ring, with Johnson himself issuing a statement on the film.
Johnson unveiled the biopic earlier this week while also paying tribute to Flair, stating, “As a kid who grew up in professional wrestling, I idolized, ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair. He was a hero to me. And once I broke into the wrestling business and began to spill my own sweat and blood – my reverence for Ric turned to respect. Because I realized just how rare and impossible it is to disrupt the wrestling business, culture and truly change the game – and that’s exactly what Ric Flair did. This project is personal, and we can’t wait to tell his unbelievable story. As always, thank you for the house, Ric.”
A Ric Flair biopic is a long time coming, as The Nature Boy has one of the most storied careers in the wrestling business. We’re talking early days in the AWA in the ‘70s, a series of incredible bouts in Japan, a career-solidifying run in the NWA/WCW, a surprisingly short initial stint in the WWE (then called the WWF), and numerous retirements and returns – with so much in between. Really, there is a lot to cover in a Ric Flair biopic. As someone who grew up watching wrestling in the ‘90s, one key moment I’d love to see is his 1992 Royal Rumble win, a feat of endurance that saw Flair enter at #3 and last over one hour to become the World Heavyweight Champion. And of course there is the infamous “Plane Ride from Hell”…Regardless of the scenes they choose or leave out, with Johnson on board, the movie will undoubtedly be a work of love and admiration.
While Ric Flair has been the subject of numerous documentaries, his persona is rare on the big screen. He was recently depicted by Aaron Dean Eisenberg in The Iron Claw (about the Von Erich wrestling clan), but that was far from being well received…
Chris Pratt and Sebastian Stan have been linked to a Ric Flair biopic at various points, but Flair himself has brought up Bradley Cooper as a potential star. Who do you think could play Ric Flair in a biopic? Should the studio go from with someone famous or a newcomer? Give us your thoughts below!
PLOT: Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed, and two siblings of the Water Tribe, Katara and Sokka, discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he’s ready to save anyone. Some believe Aang can save the world.”
REVIEW: If there’s one thing that’s true in the world of entertainment, it’s almost impossible to adapt a beloved property without setting the fandom on fire. With legions of fans awaiting the arrival of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, you could cut the tension with a water blade. Will the new show honor the original? Does Netflix’s version offer anything new? Is a live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender necessary? Yes, it is, and it’s a hell of a ride!
As a die-hard fan of the original animated show, I’m uniquely positioned to critique and review this anticipated series. With my guard up and affinity for The Last Airbender ready for slaughter, I was stunned by how much I loved my time with this live-action version of the story. While different from the original in several ways, the live-action Avatar series honors the themes and character depth of the original and often does things the animated series could not. We’ll get to that part later. First, let’s reflect on what Netflix’s version was up against.
When Netflix announced its plans to develop a live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender, my first thought was, “Oh no, not again. Haven’t we suffered enough at the hands of M. Night Shyamalan’s 2010 disasterpiece? I don’t know if I have the strength to do it again.” Then, The Last Airbender creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino left Netflix’s live-action adaptation for creative differences—yet another bad sign. Are we doomed to repeat the past? Should The Last Airbender remain as animated perfection only? I’m thrilled that not only is the Netflix version a spectacle of costumes, makeup, and atmosphere, but the show also breathes new life into beloved characters in ways I did not anticipate.
For reasons I don’t have to explain, the first thing to strike me about the series is how good it looks. While I always prefer on-location filming instead of CGI environments, I accept that I’m old and this is how things get done. For all of its CGI glory, the translation of the Avatar’s world from animation to live-action looks fantastic. The iconic locales, Avatar state effects, bending, and characters look like Netflix ripped them out of the Nickelodeon series. Give whoever’s in charge of the makeup department a raise because their game is on point. Zuko’s facial scarring has been meticulously recreated, while Suki’s Kyoshi warrior face paint is a sight to behold. Aang’s swirly airbender markings display a tremendous amount of detail.
The costume department is also making magic on the series. Again, loving recreations reflect the Avatar fashions we know, but now they’re given texture, ornate flare, and versatility. It’s clear to me that the team at DNEG put a lot of thought into the overall look of the world and characters, with authenticity being their primary goal. The show looks like talented fans of the Avatar series created it. I can’t ask for more than that.
Another aspect of the series that makes it unique is how it’s cast a bit more authentically given the background of the anime, something Shyamalan’s version wasn’t known for. It’s genuinely remarkable to see the characters from the animated series shown as flesh-and-blood benders of the elements and otherwise. Essentially, they’ve become mystical superheroes, able to manipulate the world’s precious resources for good or ill.
I was a little nervous the first time I met Gordon Cormier’s Aang. Generally a happy airbender before all the death and destruction, Aang is a bubbly and curious child whose world comes crashing down after learning he’s the Avatar. I worried that Cormier’s Aang was too “gee willikers and golly gosh,” but he quickly displays levels to his performance, with dramatic moments peppering the playful. Aang is powerful but still has a lot to learn. Cormier’s Aang is a torrent of emotions, with his performance reflecting the weight of a child charged with saving humanity.
Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley) travel alongside Aang. While it took me an episode to warm to them, I quickly found them to be fantastic additions to the cast. Kiawentiio’s Katara is kind and competitive, fiercely loyal to her people, and eager to make her mark on the world. She strives for equality and challenges what she views as archaic traditions within her tribe. Kiawentiio does an excellent job conveying Katara’s transformation from an inexperienced waterbender to a skilled Posiedon of her people.
Sokka has undergone the most change from his animated counterpart, with Ian Ousley’s version forgoing the character’s sexist nature in favor of an eagerness to learn from others and support his sister’s journey. Some say this approach robs Sokka of character development and that becoming less sexist is part of his arc. Sokka is better without his predilections for condescension, as there are a few characters throughout the story that pile the disrespect on thick. A Martinez’s Master Pakku, anyone? Ousley’s Sokka grew on me, with the actor displaying a delicate balance of humor, heart, and hormonal frustration throughout the season.
My favorite performance by the young cast is Dallas Liu’s Zuko. Positively owning the line between petulant and power-hungry, Liu plays the Fire Nation Prince with depth, lending to the character’s complexity and narratively gratifying arc from villain to something far more. With his sleek and stylish fire-bending movements, Liu’s physicality is also impressive. Liu’s chemistry with Uncle Iroh actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is a show highlight. The duo spends much time together throughout the season, elevating each other’s performances by introducing new layers and fostering an unbreakable familial bond.
Then there’s my man, General/Uncle Iroh, my favorite character in The Last Airbender series. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee brings his expertise in playing a wisened father figure to Netflix’s Avatar, portraying a jovial, peace-seeking Pai Sho enthusiast tortured by the sins of his past. As much fun as I had watching Lee bounce around while doling out fatherly advice, the moments when he and Zuko connect (or disconnect) are the character’s bread and butter. I would watch a General Iroh Avatar spinoff in a heartbeat, which tells his story in greater detail. You can have that one for free, Netflix. Make it happen.
Finally, we come to Fire Lord Ozai, played by the charismatic and commanding Daniel Dae Kim. Used sparingly throughout the first season, Ozai is more like the Wizard behind the curtain we rarely see, puppeteering his minions from a throne room, only to emerge to plot invasions or ensure his children need copious amounts of trauma therapy. Kim chews the scenery while remaining the most imposing figure in the room, never breaking his stranglehold on the Four Nations or softening his vice-like grip on Zuko and Azula’s (Elizabeth Yu) emotions
There’s only a World of the Avatar with imaginative creatures populating the forests, temples, and skies. Aang’s flying sky bison Appa and winged lemur Momo add a bit of fun to the mix. While used sparingly throughout the first season (probably because they’re expensive AF to animate), both characters look like one-to-one recreations of their animated versions. Add June’s (Arden Cho) terrifying shirshu and the face-stealing spirit Koh (George Takei) to the mix, and you’ve got a zoo of detailed creatures bringing the cryptozoological elements of the Avatar series to life.
Another season of Avatar: The Last Airbender could not come soon enough. I want more time with others featured in the series, like Elizabeth Yu’s Azula, Momona Tamada’s Ty Lee, Thalia Tran’s Mai, and cameos from James Sei’s hilarious Cabbage Merchant. Who will play Toph Beifong? How heart-breaking will it be when Amber Midthunder’s Princess Yue and Sokka need to say goodbye? What happens to Katara when she realizes she can bend more than water? Get that green light ready, Netflix!
To expect Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender to be a one-to-one recreation of the animated original is absurd. Still, I’ve found the latest live-action presentation of the Avatar’s journey to be a magnificent execution. I wanted a respectable amount of changes to the story. A carbon copy of the original does me no good. I could re-watch my Avatar Blu-rays if I wanted to. The show’s creator, Albert Kim, has quelled my fears of this show becoming another cinematic blight on Avatar‘s good name, and I hope other fans are as impressed with it as I am. I marched into Kim’s series with my hackles raised and expectations on the low end of the spectrum. Being proven wrong feels pretty good right about now.
