The adaptation will be a retelling of the original series, helmed by series creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. The duo have spoken about casting for the series (which is reportedly still taking place), and how they wanted to maintain the ethnic diversity of the original seriesone of many mistakes of that other adaptation of which we will not speak.
According to sources close to We Got This Covered , the Netflix adaptation will also feature several LGBTQ characters.
For those about to point fingers and accuse the creators of JK Rowling-ing the characters sexuality (that would be: deciding characters sexual orientation retroactively and performatively), know that the reports suggest these will be new characters, original characters. Which is exciting for several reasons; not only will the series become even more inclusive to its diverse younger audience (and some studies show that more members of Generation Z identify as gender non-binary than any previous generation), but these additions also imply totally new storylinesand that the adaptation wont simply be a shot-by-shot remake of the original. Thank god.
Fans of Avatar know that these additions won't be the first LGBTQ characters in the shows universe. The sequel series The Legend of Korra featured a queer protagonist. Though, some have pointed out the rapidity by which this development took place; it wasnt until literally the final scene that Korras queerness was made evident to the audienceand in a way that seemed afterthought-ish.
DiMartino and Konietzko seem to have recognized that criticism. We cant wait to see how they handle things this go-aroundif 2022 ever arrives.