The creators of the popular animated Nickelodeon series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" say they are pulling out of a project for a live-action adaptation on Netflix, indicating their vision differed with the streaming service.
"I can finally tell you that I am no longer involved with the project," Michael DiMartino, co-creator and executive producer of the series wrote on Facebook. "In June of this year, after two years of development work, Bryan Konietzko and I made the difficult decision to leave the production."
DiMartino said he and Konietzko were hired as showrunners and executive producers for the project in 2018. The pair said Netflix told them it was committed to their vision for the series, but that things did not go as they had hoped.
"When Netflix brought me on board to run this series alongside Mike two years ago, they made a very public promise to support our vision," Konietzko wrote on Instagram. "Unfortunately, there was no follow-through on that promise."
Konietzko said that he and DiMartino were open to suggestions as long as they were in line with the integrity of the original.
"However, we ultimately came to the belief that we would not be able to meaningfully guide the direction of the series," he wrote.
Variety reports Netflix is still committed to the project.
"It might turn out to be a show many of you end up enjoying. But what I can be certain about is that whatever version ends up on-screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make," DiMartino wrote.
