Daniel Dae Kim Joins ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Netflix Live-Action Series As Fire Lord Ozai

Daniel Dae Kim (The Hot Zone: Anthrax, Hawaii Five-0) is set to star in Avatar: The Last Airbender, Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series.

Kim will play Fire Lord Ozai, the ruthlessly driven leader of the Fire Nation who demands that everyone live up to his impossible standards, especially his teenage son, Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu). Ozai’s drive to conquer and unite the world under firebender rule is a family burden — he believes that it’s his destiny to finish a war started by his ancestors.

As a series regular, Kim joins previously cast young leads Liu; Gordon Cormier, who plays Aang; Kiawentiio (Katara); and Ian Ousley (Sokka).

Albert Kim serves as showrunner, executive producer and writer on the series, with Rideback’s Dan Lin and Lindsey Liberatore executive producing, along with Michael Goi. Roseanne Liang is co-executive producer. Goi, Roseanne Liang, Jabbar Raisani and Jet Wilkinson are directing.

Kim is not a stranger to the Last Airbender franchise. He voiced General Fong in an 2006 episode of the Nickelodeon animated series and in the 2007 video game. He also voiced Hiroshi Sato on Avatar: The Last Airbender spinoff series The Legend of Korra.

The in-demand writer-producer is coming off playing the co-lead in Nat Geo’s The Hot Zone: Anthrax, which premieres November 28. The Lost alum, who was a series regular on CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 for seven seasons, has been recurring on NBC’s hit medical drama New Amsterdam. He also did an arc on another popular network medical drama, ABC’s The Good Doctor, which he helped set up and executive produces.

Kim, who is part of the voice cast of the upcoming AMC animated drama series Pantheon, also recently guest-starred in FX’s The Premise and appears in the movies Stowaway on Netflix, Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon and Sony Pictures’ Blast Beat. He is repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Gang Tyre.