Fans of award-winning animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel, The Legend of Korra, are in for a treat. ViacomCBS execs announced on Wednesday that its subsidiary, Nickelodeon, will launch a new production studio dedicated to expanding the Avatar universe headed by series creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.
The new division is tasked with creating "series, short-form content, spin offs, and theatrical films" based on Avatar, starting with a full-length animated movie which will enter production this year. The new content will appear on Paramount+ as well as on Nickelodeon's own digital and broadcast channels and in theaters.
“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,” Brian Robbins, president of ViacomCBS Kids & Family, told Variety. “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.”
DiMartino and Konietzko had previously been involved with Netflix's live-action adaptation of the series beginning in 2018. However they left the project two years later.
“I try to be like an Air Nomad and adapt. I do my best to go with the flow, no matter what obstacle is put in my way. But even an Air Nomad knows when it’s time to cut their losses and move on,” DiMartino stated in a open letter published in 2020. The Netflix film remains in production, albeit fully independent from Avatar Studios. No release date has yet been set.
The launch of Avatar Studios means that the fantastic universe of Avatar: The Last Airbender will expand into new series, short-form content, spin offs, and theatrical films on #ParamountPlus. pic.twitter.com/NfCsaaI8Bx
— Paramount+ (@paramountplus) February 24, 2021
via https://AiUpNow.com February 24, 2021 at 07:18PM by , Khareem Sudlow,
