The Netflix live-action Avatar series has been in the works for a while now, with its announcement in 2o18. However, since the original creators/showrunners left to form their Avatar-centric production studio, things have been slow and uncertain. That said, the casting direction seems to be nailing it so far! The main cast of characters was revealed in August 2021. It focused on the main three heroes of the series, as well as their villain Zuko. Earlier today, it was also revealed who would be portraying Zuko’s father, Ozai. Daniel Dae Kim, who took a couple of minor roles in the original cartoons, will be playing the Fire Lord.
Daniel Dae Kim Has Plenty of Fire to Muster
Kim is no novice to the young, young adult, and action genres. His most recent role was in Raya and the Last Dragon as Raya’s father Benja. Beyond that, he also had some major roles in the Divergent series and recent Hellboy remakes. With a start like Lost and so many recent hits, it’s no surprise that he could be pulled in to become the menacing lord of the fire nation. He’s well-known in the industry as someone who brings incredible life to characters, and someone who plays Ozai certainly needs it.
Additionally, this isn’t Kim’s first role in the Avatar universe. In Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kim played General Fong. He was the Earth Nation general who wanted to force the Avatar State out of Aang, for better or worse. He also played a much larger role in Avatar: The Legend of Korra. There he took the part of Hiroshi Sato, head of Future Industries. Being such a native, fans are hopeful he will bring some magic to the Netflix live-action Avatar series.
At the moment, not much is known about the Netflix adaptation. It can be assumed that it will follow the same general premise and story beats as the original, but recent character details seem to say differently. To summarize, it seems like a lot of liberties were taken when creating characters alone, and it doesn’t bode well for the show at large. Where will Kim’s Fire Lord come into all this? Will the show be faithful or more on its own? We’ll find out soon, as production starts this month. The show is expected to premiere in late 2022.
