Avatar: The Last Airbender universe expands with 3 new animated films

Avatar: The Last Airbender will be heading to realm of live-action adaptations yet again, but that doesn’t mean the animated side of things won’t be getting updates.

Following the launch of Avatar Studios last year, Nickelodeon has announced that a trilogy of Avatar: The Last Airbender animated films is currently in the works.

Deadline reports that series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino will return to produce the three untitled features, with the first set to be directed by Young Justice storyboard artist Lauren Montgomery, who also worked on the final season of Voltron: Legendary Defender.

It will be produced under Avatar Studios as part of the latter’s plan to expand the franchise through new films and a new TV series set in the worlds of Avatar and subsequent series The Legend of Korra.

“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,” says Ramsey Naito, president of animation at Paramount and Nickelodeon Animation.

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Avatar: The Last Airbender ran from 2005 to 2008, and is set in the world of warring nation-states where people, known as “benders”, can control the four elements of earth, fire, air, and water. After waking up from a 100-year slumber, Aang, a mystical child with the ability to manipulate all of them, must restore balance by defeating the Fire Lord, the ruling supreme of the Fire Nation.

Since its finale, the series has continued for four seasons with The Legend of Korra, and received a string of comic books and prequel novels. M. Night Shyamalan took it to the silver screen with a live-action adaptation in 2010, but that continues to be a taboo topic for fans (and rightly, too).

This article was first published in Geek Culture.