Well, it looks like Netflix has found their Fire Lord Ozai, and it’s Daniel Dae Kim. Funnily enough, fans of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender may recognize his voice.
Comic Book announce that Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, Hawaii Five-0, Raya and the Last Dragon) has just landed the role of Fire Lord Ozai in Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. That means that when we finally get to see this series, we’ll get to see Kim’s face pretty regularly as the abusive father of Zuko. Oh, and the monstrous, genocidal leader of the Fire Nation. That too.
Daniel Dae Kim: Not His First Avatar: The Last Airbender Rodeo
You might not know it, but this isn’t the first Time Daniel Dae Kim has been involved in Avatar: The Last Airbender. He has actually been part of the original animated series before. Anyone remember General Fong from the episode “The Avatar State”?
Yeah, that was Daniel Dae Kim. He did the voice for Fong’s increasingly unhinged dialogue as he tried to forcibly unleash Aang’s Avatar State to turn him into a weapon for the Earth Kingdom. With that kind of pedigree, it’s no wonder that Netflix tapped Kim to play an even greater villain: Fire Lord Ozai himself. Not the real question is: who will play Fong now? Well, I guess it’s going to be someone other than Kim. Unless Netflix decides to have Kim play Fong as well. Now that would be pretty meta.
Conclusion
Daniel Dae Kim will play Fire Lord Ozai in the Netflix live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It might be a good thing since he’s a veteran of the original animated series, having voiced General Fong. It does offer a bit of hope to this adaptation, despite all the drama surrounding it. Maybe. We’ll just have to see if it lives up to the original when it finally debuts on Netflix. And hopefully, it’s nothing like the M. Night Shyamalan version.
Source: Comic Book
