Fans of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” dreamed of more content based on the beloved animation series and its crushed spinoff sister last year, when series creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko stepped aside from a planned live-action adaptation project. on Netflix. August.
But today, Nickelodeon has announced that the world of “Avatar” and “The Legend of Korra” is finally getting the expansion of content that people who grew up watching the shows yearned for with the establishment of Avatar Studios. The newly formed content division is designed to create original animated series and films based on “Avatar”, and the first project under the banner of the studio is an original theatrical animated film that will begin production this year. The production will debut on platforms including Paramount Plus, on Nickelodeon’s own linear and digital platforms and on third-party platforms and in theaters.
Original creators and executive producers DiMartino and Konietzko signed on to serve as creative co-directors for Avatar Studios, reporting to Ramsey Naito, president of Nickelodeon Animation.
“’Avatar: The Last Airbender’ and ‘Korra’ have grown at least ten times in popularity since their original hit was published on Nickelodeon, and Ramsey Naito and I are incredibly excited to have Mike and Bryan’s brilliant talent on board to direct a studio dedicated to expanding its characters and world into new content and formats for fans everywhere, ”said Brian Robbins, president, ViacomCBS Kids & Family. “Creator-driven stories and characters have been the hallmarks of Nickelodeon, and Avatar Studios is a way to give Mike and Bryan the resources and the clue to open their imaginations even further and delve deeper into the action and mythology of Avatar while we simultaneously expand that world and the world of content available on Paramount + and Nickelodeon. “
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon from February 2005 to July 2008. During its run, the series won several Annie Awards, Genesis Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Peabody Award. The highly acclaimed show follows the adventures of Aang and his friends Katara, Zuko and Toph, who must save the world by defeating the Fire Nation at war. The property was also translated into a successful comic book series – the comic book “Avatar: The Last Airbender” spent 70 weeks at the top of the New York Times Graphic Novel bestseller list.
The series sequence, “Legend of Korra”, aired for four seasons, from April 2012 to December 2014, and has been translated into more than 25 languages. Its first season attracted almost 3.8 million viewers per episode, the largest for an animated series in 2012. “The Legend of Korra”, set in a more modern version of the world of “Avatar” 70 years later, follows the journey of a 17 year old female avatar trying to live up to her predecessor and using her mastery of all four elements to face political and spiritual upheaval.
The live-action version of the original hit “Avatar: The Last Airbender” was first commissioned on Netflix in September 2018. In August 2020, creators DiMartino and Konietzko left the project after two years of development work. According to DiMartino, things with the streaming platform did not work after the partners signed on to make the series because Netflix was committed to working with them on their vision for the show.
“I try to be like an Air Nomad and adapt. I do my best to follow the flow, no matter what obstacle gets in my way. But even a Nomad Aereo knows when it’s time to reduce their losses and move on, ”commented DiMartino in an open letter announcing the status of his and Konietzko’s involvement with the project.
Last summer, the show was still advancing on Netflix with Nickelodeon, Dan Lin and Lin’s company, Rideback, still in attendance. “We have complete respect and admiration for Michael and Bryan and the story they created in the animated series Avatar,” said a streamer spokesman in a statement. “Although they chose to leave the live-action project, we are confident in the creative team and in their adaptation.
A source with knowledge of the project told Variety that the Netflix series is completely independent of the Avatar Studios agreement and that the live-action series is still advancing on the streaming platform. It is the only live action “Avatar” project based on the franchise to date.