Avatar Studios is Nickelodeon’s latest venture to fuel the flames of nostalgia-based content.
Avatar: The Last Airbender fans have been on a rollercoaster ride for the last year, first with the addition of Avatar and The Legend of Korra to Netflix and then the controversial announcement of a live-action adaptation. But Nickelodeon has just announced the creation of Avatar Studios. As the name implies, Avatar Studios will focus completely on the world of Avatar. The creators of the original world, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, are on board as co-chief creative officers; this will come as a huge relief to day one fans of the franchise, as the duo’s departure from the live-action adaptation generated a lot of discontent.
Avatar Studios will be taking on expansion of the world of bending through both series and film. The first project on deck will be an animated feature length film that will be streamable and in theaters. Though the subject of this film is still unknown, there is a basically limitless pool of already established stories to choose from. It would be too easy to dedicate an entire movie to Suki’s short life, or Zuko’s quest to find his mother, Korra and Asami in the spirit world, or even the story of Avatar Kyoshi—though saving that for an episodic format would fit the Avatar legacy better. And who wouldn’t want to see a light shined on the cult classic character, the Cabbage Man? With an entire studio dedicated to one world, ATLA and Korra fans are likely in for more content than they could dream up in the years to come.
The world that DiMartino and Konietzko have created is rich with complex and entertaining characters, life lessons, and truly bad ass animated action. After the comically terrible 2010 live action adaptation, The Last Airbender, and now the iffy news that is coming out of this latest stab at a live action attempt, the Avatar fandom is due for a little good news. And Avatar Studios is a lion turtle sized piece of good news.
Source: Variety