Following the critical and box-office misfire that was Lady in the Water, film director M. Night Shyamalan will reportedly put his own material aside to make big-screen pics based on Nickelodeon’s hugely successful animated action series Avatar: The Last Airbender. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the genre auteur will write, direct and produce a live-action adaptation for Paramount Pictures’ MTV Films and Nick Movies, with the aim of making it into a trilogy.
After co-writing the screenplay for Sony’s 1999 family flick Stuart Little, Shyamalan made his directorial breakthrough with the supernatural thriller The Sixth Sense, which he also wrote. Known for his Twilight Zone-like twist endings, he went on the write and direct Unbreakable, Signs, The Village and Lady in the Water. As his box office prowess began to wane and critical response to his last film signaled a creative slump, he toyed with the idea of directing a Harry Potter film before latching onto one of today’s most popular cartoon properties.
Avatar: The Last Airbender centers on Aang, a fun-loving 12-year-old who must forego a normal life in order to master his latent powers over the four elements. Aided by a protective teenage Waterbender named Katara and her bull-headed warrior brother, Sokka, Aang proceeds on a perilous journey to save the world while sometimes shaking off his heavy responsibilities so that he can enjoy being a kid. Created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the series is produced at the Nicktoons Studios in Burbank, Calif. and first aired on Feb. 21, 2005.
Nickelodeon has ordered a third season of the Annie Award-winning, anime-inspired series, which has become a hit with both kids and adults. To better serve the show’s loyal fan base, the Network recently began airing episodes every weeknight and continues to produce special, hour-long installments. Paramount Home Ent. will release Avatar: The Last Airbender’Book 2 Earth, Vol. 1 on Jan. 23. The entire first season of the show is already available on disc.
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