It’s go time for Netflix’s live-action adaptation of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ — Nickelodeon’s hit animated series — as it kicks off production in Vancouver.
And to add some hype to th announcement, it was also revealed that the show will be utilising some notable tech to create its fantasy world.
According to a report in Verge, Netflix says it has partnered with effects studio Pixomondo on a custom-built facility that’s 84 feet across, 28 feet high, and features 23,000 square feet of stage and more than 3,000 LED panels. It’s similar to the virtual sets utilized most famously by Disney on ‘The Mandalorian’.
According to Netflix, the set “allows for visual effects to be done in real time in camera, combining multiple environments on a single stage.” The company calls it “one of the biggest virtual production volumes in North America.”
The upcoming adaptation has not been without controversy; last year Avatar creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko left the project citing creative differences. Albert Kim (‘Sleepy Hollow’, ‘Nikita’) has since taken over as showrunner.
This summer, Netflix revealed the initial cast for the show — Gordon cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka and Dallas Liu as Zuko.
Now the company has revealed three new roles: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (‘Kim’s Convenience’) as Uncle Iroh, Ken Leung (‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, ‘Lost’) as Commander Zhao, and Lim Kay Siu (‘Anna and The King’, ‘Nightwatch’) as Gyatso.
