Wednesday, July 21, 2010

New 'Airbender' Series Announced


Comic-Con 2010 has begun, and that means a flood of entertainment news. Nickelodeon has gotten the ball rolling this year with an announcement all about a spinoff of their Avatar: the Last Airbender franchise. No, they didn't announce another Shyamalan mess, but, thankfully, a whole new animated TV series.

Here is the official synopsis:

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 teenage girl from the Southern Water Tribe named Korra.

Korra’s quest eventually leads her to Republic City–the epicenter of the world of “Avatar.” A metropolis powered by steampunk-type technology, the city is inhabited by people from all nations. Korra finds that Republic City suffers from rampant crime and is also dealing with an anti-bender revolt. Korra is tutored by Aang’s son, Tenzin, in the ways of airbending.
I'm not quite sure what to make of this yet. I am incredibly excited to see more animated Avatar, but it will be near-impossible for them to match the humor, suspense, and very deep character arcs of the original series. Can they replicate the slapstick comedy of Sokka? Maybe. The awesome philosophies of Iroh? I doubt it. The intense character of Zuko? Not in a million years.

But all of this is premature. After all, the original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are still heavily involved in the project. This new series starring a waterbender named Korra (who, according to execs at the studio, is "hot headed, independent, and ready to take on the world") could be just as great as the original. Or it could be a complete flop. We will find out in 2011 when this new series debuts on Nickelodeon.

Source: WSJ

1 comment:

Tommy said...

This is such good news in so many ways, especially after the horrible live action movie.