Avatar’s Most Important Person Not Returning to the Live-Action Remake

The live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender is coming to Netflix sometime in the next few years, but without one key member of the original production team—the composer Jeremy Zuckerman. In 2020, fans of the original animated series voiced concerns about the creators of the series, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, parting ways with Netflix’s remake after citing creative differences. However, Zuckerman’s much quieter exit may be cause for even greater concern.

When creators DiMartino and Konietzko signed on for the live-action remake, they cited criticisms of the film adaptation as a concern of theirs, vowing to adapt the source material faithfully. Jeremy Zuckerman, Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s original composer responsible for iconic musical themes such as “The Avatar’s Love,” and “Agni Kai” was also set to return to the remake, potentially even recomposing his original themes with a larger production budget and full orchestra at his disposal. Sometime after DiMartino and Konietzko’s departure, however, Zuckerman announced via Twitter that he was also no longer returning to the remake.

Zuckerman’s departure, outside of the series’ creators, is perhaps the most devastating loss to the live-action remake, as the original music composed for Avatar: The Last Airbender—which may no longer be used for the live-action remake— captures the essence of the original series perfectly. Since faith in the franchise’s spinoffs is low, hearing Zuckerman’s original score played out with a full orchestra, combined with a larger production budget, would’ve been a wonderful nod to the original series. Additionally, Zuckerman’s score could have been one of the key elements of the franchise to carry over between the original Avatar and the upcoming Netflix reboot.

In many beloved franchises, the original score is often viewed as a quintessential element of the production. The score of Star Wars is one such example, with George Lucas even going so far as to refer to John Williams’s iconic compositions as the “secret sauce” of Star Wars. Avatar: The Last Airbender shares many traits with Star Wars: a complex, fleshed-out world, an evil imperialistic empire that must be overthrown, influential series creators, and a devotion to memorable music. Zuckerman, in many ways, is the “secret sauce” of the Avatar universe, just as Williams was to a galaxy far, far away.

Additionally, with the exception of the original Avatar creators, Jeremy Zuckerman would have been one of the only members of the production team to have worked on both shows, creating some much-needed continuity for an important production aspect of the show. During his time on the original series, Zuckerman composed themes for many of the main characters, antagonists, as well as essential musical motifs for songs like “Leaves From the Vine,” a memorable musical moment from Avatar. If Zuckerman had the chance to carry over these musical themes between installments, his re-orchestrations for a full symphony or even additional complimentary compositions could have yielded invaluable insights into some of Avatar‘s most beloved characters.

While Netflix has taken strides to improve upon mistakes from past adaptations, one thing is for certain—Jeremy Zuckerman’s departure could be potentially devastating for the remake. At the very least, Netflix should attempt to license the original musical themes for reuse throughout the new series. This would give longtime fans of the franchise a chance to hear some of the composer’s most beloved, quintessential compositions fully orchestrated, and perhaps give the live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender a leg up as it produces its soon to be heavily scrutinized first season.

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