Avatar: The Last Airbender Expanded Universe is in Development
Are you a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender and/or The Legend of Korra? If so, you’re in for a treat! The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that a new animated universe is being created to expand on the Avatar mythos! These two Avatar shows have had a resurgence lately since they became more accessible on Netflix a few years ago.
I believe Earth, Wind, and Fire is already taken?
“Nickelodeon is reviving the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender in a big way.
The ViacomCBS unit has launched Avatar Studios, a new division that will create series and movie projects based on the beloved animated show and its follow-up, The Legend of Korra. Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko will serve as co-chief creative officers of the new venture””
The first project on the list for the newly created Avatar Studios is an animated feature film. More details will be announced at a later date.
Avatar: The Last Airbender debuted on Nickelodeon in 2005 and had a good first run, with the Legend of Korra debuting in 2012; these two animated series set the tone and created a good fanbase for the future .
The feature film, The Last Airbender directed by M. Night Shyamalan, was released in 2010 and was a box office failure. As an Avatar fan, I did see this film and while there were some good moments, overall the film fell flat and didn’t deliver as they tried to fit a whole seasons worth of story into one 2 hour movie.
Recently, it was announced in 2018 that Netflix is developing a live action series adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender with initially the original show creators attached to the project. However, in August 2020 the show runners left the project due to “creative differences”, but the project is still in development there on Netflix.
So with a live action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender in development at Netflix and now some animated projects in development with CBS/Viacom and Nickolodeon, the Avatar world will be making a big comeback within a year of two. I’m excited for these new announcements and an upcoming animated movie, as I’ve watched them since the beginning of Avatar: The Last Airbender all the way through The Legend of Korra and can’t wait to see what is created next for the fans!