The Last Time the 'Avatar' Creators Left an Adaptation, We Got M. Night Shyamalan's 'The Last Airbender'

A live-action version of the popular animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender is still in production at Netflix, but the animated series' creators are no longer attached to the project.

Michael Dante DiMartino announced his and co-creator Bryan Konietzko's departures on his blog on Wednesday, citing creative differences between them and Netflix.

"When Bryan and I signed on to the project in 2018, we were hired as executive producers and showrunners. In a joint announcement for the series, Netflix said that it was committed to honoring our vision for this retelling and to supporting us on creating the series. And we expressed how excited we were for the opportunity to be at the helm. Unfortunately, things did not go as we had hoped," DiMartino wrote.

DiMartino continued, writing that he knows that "things happen" in production and there are unforeseen events at play, but after some self-reflection and evaluation he decided to leave the project in June.

"I realized I couldn't control the creative direction of the series, but I could control how I responded," DiMartino wrote. "So, I chose to leave the project. It was the hardest professional decision I've ever had to make, and certainly not one that I took lightly, but it was necessary for my happiness and creative integrity."

Meanwhile, on Instagram, Konietzko confirmed the departures. He explained the reasoning by writing, "Though I got to work with some great individuals, both on Netflix's side and on our own small development team, the general handling of the project created what I felt was a negative and unsupportive environment."

Netflix responded to the news in remarks shared with The Hollywood Reporter. "We have complete respect and admiration for Michael and Bryan and the story that they created in the Avatar animated series," a Netflix spokesperson said. "Although they have chosen to depart the live-action project, we are confident in the creative team and their adaptation."

This change comes 15 months after Konietzko went on Instagram to praise the process with Netflix.

"For those who are eager to see this new series and are asking if we have a trailer yet: thank you for your enthusiasm, sincerely, but you wouldn't want to see a version of this series that was made within nine months," Konietzko wrote. "Too much Hollywood fare is fast-tracked and the results speak for themselves. Thankfully for us and this series, Netflix is committed to doing it right."

What happened between the Avatar creative team and Netflix is anyone's guess, but this isn't the first time that DiMartino and Konietzko have left the production of an adaptation of their beloved animated series.

Remember The Last Airbender? The live-action film was adapted from the first season of the Avatar series and directed by M. Night Shyamalan; it arrived in theaters back in the summer of 2010 and was widely bashed by critics and audiences alike.

The casting, pacing and everything in between—Shyamalan's The Last Airbender simply paled in comparison to DiMartino and Konietzko's animated series, in virtually every aspect. Before its production, however, DiMartino and Konietzko told Sci Fi Wire in 2007 that they were thrilled that Shyamalan was doing the adaptation.

"The movie is in the earliest stages, so it is too soon to comment on exactly what we will be doing," Konietzko said. "However, Mike and I have met with Night and, on top of really admiring his craft, he is a great guy who really respects the material. It means a lot to us that he personally chose to do this project, and we look forward to helping him in any way."

Unfortunately, the production process left a sour taste in DiMartino and Konietzko's mouths, as they expressed in a 2014 interview with Nerdist. The duo talked a bit about what went on behind the scenes when development of the film first began.

Konietzko said, "A, we didn't want it to be done at all. Before anyone was attached, we didn't want it. And then B, if it was going to be done, we wanted to do it, but they weren't going to let us. C, when they attached Night, we just thought, 'Well, this is what we've been dealt. We'll just offer help when it's asked of us, and if it's not, we'll stay out of the way.' In the beginning, it was more positive and we offered help, but then we had a big falling out."

The Last Airbender won five awards at the 31st annual Raspberry Awards—for Worst Movie, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, Worst Supporting Actor, and "Worst Eye-Gouging Misuse of 3D."

Now, the departure of DiMartino and Konietzko from this latest Netflix adaptation doesn't mean that the new series will be a disaster on that level, DiMartino even says that it has the potential to be good.

"Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar has the potential to be good. It might turn out to be a show many of you end up enjoying. But what I can be certain about is that whatever version ends up on-screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make," DiMartino wrote.

Regardless of how this new adaptation turns out, if you're looking for the definitive version of Avatar: The Last Airbender, as it was envisioned by its creators, you're better off just watching the complete animated series, which is available to stream now on Netflix.