Yesterday, Paramount announced the formation of Avatar Studios. Under this new deal, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the original creators of the seminal aughts fantasy animated TV show, will create new content set in the world and serve as Co-CCOs reporting to Nickelodeon head Ramsay Naito. The first project under this new banner will be a brand new theatrical released animated feature that will begin production later this year.
You can read a quote from Brian Robbins the head of CBS Viacom Kids and Family down below:
“Avatar: The Last Airbender and Korra have grown at least ten-fold in popularity since their original hit runs on Nickelodeon, and Ramsey Naito and I are incredibly excited to have Mike and Bryan’s genius talent on board to helm a studio devoted to expanding their characters and world into new content and formats for fans everywhere,
Creator-driven stories and characters have long been the hallmarks of Nickelodeon, and Avatar Studios is a way to give Mike and Bryan the resources and runway to open up their imaginations even more and dive deeper into the action and mythology of Avatar as we simultaneously expand upon that world and the world of content available on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon,”
Avatar: The Last Airbender centered on Aang, Katara, and Sokka as they help Aang master the four elements to defeat the fire lord Ozai. The franchise has spanned everything from comics to a sequel Spin-Off in Legend of Korra and even a 2010 feature film directed by M. Night Shyamalan starring the likes of Dev Patel and Nicola Peltz. Unfortunately, the film was not well-received for a plethora of reasons. While were initially involved in the upcoming Netflix adaptation, creative differences saw them exit the project last year. Much like Star Trek Prodigy will do for Star Trek, this new initiative in the Avatar universe will bring this iconic world to an entire generation. Here’s hoping we’ll be getting new stories in this world for years to come.
Are you excited for new stories set in the Avatar universe? What characters from the show do you think deserve more time in the spotlight?
Let us know in the comments and stay tuned to Marooners’ Rock for more news from Paramount!
