Nickelodeon Avatar Studios To Expand Popular Animated Franchise

You know you made it big when you get your own live-action film and new studio just for you. Although The Last Airbender film adaptation was largely considered a terrible flop, the franchise it was built on still has a strong following that is eagerly awaiting more content from the fictional universe. Consider those wishes now answered as Nickelodeon establishes the Avatar Studios dedicated specifically to create more of that, including a new film, animated this time.

It has been 16 years since Avatar: The Last Airbender, also known as The Legend of Aang, first aired but it remains one of the few anime-inspired shows that made it big not only in the West but around the world. The franchise has expanded to cover comics, novels, and even video games and it will soon expand even more while going back to its animated roots.

Avatar Studios brings back the fictional world's original creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, as co-chief creative officers under Nickelodeon Animation president Ramsey Naito. The studio will be tasked to create original content set in the Avatar universe. Given how the animated shows and graphic novels left things open and unanswered, there is definitely enough material to build new adventures or even new characters for the franchise.

While Avatar Studios will be creating a new animated series, fans might be more excited by the news that a new animated theatrical film is also planned. Production will begin this year but details are still scarce, including when it will premier. Given the mostly negative reception of the live-action adaptation, this will hopefully redeem the brand in the eyes of moviegoers.

Avatar Studios' upcoming content will premier on various streaming services, including Paramount+ and ViacomCBS VOD, as well as Nickelodeon's own platforms. Third-party streaming services will also be included, perhaps with more limited selections, and films will also be shown in theaters eventually.