While The Last Airbender is getting torn up by the critics and struggles to edge out its production budget and promotional costs, the rabid fans of the series were denied another taste of the 3 season series now in syndication.
But there is still hope. There is… another…
Avatar: The Legend of Korra is a new Nic series announced today that will continue in the world of the Last Airbender with a new hero and a new story 70 years after the original animated series finished.
ToonZone shares the official release:
Nickelodeon, the number one producer of television animation in the world, has greenlit a new series from the creators of the hit animated TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender, it was announced today by Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. The new series The Legend of Korra (working title), from creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, will premiere on Nickelodeon in 2011, continuing the evolution of the animated franchise and its mythology. The original series was the inspiration for the Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies live-action epic adventure, The Last Airbender, which has already grossed more than $115 million at the box office to date.
“Mike and Bryan have imagined a compelling new story inspired by the Airbender mythology that they so brilliantly crafted when the TV series began,” Johnson said. “This new avatar is not only a girl, but also hot-headed, independent and ready to take on the world.”
The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender and follows the adventures of the Avatar after Aang – a passionate, rebellious, and fearless teenaged girl from the Southern Water Tribe named Korra. With three of the four elements under her belt (Earth, Water, and Fire), Korra seeks to master the final element, Air. Her quest leads her to the epicenter of the modern “Avatar” world, Republic City – a metropolis that is fueled by steampunk technology. It is a virtual melting pot where benders and non-benders from all nations live and thrive. However, Korra discovers that Republic City is plagued by crime as well as a growing anti-bending revolution that threatens to rip it apart. Under the tutelage of Aang’s son, Tenzin, Korra begins her airbending training while dealing with the dangers at large.
I was late to the game getting to Avatar, but my wife and kids started watching it in its entirety and I was sucked in.
I like that they are leaping ahead, a trend I wish more shows and movies would take instead of rebooting. And that they are tying this together with a new character, and a whole new conflict.
So for those Airbender fans that were craving more, but let down by the film adaptation, there is a new series coming out to feed that fandom.
This is good news indeed.
