Netflix’s Avatar Star Thought He Auditioned for James Cameron’s Sci-Fi Franchise

Summary:

• The live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender just premiered on Netflix to some rather underwhelming results
• Ken Leung, who portrayed Commander Zhao, revealed that he was not familiar with the source material at all
• This led to a confusing situation as the actor thought he was auditioning for a role in James Cameron 's sci-fi franchise

The first season of the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender has finally debuted on Netflix, but unfortunately, judging by the reviews, the project seems to have failed to live up to high expectations.

While the early promotional material made it look quite promising, far more intriguing than the infamous 2010 live-action film, the more information was revealed about the show, the more red flags fans began to notice.

Ken Leung Thought He Was Auditioning for Another Avatar

Furthermore, not every member of the cast was even familiar with the original animated series, which, according to Deadline, led to a confusing situation in one particular case.

Ken Leung, who portrayed Commander Zhao, a Fire Nation naval officer and rival to Dallas Liu's Prince Zuko, actually thought he was auditioning for a role in James Cameron's sci-fi franchise, which also happens to be called Avatar.

However, you can hardly blame the actor for not doing the necessary research first, as the audition process took place in secret, so when he finally heard that it would be "Avatar," the sci-fi saga was the first thing that came to Leung's mind.

Regardless, such poor reviews suggest that the show may not be renewed for a second season, leaving the story unfinished and proving once again that not everything needs a live-action adaptation.

The Original Animated Show Remains Superior

The original animated show of the same name, which aired for four seasons from 2005 to 2008, earned its iconic status for a reason, as it was nearly perfect in almost every way, from its charming visual style to its great story and vivid characters.

The best course of action the creators of the live-action TV series could have taken was to adapt the story without making any changes, since they were not constrained by the theatrical running time like the 2010 movie.

Unfortunately, they made completely unnecessary alterations and this decision has taken its toll on the quality of the project, instantly making it inferior to the original.

For the time being, no official statements have been made about the second season of the series, but as mentioned above, the chances of it seeing the light of day have just become very slim.

Source: Deadline