“Avatar: The Last Airbender” live-action series swaps showrunners again ahead of season 2

Albert Kim, who stepped in as showrunner after the original "Avatar" creators departed, is now leaving the show.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is getting another big behind-the-scenes shift ahead of seasons 2 and 3.

Albert Kim, who served as showrunner on season 1 after the original Avatar creators left the project, is now stepping down from his post. In his place, co-executive producers Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani are taking the reins for at least the next two seasons.

On season 1, Boylan served as a co-executive producer and writer, while Raisani served as executive producer, director, and VFX supervisor. Raisani notably directed the opening sequence of the entire series (the earthbender chase through Fire Nation territory), as well as the episodes 3 ("Omashu") and 4 ("Into the Dark").

Kim will remain on Team Avatar as an executive producer, though The Hollywood Reporter reported that he's expected to sign a development deal with Disney+, which will include work on the Percy Jackson series.

Gordon Cormier stars on the show as Aang, the next Avatar, a reincarnated being and the sole individual who can master water, earth, fire, and air to maintain balance in the world. But when the young airbender from the Southern Air Temple flees from his responsibilities, he gets trapped by a storm and frozen in ice for 100 years. His absence allows the Fire Nation to wipe out the Air Nomads and wage a war for global domination.

Kiawentiio also stars as Katara, a young waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe who joins the newly reawakened Aang on his quest to restore peace to the world; Ian Ousley stars as Sokka, Katara's brother; and Dallas Liu stars as Zuko, the banished Fire Nation prince who's determined to hunt down the Avatar to restore his honor.

Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who created the original animated Avatar series, were initially involved with the live-action adaptation. However, they both dropped out in 2020, citing unresolvable creative differences.

Kim previously spoke to EW about working with DiMartino and Konietzko, and using the groundwork they laid to help shape the show. Both are credited as writing the teleplay for the premiere episode with Kim, while Konietzko is credited on the teleplay for episode 6 with Emily Kim and Hunter Ries, based on a story from Konietzko and DiMartino.

"When I first got the call, I was really excited just to sit down with them, because I was in such awe of what they had created back for Nickelodeon," Kim said. "They had done a fair amount of visual exploration, as well as narrative [work] and how to translate the show. I got along really well with them, and we worked together for a while."

Netflix announced a renewal for seasons 2 and 3 very shortly after Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered on the streaming platform on Feb. 22. With that news, the show will be able to finish its adaptation of the original animated series.

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.