Just weeks after Netlix announced that Avatar: The Last Airbender will return for two more seasons, Variety is reporting that Albert Kim, the series showrunner, is stepping down.
Kim developed the series and served as showrunner on Season 1, and will remain onboard as an executive producer for Seasons 2 and 3. Citing "an individual with knowledge of the situation," Variety reports:
Kim wanted to explore new opportunities following the multi-year development process on “Last Airbender” and has signed a deal with Disney to work as an executive producer on the “Percy Jackson” series while also developing new projects for that company.
While not officially announced, it's reported that Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani will lead he show as executive producers moving forward. Boylan served as co-executive producer on Season 1, while Raisani was an executive producer, director, and a VFX supervisor.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a live-action adaptation of the popular animated fantasy action television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio.
The series is set in a fictional fantasy world where human civilization is divided into four nations based on the flour classical elements: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. In each nation, some people known as "benders" can telekinetically manipulate one of the four elements. Aang, however, is the titular Avatar, which means he's the only one capable of mastering all four.
The official synopsis from Netflix reads:
Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Aang (Gordon Cormier), a young boy who’s the titular Avatar, which means he’s the only one capable of mastering all four elements (air, water, fire, and earth). In Season 1, Aang wakes up after a 100-year slumber to discover he’s the only surviving Airbender. The world is being threatened by the imperialistic Fire Nation, which wiped out every other airbender and is working to subjugate the Earth and Water Nations. With the help of his newfound friends Katara (Kiawentiio), a waterbender, and her brother Sokka (Ian Ousley), Aang sets off on a journey to restore balance to this fractured world.
The first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender was met with mixed reviews, and sits at a 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. It seemed to have appealed more to general audiences as evidenced by its slightly higher 73% average audience score.
The critics' consensus reads: "Avatar: The Last Airbender serves as a solid live-action entry point into the beloved franchise, although it only sporadically recaptures the magic of its source material."
At the time of the show's renewal for Seasons 2 and 3, which will conclude the story, Avatar: The Last Airbender had been Netflix's No. 1 English-language TV show, amassing 41.1 million views in just the first 11 days.