Legend Of Korra Won't Get a Last Airbender's Live-Action Treatment Because of 1 Unadaptable Storyline

Summary

• The live-action success of Avatar: The Last Airbender has led many to believe that there will be a future adaptation of Legend of Korra.
• Legend of Korra has all the makings of a successful story, but it has one massive hurdle.
• The CGI required for Legend of Korra would be massively expensive and may not do the show justice.

For fans of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender ( 2005-2008), news of a live-action movie was met with equal parts excitement and skepticism. Would the producers really be able to pull off the stunning visuals and world-building of the animated series, as well as choose the right people to play the characters and remain true to the Avatar legacy?

In short, despite the weight of the massively successful animated series, the 2024 live-action was well received by audiences, earning a 7.2/10 on IMDb.

Just two weeks after its release, Netflix announced that Avatar: The Last Airbender would be renewed for a second and third season. With the live-action adaptation exceeding expectations, fans turned their attention to another series in the Avatar universe, hoping that it, too, could be brought to life.

The visually complex Legend of Korra

Set 70 years after Avatar Aang mastered the four elements and saved the world, The Legend of Korra follows Korra, the next Avatar, who must keep both the physical and spiritual worlds in check while battling evil forces. The animated series ran from 2012 to 2014 and was generally well received by Avatar fans, earning an impressive 8.3/10 on IMDb.

However, the animated spin-off was not without its problems. Many found the dystopian story confusing and full of clichés, and felt less connected to the characters, many of whom they found annoying.

Nevertheless, there was still a lot of support for the spin-off series, and there was a demand for a live-action version after The Last Airbender. Of course, the most logical next step would be a live-action Korra series. But there is just one problem.

Bringing the elements and bending to life for The Last Airbender cost approximately $15 million per episode. Legend of Korra features not only on-screen bending, but a heavy focus on the spirit world, which would be exceptionally difficult and outrageously expensive to bring to life with CGI.

Legend of Korra enters the Spirit World

The Last Airbender was able to move away from storylines involving the Spirit World because it was not a huge part of the storyline, but in the case of Korra, the Spirit World makes up most of the storyline for the second season. There is no way to avoid it, and at the same time, there is no way to recreate it.

If you have seen the animated Legend of Korra, you will be familiar with Raava and Vaatu. These spirits are a captivating visual representation of good and evil in the show, and a nightmare for any live-action adaptation.

The CGI of these otherworldly spirits would easily consume the majority of the budget, and that's not counting the other visuals of the spirit world that would also need to be created. Even if they could pull it off, they would probably blow their budget and still be vulnerable to criticism from fans who feel they are not up to par.

So, we seem to be faced with an unsolvable problem

There is no way to cut the Spirit World out of the story, no feasible or affordable way to create it, and no guarantee that Legend of Korra will be as successful as The Last Airbender, even if they could find the CGI budget to pull it off.

While there is interest in a live-action Legend of Korra, at this point the risk seems to far outweigh the reward.