There’s been so much buzz of both the genuine and morbid variety about the upcomingCowboy Beboplive-action series that people may have forgotten about the other high-profile one in the works. Well, luckily for those lamenting the lack of news on that front, a big bombshell has just dropped: Daniel Dae Kim has joined Netflix’sAvatar: The Last Airbender
Dae Kim, known for his time on ABC’sLostalong with plenty of other meaty parts in his career, has just joined the party to play none other than the terrifying villain Fire Lord Ozai. This marks a substantial milestone in the development of the live-actionAvatar: The Last Airbenderseries, and hopefully means things are finally making some meaningful moves forward.
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Kim isn’t the first cast member to be revealed, as the names behind several of theleads ofAvatar: The Last Airbenderhave already been confirmed. But he’s certainly (arguably) the most well-known actor to join the project thus far. That definitely makes sense, considering the incredible and intimidating performance put on by Mark Hamill as Ozai in the original animated series. Those are surely some big shoes to fill, but Kim has a long and storied career to back up his abilities.
Aside fromLost, Kim has enjoyed a number of other prestigious roles, including an appearance in Sam Raimi’sSpider-Man 2and a recently concluded run as Detective Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly in the 2010Hawaii Five-0reboot. Gamers with a love of zany violence and questionably-shaped melee weapons will also recognize him as the voice ofJohnny Gat in theSaints Rowseries, which is currently gearing up to launch its own reboot (albeit unfortunately without Kim’s iconic character). Other than the acting side of things, he also created the production company 3AE, which currently produces the CBS medical dramaThe Good Doctor.
Kim will join several other confirmed actors in the series, includingThe Stand’s Gordon Cormier as the young Avatar Aang,Rutherford Falls' Kiawentiio as Katara, andPhysical’s Ian Ousley as her brother Sokka. Dallas Liu, who recently appeared in Marvel Studios’Shang-Chias Ruihua, has alsojoined the cast ofAvatar: The Last Airbenderas Ozai’s conflicted son, Prince Zuko. Only the future knows how this series will compare to M. Night Shyamalan’s poorly-received (to put it lightly) film version, but hopefully, it will include the correct pronunciations of the characters' names, at the very least.
Netflix’sAvatar: The Last Airbenderis certainly a curiosity this early in development. But casting news like this may be enough to kindle some extra hope in many uncertain fans who just want a proper adaptation after the original series ended so many years ago. Here’s hoping it turns out to be something viewers can be proud to binge.
Avatar: The Last Airbenderwill premiere on Netflix on a yet-to-be-announced date.
