Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 366

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Final Season Trailer Showcases a Bittersweet Goodbye

It’s the end of an era. Star Trek: Discovery, which launched the Star Trek franchise into the streaming era, is ending after five seasons and seven years. Now we have our final trailer for this last adventure, which features the crew saying their goodbyes. Like previous seasons, the final year of Star Trek: Discovery will focus on a season-long mystery; a mystery that Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew must solve. You can watch the trailer for the last season of Star Trek: Discovery, which begins on April 4, right here:

In this trailer, we see that Starfleet director Dr. Kovich, played by the iconic David Cronenberg, has a new galactic mystery for the Discovery crew to solve. It’s another cosmic puzzle that unlocks some kind of ancient power. The Star Trek Discovery final season trailer gives us some Indiana Jones vibes, only in space. We think we might see the symbol of the Terran Empire on board one of the ships in this trailer. Star Trek fans know the Terran Empire as the “evil Federation” from the Mirror Universe. Yes, that’s the same Mirror Universe that Michelle Yeoh’s Phillipa Georgiou is from. It seems they might play a part in Discovery‘s final season.

Paramount+

Since season three, Discovery has taken place in the 32nd Century, nearly a millennium from where the show started. In the first two seasons, Discovery was a prequel to the original Star Trek, taking place a decade before the adventures of Kirk and Spock on the Enterprise. The spin-off series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds still occupies this timeframe. But the future Star Trek: Discovery now takes place in is a galaxy where the Federation dwindled to a few core worlds after a disastrous cosmic event, and Starfleet is in rebuilding mode. We’ll see if by the end of the series, Discovery takes the Federation back to its full glory.

The first chapter of the final season of Star Trek: Discovery drops on Paramount+ on April 4.

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$300 Life-Size Psyduck Plush Matches Pokédex Height

Step aside, Life-size Barbie, it’s the age of the life-size Psyduck Poké plush now. I mean, who doesn’t need a 31-inch Pokémon plush of everyone’s favorite neurotic Pokémon to scare them in the night? We know we do. That is, if we can afford the price tag. It turns out this Psyduck Pokémon plush is priced at about $10 per inch. And that makes him one expensive plush. Still, Psyduck is so cute and snuggly; how can we resist? If you’re ready to incorporate a life-size Psyduck plush into your life, check out all the details below.

The Pokémon Center

The Pokémon Center shares, “Ready to add some charming confusion to your living room, collection display, or workspace? Clutching its head in perpetual perplexity, this Psyduck Poké Plush features a jumbo 31-inch height based on the in-game Pokédex. Send it into a pretend Pokémon battle, or pose it somewhere within sight so it can keep you smiling!”

The best thing about Psyduck is how relatable it is. We, too, constantly have a headache. So we suppose it would be cheering to have a squishy companion around who can share our daily woes. But, of course, as mentioned, this large Psyduck plush comes with a large price tag. The Pokémon stuffed animal will cost you $324.99. Phew, that’s a headache all on its own.

For those willing to splurge on Psyduck, the plush is now available for pre-order. According to The Pokémon Center, it will likely ship the plush in late October 2024. It’s a jump scare in the making just in time for Halloween; we love it. And secretly, we love this Psyduck plushie too. It’s Psyduck season, after all, given that the Pokémon just starred in a new stop-motion series titled Pokémon Concierge, and more episodes of the show are on the way.

Life-size Psyduck plush, here we come.

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HBO Refused to Let GAME OF THRONES End with a Trilogy of Movies

When the end of Game of Thrones was still a highly anticipated event rather than a very sore subject, reports said the show’s co-creators were considering ending their time in Westeros with three feature films. George R.R. Martin confirmed those rumors in 2020. But how close did David Benioff and D.B. Weiss come to actually finishing their song of ice and fire with a big screen trilogy? That’s a matter of perspective. The two have now said they really did plan to complete Game of Thrones‘ story in theaters. Only, HBO refused to let its smash hit TV show go to the movies.

HBO

Benioff and Weiss told to The Wall Street Journal (in news we first saw at Variety) they really did want to end Game of Thrones with a trilogy of theatrical releases. The three movies would have replaced what ended up being the final two seasons of the drama. So what happened to their plans? HBO executives reminded the two showrunners Game of Thrones was a television show. Benioff said one pithy exec told them HBO stood for “Home Box Office” and not “Away Box Office.”

Good line! Tyrion-esque.

HBO

It’s hard to quibble with HBO for wanting its worldwide phenomenon TV show to finish its run as a TV show on HBO. Feature films also would have taken away from the weekly excitement a new season always brought. For lots of obvious reasons, though, it would have been fun to see Westeros on the biggest screen possible. Imagine Drogon in IMAX. But it’s also really hard not to wonder what might have been if we got those three movies instead of the divisive final 13 episodes that ended Game of Thrones.

They might not have been any better. A change in format would have made a difference in at least some ways, sure, but those films likely would have been remarkably similar to seasons 7 and 8. HBO gave Benioff and Weiss the same type of time and budget for the show that movies would have required.

The only thing we can safely say is that those films probably couldn’t have been any worse.

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Live-Action NARUTO Movie in the Works, Destin Daniel Cretton to Write and Direct

It’s the age of the adaptation. And one particular live-action anime/manga adaptation has been in the zeitgeist for quite a while. We first heard reports of a live-action Naruto movie in 2015. At the time, Lionsgate was in negotiations for the film rights to the franchise. And it was reported that Michael Gracey would helm the live-action Naruto movie, acting as its director. But since that exciting announcement, very little progress has happened with this film. But, here we are, over eight years later, and finally, it looks like momentum is picking up for the Naruto live-action movie. Most recently, we learned that Destin Daniel Cretton will write and direct this anime adaptation. Here’s what we know about this adaptation so far.

The Live-Action Naruto Movie Will Be Written and Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton Viz Media

Destin Daniel Cretton, who was responsible for co-writing and directing the MCU’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, will now help the Naruto live-action movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, Cretton will produce alongside Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Emmy Yu of Arad Productions.

According to the publication, Destin Daniel Cretton even has the approval of Naruto creator, Masashi Kishimoto. Kishimoto notes in a statement, “When I heard of Destin’s attachment, it happened to be right after watching a blockbuster action film of his, and I thought he would be the perfect director for Naruto. After enjoying his other films and understanding that his forte is in creating solid dramas about people, I became convinced that there is no other director for Naturo. In actually meeting Destin, I also found him to be an open-minded director who was willing to embrace my input, and felt strongly that we would be able to cooperate together in the production process.”

We’re excited to hear this news about the Naruto live-action film after such a long development.

What Else Do We Know About This Anime/Manga Adaptation?Crunchyroll

The article makes no mention of whether Michael Gracey is still on tap to direct the movie. The last we heard from him, via IGN, was in 2018. Gracey gave an update on the progress of the Naruto live-action movie where he shared, “So many Hollywood adaptations of really popular manga series just don’t get it right, and for me, what was really important was that if I was gonna do Naruto, I wanted to actually work with [Naruto creator Masashi] Kishimoto and get a script to a stage where he would look at it and be excited about realizing it… Because no one knows the world better than the person who created it.” That sounds like a promising perspective, in any case. So we hope the movie keeps it regardless of who is involved behind the scenes.

Of course, it is much too early for any casting news around the live-action Naruto. But it’s not too early for fans to get their dream casting lists together. Hopefully, we’ll get to hear more about this adaptation soon.

Originally published on

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Put a Custom Funko Pop! Figure in a Dunkin Donuts’ DunKings Tracksuit

The 2024 Super Bowl featured plenty of great commercials, but there’s no question which one stands above the rest. At least there isn’t to me because I’m from Massachusetts. Nothing—nothing—can compete with native sons Ben Affleck and Matt Damon celebrating our region’s greatest institution by rocking out in orange tracksuits as part of the DunKings. Their musical performance was truly a glorious moment for Boston. Now Dunkin Donuts is partnering with Funko to let everyone everywhere get in on the stylish fun. For a limited-time, you can order a custom Pop! figure of yourself dressed like a member of the DunKings.

Funko/Dunkin Donuts

Starting today until March 1, fans of Dunkin Donuts, Ben Affleck, wicked cool accents, music, and fashion can get a very special collectible. When you order a Pop! Yourself figure ($30) you can adorn yours with those wonderful DunKings’ tracksuits. You can also put some custom coffee accessories in your mini replica’s hands. The collection includes both a Dunkin iced coffee and a Dunkin box of donuts.

For those of you not from New England, an iced coffee is a mandatory accessory. It’s possibly even a legal requirement. We drink iced coffee 365 days a year. This is not an exaggeration.

Funko/Dunkin Donuts

The collaboration marks Funko’s first-ever partnership for its Pop! Yourself line. If these figures are even a fraction as popular as the replica DunKings tracksuits that sold out with minutes of going on sale, it won’t be Funko’s last crossover. People, rightfully, love the DunKings. If they don’t they’re probably the lowest of the low (a.k.a. Yankees fans).

As a bonus this DunKings collaboration also gives us a perfect excuse to share the full ad, which should get Affleck both a special Oscar and Emmy next year. And also the year after.

Kid, these are my people. Long live the DunKings, both the real versions and their wicked awesome Funko countahpahts.

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Dallas Liu Is Ready to Play the MCU’s Pyro After AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Turn

A little while ago, Dallas Liu mentioned that he would love his MCU character, Ruihua, to eventually transform into Iceman. But since then, Liu has officially become the Fire Nation’s Prince Zuko in Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation. And even though he still loves Iceman, and we agree he’d make an exceptional icy mutant, it feels like he’s also in excellent shape to take on the role of the MCU’s Pyro. Honestly, we’d give Liu any future role in the MCU he wants because he’s awesome. But is there an actor out there who would be more ready to play Pyro than Dallas Liu after his turn as firebending Zuko? We don’t think so.

Marvel Comics/Netflix

It’s excellent timing to be speaking of Pyro, too. The fiery X-Men character made an unexpected appearance in the MCU’s Deadpool & Wolverine trailer not too long ago. Of course, Pyro appeared as the Aaron Stanford version from the 20th Century Fox X-Men movies. But the appearance of one Pyro means there surely must exist an MCU Pyro—and we vote Liu as our favorite fan cast for the character.

Liu shares his thoughts about the potential MCU casting, noting, “Iceman is a good pick just because I felt like nobody wants to talk about him. But now I would have to say I’m fully Pyro. He’s so bad. So bad.” (Bad meaning good here, obviously!) Liu goes on to say, “I think it’s a lot easier to imagine fire in a fight scene versus ice. You don’t know exactly the shape of it, how fast it’s moving. So yeah, I’m fully just Team Fire in general. The color red, it’s good.” Liu, of course, already appeared in the MCU’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. But in the MCU, characters can always transform into someone new… And so can actors.

Pyro is a pretty cool character, after all. Or do we mean, hot? In our interview, Liu also shares more about his martial arts background and now-scorching resume. Liu broke down what it was like to master fire, explaining, “We’re bending these elements, and obviously, that doesn’t exist in real life. So, we were allowed to be creative in the way that we wanted it to look. We got to use our imagination to imagine what these bending strikes would look like and how the fire would rotate. So yeah, it felt like second nature to me, and the stunt team was nice enough to let me have some input on what these fights would look like.” He adds, “There were a few fire blasts in me and Zhao’s fight that I really got to play with.” Liu also revealed that he has trained with a bo staff and swords.

All this to say, if the MCU needs a Pyro who already knows what it feels like to throw fire around, Dallas Liu is uniquely situated in that regard. But whether it’s fire or ice, we hope to see more of Dallas Liu—in the MCU and everywhere else.

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McDonald’s Serves Up an Anime Experience with a ‘WcDonald’s’ Celebration

Anime and manga fans know all about WcDonald’s. It’s the fictional counterpart to the world’s most famous fast food chain. That version has appeared in countless shows and movies. Now that fantasy iteration of its restaurant real. It’s partnering with some of anime’s biggest names to launch WcDonald’s experiences around the world. The collaboration will even involve a special sauce and art. But that’s just the start. McDonald’s has also announced this special event will also serve up an original WcDonald’s manga and a short anime series.

McDonald’s

Starting on February 26, hungry anime fans in 30 markets around the globe will get to eat at an actual WcDonald’s, as McDonald’s transforms its locations into its anime version. The celebration will include a new Savory Chili WcDonald’s Sauce to go with your Chicken “WcNuggets.” It’s made of ginger, garlic, soy and the heat f chili flakes.

McDonald’s has also teamed-up with Japanese manga illustrator Acky Bright for custom WcDonald’s art. For a limited time, “fans will receive manga-inspired packaging featuring WcDonald’s Crew characters, sketched by Acky himself.” Packaging will also come with a scannable code that will let you “access weekly digital manga drops that star a full cast of WcDonald’s Customers and Crew, including Hashirune, a WcDonald’s regular, Mr. Bev, the Crew jokester, WcDizer 3000, WcDonald’s very own mecha, and many more.”

McDonald’s

The fast food chain is also launching its own four-part WcDonald’s anime series produced by animation house studio pierrot. For four Mondays, fans can tune into a new short, each accompanied by its own manga. They will follow the “flavorful world of WcDonald’s” for a “story about the WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets unfold each week.”

You can find the shorts either on WcDonalds.com or via a code on your WcDonald’s bag. McDonald’s says each will honor four of anime’s most important subgenres: Action, Romance, Mecha, and Fantasy. They’ll include (in release order):

The Race to WcDonald’s : A rivalry strong enough to withstand the test of time as our two heroes embark on an epic race to WcDonald’s. Love from Across the Booth : Our two protagonists discover the WcDonald’s Sauce and WcNuggets aren’t the only perfect pairing. WcNuggets Space Frontier 3000 : A team of WcDonald’s pilots must protect the last WcNugget against an ominous force. The Wisdom of the Sauce : Three women are transported to a distant land to unravel the mystery surrounding the elusive sauce before it’s gone forever.

McDonald’s🤝@studiopierrot pic.twitter.com/h8GNWiAAxH

— McDonald's (@McDonalds) February 20, 2024

In addition to its site, more information about WcDonald’s–including the first official immersive experience that will take place in Los Angeles on March 9 and 10, is available here. And if that sauce is as good as it sounds it could be the tastiest anime experience anyone has ever had. At least it will be in the real world.

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Will SUPERMAN: LEGACY Feature the Hall of Justice? Here’s Why We Think It Might

Superman: Legacy just had its first table read for the principal cast in Atlanta, where most of the filming will take place. We know this thanks to a cast selfie posted by James Gunn on social media. But the newest Superman film will also be shot in Cleveland and Cincinnati. We’ve learned this is thanks to tax credits the production received from the state of Ohio. This has significance for two reasons. The first is that Cleveland is where young Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman as teenagers. The second though, might have larger implications for the DCU. You see, Cincinnati is the real-life home of the Justice League’s home base, the Hall of Justice. Well, sort of.

#SupermanLegacy to Film in #Cleveland and #Cincinnati. https://t.co/yBEDqzdQql pic.twitter.com/kPIklfn4xV

— Superman Homepage (@SupermanHomepge) February 21, 2024

The Justice League has had many headquarters in the comics. A secret cave, a satellite in space, and a Watchtower on the moon. But thanks to the 1970s Super Friends cartoon, most people think of one HQ in particular when thinking of where the League hangs their capes—the Hall of Justice. Because it was so popular in the cartoon, the comics eventually incorporated it into mainstream continuity. However, Super Friends creators Al Gmuer and Joe Barbera lifted the design from Union Terminal in Cincinnati. First built in 1933, Union Terminal is a museum today. But with Superman: Legacy filming in Cincinnati, could using this building be too good an opportunity to pass up?

Warner Bros. Animation

Now, we don’t even know that there’s a Justice League in this new DCU. That said, our best guess is that there is a functioning Justice League already in the film. The fact that prominent League members like Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and Metamorpho are in the film suggests a version of the Justice League already exists. If they do, then they need a base of operations. So with filming in Cincinnati, why not just use the building that inspired the Hall of Justice in the first place? At least the exterior anyway. We may just have our superhero tin foil hats on, but we wouldn’t be surprised if this bit of speculation turns out to be real.

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Dallas Liu Dives Deep into Live-Action Zuko: His Scar, AVATAR Season 2 Direction, Soft Heart, and More

Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most beloved fictional series ever. And that makes Prince Zuko one of the most beloved characters to emerge from one of the most beloved series ever to air. With such an intense weight of expectation behind it, stepping into the role would be no small thing for any actor. But happily, Dallas Liu absolutely crushes it as Prince Zuko in Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender. Not only does he do justice to everyone’s favorite grumpy royal in exile, but he actually enhances the character—breathing new life and emotion into Zuko and adding nuance and depth to the Prince’s journey (even beyond his already nuanced cartoon turn). It’s a feat that I may have said was impossible before I saw Liu’s peerless performance in the Netflix series.

Netflix

Nerdist was fortunate to sit down with Liu for an in-depth talk spanning the ins and outs of bringing live-action Zuko to the screen. Liu even shared with us that it was one of the first opportunities he had to speak about the role, making for an extra exciting conversation on both ends. Dallas Liu’s enthusiasm and deep, nerdy love for Zuko and the Avatar world, in general, was beautifully evident. From the audition process to the evolution of Zuko’s scar to Zuko’s soft heart to where Zuko’s head is going into a potential season two, let’s dive into all things Zuko with Dallas Liu.

Jump to: Getting the Role of Zuko // Creating Live-Action Zuko // Zuko’s Live-Action Avatar Scar // Live-Action Avatar Season Two Zuko // The Cartoon Scenes Dallas Liu Wants to Bring to Life // Zuko and Ozai // Zuko and Iroh // Zuko’s Soft Heart // Dallas Liu Brought Zuko Some Comedy // Dallas Liu’s Martial Arts Background

[image error]On Getting the Role of Zuko in the Avatar: The Last Airbender Series and His Fellow Gaang-Mates

Nerdist: So Zuko is such a critical character in the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe, and I think in fiction, just full stop. Can you tell us more about the audition process, how you ended up getting the role, and then just what it was like to step into his scowl?

Dallas Liu: So my audition process wasn’t very complicated, to be quite honest. I know that some of my other cast members had gone through these very rigorous audition processes, but for me, I had one or two Zoom calls with the casting director and some of the producers, and then eventually, we moved into a stage that they call chemistry reads, which is when I meet with other actors that are all trying out for the same part. And it goes the same for Zuko.

So, I actually got to read with Gordon for one of my chemistry reads, and he and I met a couple of times over Zoom. But it’s so funny because they gave us these dummy scripts, like these fake sides. I think ours was talking about math the entire time. I corrected him on a specific word. He pronounced it, and I didn’t know if that mattered, but I was just like, “Let me help the kid out.” So the word was Descartes, which is super hard to pronounce when you see it.

Netflix

Yeah, I mean “Dezcartez,” if you’re young!

Liu: Exactly. And so for the rest of our meeting, he just kept on forgetting that line or paragraph and I felt so bad. But, you know, three years later, he’s Aang, right? So I guess it worked out.

Maybe it helped them see him in this sort of childish light, and you kind of being like, “Hello?! Do it right!”—Zuko-style.

Liu: Yeah! From that point on, he was great. And then, I think me and Kiawentiio had gotten our roles around the same time. So we received the scripts and both of our names were on there, instantly stalked each other on IMDb.

Dallas Liu On Creating Live-Action ZukoNetflix

Liu: My experience filming was obviously a blast. I think our script allowed me to make Zuko a real person versus the more one-note hothead character that we see in the animated series, which I was very thankful for. Like Albert Kim and our producers and writers, obviously, they just didn’t want a simple impersonation. And that’s something that I was very open to because as great as Dante Basco’s voice acting is, and I actually enjoyed Dev Patel’s performance of Zuko, having those performances to pull from or maybe stay away from and then having just full the creativity to play with it was great.

The beauty of revisiting a character that has already kind of had his full journey is that you can infuse earlier moments with understanding what’s to come. So, how did you go about pulling what you know about later Zuko into early Zuko here?

Liu: Well, originally, that wasn’t my plan because, funnily enough, Albert Kim, our showrunner, didn’t want to give us all the scripts at once. The cast members pretty much had gotten each script about two to three weeks before we started shooting those episodes. We shot them in blocks, which is two episodes at a time.

So, each episode was something new for me that I really had to make sure that not only did I feel comfortable with it, but I was also giving all of the OG fans the real full service of Zuko. Because I want to emphasize this, season two and season three aren’t guaranteed for us. And they never are. So as much as we could say, “Oh yeah, Zuko will get his full character arc in the later seasons,” it’s really not true because we don’t know what’s happening.

Netflix

And so in this first season, I did my best, I guess to say, playing the villain. But in those flashbacks that you see without Zuko’s scar, in those subtle moments, those small moments where he and Iroh have a heart-to-heart talk, I tried to give people glimpses, whether it was a small smirk with Aang in the shack after I’ve captured him I guess you could say. Or before I leave off to the Northern Water Tribe and those small moments with Iroh, I tried to hint at it, that he was a good guy. But I feel like Zuko in our first season is so obviously a good guy trying to be a bad guy… Or no, no, no. I guess the best way to put it would be he thinks he’s doing the right thing, but obviously he’s doing the complete opposite… Trying to kill a 12-year-old.

But Zuko has been through enough trauma in his life, I guess, in our show. We’ll let it slide.

On Zuko’s ScarNetflix

Let’s talk about Zuko’s scar. It’s so narratively and physically important to who he is. Was there a process to figure out what it would look like or the scene surrounding it? Were there other iterations of it at play?

Liu: Yeah, me and the head of our makeup department, we really tried to fight for more, honestly. We brought it up like, “Hey, this could be really something special. It doesn’t have to be overly gruesome to the point where I look like a real-life burn scar victim, but I think we can, I guess, play around and see what it would look like.”

But we’re making a kids’ show at the end of the day. Even though this might feel closer to a drama than a kids’ show, we’re going to have young kids watching the show. Just like the who were young kids watching the Avatar cartoon. Now, I was definitely like, “Oh my gosh, what’s going on with this guy’s eyeball in the animated series?” But I think for newcomers to the show and younger viewers, this version of the scar certainly works.

On Zuko’s Mindset Going Into a Potential Season Two of Avatar: The Last Airbender (And Maybe Even a Season Three)Netflix

In the cartoons, Zuko’s transition into being one of the good guys is a real slow burn, and then in the end, we only get a few episodes of him fully on the Gaang/Team Avatar. But here we are already kind of seeing that extended scene with Aang after they save each other at Pohuai. In the happy event of a season two, do you think that we might see Zuko warm more quickly toward the team, or maybe we’ll see more extensions of that friendship?

Liu: Honestly, I think in the next season, obviously it’d be nice to shoot with everyone because I’m so close with everyone personally, but I think he’ll be honestly even angrier about anything given the news that he just found out at the Northern Water Tribe. So I think honestly, it’ll sort of match up with the original show that even though we get to see more of the emotional side of Zuko in our show. I think that’ll make his internal battle throughout season two even more crucial. And so I think he’ll really be going through it. But I do see them, I guess, bonding quite quickly if we were to go a third season.

That makes total sense. So you think what Zuko took away from that kind of final confrontation with Zhao is anger?

Liu: He was certainly pissed really off. But, everything that he had been fighting for this whole time, he realized that he was just a part of this game plan for his sister. And what’s even worse is that his sister doesn’t even know that she’s part of another game plan. So you see Ozai’s manipulation of his own children really at work.

And for Zuko, it’s been three years he’s been on this boat fighting for his life. So I think he’s just, like he said, he just says he’s tired. I think he’s feeling the most extreme of negative emotions possible, but it’s also too much for his brain to sort of contemplate and sink in. There’s almost no emotion on him at all at the end, right? He’s just kind of numb, like, “I’m just going to take a nap.”

So you think his next chapter here contains just kind of intense self-reflection, basically?

Insane. Oh yeah, insane. I really hope we get to do the Zuko with the Airbender Arrow in the next season. That would be so funny.

On What Zuko Moments Dallas Liu Looks Forward to Portraying in Avatar Season TwoNickelodeon

Looking kind of forward, if we do get a season two or more, are there any scenes that you’re really excited to bring to life?

Liu: Well, the first one that comes to mind is obviously Zuko Alone. And then Zuko’s Betrayal. And one more, Lee’s date from the tea shop. That would be so good.

On Zuko, Fire Lord Ozai, and Zuko Reaching Out for His Father

I think it’s really wonderful that they did try not to age up Avatar: The Last Airbender and kind of kept it youthful, but also intense. I think it’s actually much darker than the cartoon version. Seeing Zuko literally burn that was, I was like, “Oh, okay, here we are.”

Liu: Oh my gosh. Seeing that episode, you’re actually so tense. Your body is tense watching it. And there was this small moment that I loved, that I added that felt almost necessary for Zuko. But in our fight, if you really watch it before he gets his eye burned, he puts his hand on Ozai’s heart specifically. It’s a very small detail. But I thought it was so necessary that we put that in, just to show [their connection.] When he puts his hand on his heart, Ozai holds it. And I was like, “Dude, you are…!!” Such an insane moment for everyone to see. Because we didn’t get to see anything at all before. I think that was a very touching moment for just Zuko.

Absolutely. And I think sort of the moment we see following it where he’s recovering, and Ozai comes in, and he’s like, “Just give me another chance,” and Ozai gets so mad. I thought that was a really beautiful moment. What do you think Zuko was trying to convey when he was like, “Sometimes weak things can become stronger”? Why do you think it made Ozai so mad?

Liu: Wow. I think he felt that Zuko’s mentality was just so weak. It wasn’t related to the Fire Nation at all. And you hear it actually at the end of that line, he goes, “I’ve made you just like your mother,” or it is something like that. He’s like, “You’re just like your mother.” And oh my gosh. I was like, “Yes, Netflix, yes, Albert.” Slip in, “Who is Zuko’s mom? Who is Azula’s mother?” Right?

Totally right.

Dallas Liu On Zuko and Iroh in the Avatar Live-ActionNetflix

I have to bring up the Uncle Iroh relationship. If you’d asked me before I watched the live-action, “Could it be better? Could it be evolved or improved?” I would’ve been like, “No, it’s perfect. What are you talking about?” But you made it, maybe not better, but more complicated. There’s more to it, especially in episode four, there’s these two moments, one where Zuko sits and comforts Uncle Iroh after the death of Lu Ten. And then when Uncle Iroh comes with Zuko on the ship, and I think they kind of come back to that in the finale moment where he basically tells, but doesn’t tell Iroh like, “You’re my father and I love you.” So what was it like building those moments that weren’t from the cartoon and just in general crafting the relationship?

Liu: Paul [Sun-Hyung Lee] is so spot on as Uncle Iroh, and he was also very open to not making it a one-for-one remake of the animated series, which I was thankful for because my Zuko is obviously somewhat different from what we see in the animated series. I think all I did was really just capture the true essence, but then Albert Kim’s script and the Avatar world that we live in allowed for those changes in my character.

But with Uncle Iroh, Paul [Sun-Hyung Lee], first off, he was a real-life Uncle Iroh to me on set. He was taking care of me. I had my stresses and worries about the lines and the direction that our scenes would go in. So, for those moments that we don’t see in the animated series, he and I purely went off of instinct. We went over it, we talked with the directors of those episodes. We talked amongst ourselves, but the scenes really spoke for themselves. I don’t think either of us had to try to overcompensate for anything that was missing. I think those scenes were so beautiful. And the music, whenever there’s a Zuko and Iroh flashback, oh my gosh, my heart was like… You can tell that song as soon as it comes out.

NetflixOn Zuko’s Soft Heart

I thought it’s really interesting that Zuko has all these facets, and he’s so emotional, he can’t resist being like, why would you do that if he’s mad? Or just like we see him in tears several times in the season, or sometimes he’s really happy, and you can just see, ‘Oh, he’s so happy, but oh, he’s going to get crushed.” And I think that’s really different than many renderings of heroes or villains. Obviously, Zuko is that anti-hero, but I think it’s also a very interesting vision of masculinity in a sense. Did you all talk about bringing that version of Zuko to screen and how he might convey his emotionality and things like that?

Liu: Well, honestly, that wasn’t something that I necessarily had a one-to-one conversation with Albert Kim. But it’s something that I figured out on my own, I guess, doing my homework and doing my research on the character. Because I guess that fake masculinity that Zuko has in himself in our first season, I think it was so obvious from the start that it wasn’t something that I just had to write down in my notebook.

Netflix

I think the way the writers had written out this script and Albert Kim trusting me to really take on this character with his best interest as well, it was sort of planted in the script already that, “Oh, yeah, this guy, he actually is a very emotional man with a very soft heart,” which you see throughout our show, which is something I think you don’t get as much early in our original series, is I guess the heart of it all.

NetflixDallas Liu On His and Zuko’s Comedic Chops

I actually think one of the underrated pieces of Zuko or that he’s actually a really funny character in some ways. He’s so ridiculous sometimes that you in an endearing way, you’re just like, “Oh my God, are you really jumping into this freezing water? What are you doing?” You just laugh sometimes. I know you have a background in comedy. Did you try to infuse some comedic elements into his otherwise very serious character?

Liu: Yeah, I certainly did my best in these very specific episodes. I think it was in Omashu with Uncle Iroh when I’m just simply traveling around. Yeah, re-watching last night, there’s one line-read that they chose for me that was quite sassy. It’s when he’s talking about, “You guys heard about ice in a place that had no ice?” I was like, that made me laugh, honestly. And it was really getting to see those moments from Zuko and Iroh are alone. Because that’s when Zuko is truly himself, he puts on this facade of being this tough guy. And he’s a boy who is a man because he’s in control of this ship and he’s out to search for the Avatar. So, when he’s with someone that he’s comfortable with, he’s certainly going to be someone that you’d never expect him to be.

NetflixOn Bringing His Martial Arts Experience to the Role and Giving Input Into Zuko

You also have such an intensive martial arts background and martial arts is such a big part of Avatar’s world, so were you able to put some of that athleticism and skills that you already had to use?

Liu: Absolutely. The cool part about bending is that, yes, it is based on real martial arts styles. However, we’re bending these elements, and obviously, that doesn’t exist in real life. So, we were allowed to be creative in the way that we wanted it to look. It didn’t just have to look like a simple kung fu or a martial arts fight scene that you might see in a traditional martial arts movie. We got to use our imagination to imagine what these bending strikes would look like and how the fire would rotate, and the water would block everything. So yeah, it felt like second nature to me, and the stunt team was nice enough to let me have some input on what these fights would look like.

Netflix

What was one piece of input that you’re particularly proud of that maybe we can see on the screen?

Liu: There were a few fire blasts in me and Zhao’s fight that I really got to play with. And then actually, funny enough, my fight with Daniel Dae Kim in the flashback that you see in episode six, for the most part, they had moves set in place, but then I kind of customized them to what I felt was not only Zuko’s way of fighting, but I got to input my own sort of flair and style into it, which was really, really fun.

I think our directors really did a good job of making a story out of these fights. It was getting to actually take the time and dissect each move, each shot, and how we’re going to go about it for the day.

NetflixDallas Liu Actually Wanted to be Aang as a Child

Liu: When I was a kid, I wanted to be Aang. But Zuko was my favorite character. [In my] martial arts [history], I actually specialized in bo staff first, and then I switched over to swords, and so I was like, “Oh, yeah, I could beat this kid easy.”

Nerdist Editor Rotem Rusak has been an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan for nearly two decades. You can learn all about her love of Zuko’s story on Nerdist’s Laser Focus Podcast.

The post Dallas Liu Dives Deep into Live-Action Zuko: His Scar, AVATAR Season 2 Direction, Soft Heart, and More appeared first on Nerdist.

TRUE DETECTIVE Scores Season 5 Renewal, NIGHT COUNTRY Creator Issa López Will Be Showrunner

True Detective‘s original creator didn’t love Night Country. But HBO and a whole lot of viewers certainly loved it. The drama’s fourth season set a ratings record for the show. Now the network wants to see if it can do even better. HBO has renewed True Detective for a fifth season. It will return under Night Country showrunner Issa López, who has also signed a new longterm deal at the network.

Max

HBO has announced its bringing True Detective back for another installment of supernatural-tinged mystery. And it’s not messing around with what what worked in season four. López, who served as writer, director, showrunner, and executive producer on Night Country, will once again head up the show.

It’s easy to see why HBO wanted her back. Her Alaskan tale of murder was a big hit for the network. The series’ fourth season was the most watched in history. It pulled in 12.7 million viewers over all platforms.

HBO

Her work on season five is part of her new overall multiyear deal with HBO. The next True Detective story sounds like it will be her immediate focus at the network. “From conception to release, Night Country has been the most beautiful collaboration and adventure of my entire creative life,” said López in a press release. “HBO trusted my vision all the way, and the idea of bringing to life a new incarnation of True Detective with Casey (Bloyes), Francesca (Orsi) and the whole team is a dream come true. I can’t wait to go again.”

It’s not clear when True Detective season five will begin pre-production or when it will debut on HBO. There was a four year gap between seasons two and three, and another five before Night Country. But considering how rushed season two felt after little more than a year between season, waiting for what López does next might not be the worst thing.

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