Paramount and Nickelodeon have announced a trio of animated Avatar movies from franchise creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino. Lauren Montgomery, who has a long history in animation and worked on Avatar: The Last Airbender’s third season, will direct the first movie. All three films from Nickelodeon’s Avatar Studios are currently untitled, with plot details still under wraps.
Ramsey Naito, president of animation & development at Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, offered thoughts on the decision to further develop the world of Avatar: “As original creators Mike and Bryan expand the Avatar universe with us, we’re keeping it all in the family with Lauren bringing the same kind of expert, beautiful work she did on the original series to her new directing duties on the forthcoming theatrical.”
Konietzko and DiMartino are producing the animated Avatar movies alongside the series’s original executive producer, Eric Coleman. Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation executive producer of movies and global franchises Latifa Ouaou will also oversee the first film with Vice President of Animation Jason McConnell.
Although Avatar: The Last Airbender wrapped up its third and final season in 2008, the franchise has continued to flourish and grow. The breakthrough series is still regarded by many as one of the most important animated shows of all time, and its 2012 follow-up, The Legend of Korra, managed to turn heads as well. Avatar reaches far outside the realm of animation, however, with the franchise spawning various comics, novels, and video games through the years. M. Night Shyamalan once directed a live-action movie as well, but we don’t talk about that.
Meanwhile, Netflix is still working on its live-action adaptation of the groundbreaking Nickelodeon show. While Konietzko and DiMartino were once attached to the project, they are no longer involved. Either way, it’s an exciting time to be an Avatar fan, so stay tuned for updates.
Published: Jun 15, 2022 02:01 pm