Netflix's live-action AvatarTheLastAirbender series reportedly costs $15 million per episode 💵 💵 💵
The first season of Netflix's upcoming live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon's hit series Avatar: The Last Airbender will reportedly have quite the huge budget of $15 million per episode. Fans of the original animated show all over the world have been curious if not cautiously optimistic about this remake, as the first attempt at one didn't bode so well with audiences. This new endeavor has been filming since November of 2021 and is expected to wrap this May.
The world in which the story of ATLA takes place is a vast one, with ancient Air Temples, a daunting Fire Nation, and a mighty Earth Kingdom. The world is most easily comparable to Middle-earth from The Lord of the Rings or Westeros from Game of Thrones. It also features a lot of different kinds of magic, from the bending of the natural elements to the spiritual beings in other realms.
With the first season's episode count being eight, the $15 million per episode budget adds up to about $120 million in total. It was also recently revealed that each of the episodes will be about an hour long, meaning that the season's total runtime will be about as long as the original first season's. The main cast includes Gordon Cormier as Avatar Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka and Dallas Liu as Zuko, and it is headed up by showrunner Albert Kim.
Since the world of ATLA is so enormous and rich with lore, hearing that Netflix's live-action reimagining will have this massive budget is not only understandable, but a relief for all the fans. Even though M. Night Shyamalan's 2010 film had a similar budget, its poor visual effects and rushed pacing still led it to an overwhelmingly negative critical response.