Since its announcement, the series has faced some turbulence on its road to completion including DiMartino and Konietzko leaving the project due to creative differences and the ongoing COVID pandemic delaying production. Before the cast was announced, people were also concerned about the show's dedication to preserving cultural and ethnic representation seen in the original series. Avatar: The Last Airbender is heavily inspired by Asian and Inuit peoples, and Hollywood makes a habit of whitewashing POC roles, like the controversy surrounding Scarlett Johansson’s role in the 2017 adaptation of Ghost in the Shell. However, once casting announcements began, the anxiety about the issue faded.

Related: Everything We Know About Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Live-Action Remake

A new photo of Maria Zhang, who was cast to play Suki, a non-bending Kioshi Warrior and friend to Avatar Aang, was shared by Avatar News on Twitter. Zhang is in front of her trailer where ‘Suki’ is written on the door and her black puffer jacket. Neither the Kioshi Warrior costumes nor makeup are spoiled in the picture, but Zhang looks excited to be on set.

In addition to Zhang, the series has cast Kiawentiio as Katara, a waterbender, Ian Ousley as Sokka, Katara’s older and non-bending brother, Gordon Cormier as Avatar Aang, and Dallas Liu as Fire Nation Prince Zuko. While the main cast consists of newer names, Daniel Dae Kim has been cast as Fire Lord Ozai, the villain of the series. Zuko’s loveable and wise Uncle Iroh will be portrayed by Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Kim’s Convenience) and Elizabeth Yu has been cast as Zuko’s sister, Princess Azula.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is not Netflix’s first foray into anime to live-action adaptations. Last year, Netflix released a live-action series based on Cowboy Bebop, an anime from the 90s. However, was canceled after its first season because of poor ratings and negative reception. The cancellation of Cowboy Bebop was a huge financial hit for Netflix, and as such the lessons learned might translate to Avatar: The Last Airbender. There is a lot of anticipation for Netflix’s adaptation, and all hope that it will live up to the building expectations. However, the outcome of Cowboy Bebop might be an indication of how the series ends up.