This February, the highly-anticipated live-action TV remake of the beloved animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender will finally arrive on Netflix and fans have been cautiously optimistic about how the new adaptation will play out.
While the upcoming series is expected to follow most of the source material, some have been wondering how big or small the changes they are going to make on certain elements from the iconic animated show.
As it turns out, the new Netflix series is making a key change in the personality of one of its main characters.
Also Read: Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Showrunner Avoided the Controversial Live-Action Movie
Avatar: The Last Airbender Live-Action TV Series Tones Down Sokka's Sexism
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Ian Ousley, who plays Sokka, opened up about his take on the character on Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender and what he plans to maintain in the new series.
"I wanted to make sure that Sokka is funny," he said. "There's more weight with realism in every way."
Kiwaentiio, who plays Katara, chimed in and revealed that the remake will tone down Sokka's sexism.
"I feel like we also took out the element of how sexist [Sokka] was. I feel like there were a lot of moments in the original show that were iffy."
As the report pointed out, there are Reddit threads that are dedicated to Sokka's sexism in the original animated series and how he would make remarks such as "Girls are better at fixing pants than guys, and guys are better at hunting and fighting."
"Yeah, totally. There are things that were redirected just because it might play a little differently [in live action]," Ousley said in agreement.
At this point, it's not surprising to hear these changes in the new series as showrunner Albert Kim already mentioned in a past interview that several additions and changes will be made from the source material.
"We don't start the show the way the animated series starts. That was a conscious decision to show people this is not the animated series," he told Entertainment Weekly in a separate interview published last December.
"We had to sometimes unravel storylines and remix them in a new way to make sense for a serialized drama. So I'm very curious to see what'll happen in terms of reaction to that."
Despite the changes, Kim also assured that the live-action remake will retain the spirit of the original and it will remain an epic fantasy tale in its translation to live-action TV storytelling.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is set to premiere on Netflix this February 22.