Avatar: The Legend of Korra

[Reverend Jax]

 

Nickelodeon has announced that they will a new series taking place in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender will be premiere on their networks in 2011. Here are some of the confirmed facts.

 

• This series is being developed by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the creators of the original series. It is also confirmed that the same music and sound effects team are on board.
  
• The title character, Korra, is a teenage female Avatar from the Southern Water Tribe. She is the Avatar that successed Avatar Aang from ATLA.
  
• She is described in the press release as "passionate, rebellious, and fearless" as well as "hotheaded, independent and ready to take on the world."
  
• The series is set 70 years after the events in ATLA.
  
• At the beginning of the series, she will already have mastered Waterbending, Earthbending and Firebending, with only Airbending left to complete her training.
  
• Korra will learn Airbending from Aang's son, Tenzin. Katara has been confirmed as Tenzin's mother (in case there was any doubt), though whether she will still be alive in this new series has not been revealed.
  
• While Team Avatar rarely spent more than a single episode in a single place during ATLA, ATOK will take place mostly in a new setting, Republic City.
  
• Republic City is described as the epicenter of the Avatar world, a city where people from all nations live together. Mike and Bryan have drawn inspiration from "Shanghai in the 1920s and 30s and Hong Kong and even Western cities like Manhattan and even location-wise cities like Vancouver, a city that juts out on a peninsula or an island and has these big mountains around it." It is also said to be a somewhat 'steam-punk' city.
  
• Republic City is said to be crime-plagued and also in the middle of an anti-bender revolt/movement.
  
• Mike and Bryan have said that while the show will feel more mature than ATLA in some ways, they believe in a balance of tones and the will not be without the sense of the humor of the first show.
  
• The names of two other main characters have been revealed: Meelo and Wei Bei, however, nothing else is known about them.
  
• When asked if characters from the previous series will pop up in this new one, Mike and Bryan said they didn't want to give anything away "but rest assured there’s a definite link between the old series and this one."
  

 

Info on the Press Release announcing the series.

The Wall Street Journal's interview with the series' creators.

 

Some have speculated that having an "anti-bender" movement be part of the story might mean we could see some themes explored that have a kind of X-Men vibe to them. That definitely sounds possible. Needless to say, I am psyched.

Edited July 23, 2010 by Reverend Jax

[gunsmithx]

So guesses on how nick plans to fuck this up too?

 

Any word on how many seasons they plan to take this?

[The NZA]

Jerry Zuckerman is back to compose the music!

 

everything's looking good so far, but...needs more Toph, somehow. I don't care how.

 

ps for Jax:

[Reverend Jax]

That's how you beat up an old lady. Correction: An old war veteran POW survivor lady. Go get 'em, Katara!

 

As for Toph, she'd be 82 years old, so she could definitely still be alive. Something tells me her sass would still feel right coming from an octogenarian. Perhaps it would be even better. And we know the creators of the show have a soft spot for ass-kicking old people.

[Reverend Jax]

I just read that the name of Aang's son in the new series, Tenzin, is the short form first name of the 14th and current Dalai Lama, while his last name is Gyatso, Aang's guardian from the original show. The Dalai Lama's full name is Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, usually shortened to Tenzin Gyatso. Alot of the names in the show have cool meanings in various languages or connections to mythological characters that are descriptive of their personalities.

[The NZA]

wait, back up a few steps...Aang's son? have we confirmed he escaped the friend-zone, then? there's limits to even an avatar's powers, you know.

[Reverend Jax]

wait, back up a few steps...Aang's son? have we confirmed he escaped the friend-zone, then? there's limits to even an avatar's powers, you know.

Yes, Aang escaped the friend zone, and all he had to do was save the whole world to do it. Yes, one of the main characters of the show will be Aang's son, and seeing as the show is 70 years after the end of the War, he will be probably in his 50's or so.

 

Anyway, ugo.com got more details talking to the show's creators. The big news in there is the fact that Nickelodeon didn't just green light 12 episodes with the hope to produce more later, but it is a planned 12 episode miniseries. Very tight with no filler. Even they say that the "filler" episodes were their favorites in ATLA, but I'm hoping it will still be fun without secret dance parties, days at the beach, pulling a zany string of blind-girl scams, haiku battles, getting make-overs, going on awkward dates, and visiting fortunetellers.

 

Also, when asked if the anti-bender movement will play out anything like the registration act stories in X-Men, they gave the ambiguous 'sort of, but different' answer.

 

Anyway, hoping for more positive signs to come.

Edited July 27, 2010 by Reverend Jax

[Reverend Jax]

So, more people from the old show have been confirmed to be involved in the new Korra series. Among them is Sifu Kisu, the martial arts consultant for the show that was originally responsible for the idea that each bending discipline be based on a different and real style of Kung Fu and who choreographed all the action. Also, the same Korean animation company (JM Animation, whom supposedly were given alot more creative input that most US or Japanese shows give their Korean studio counterparts) is on board, and a few of the old show's directors, and Dee Bradley Baker is the first voice actor confirmed for the series. He did all the creature voices/sounds in the old show, including Appa and Momo. Also, it's kinda older news, but Bishopcruz will be glad to hear that voice director Andrea Romano is back on board. She confirmed it while promoting the new animated straight-to-video Batman movie she worked on (she's done basically everything in the animated DC universe since Batman: the Animated Series came out in the early 90's, and also tons of stuff going back into the early 80's).

 

Still no confirmed release date more specific than "2011."

[MetalHeart]

Excitement!

[Mr. Hakujin]

Damn, I can't believe this thread has been sitting here for a month and this is the first time I'm seeing it.

Anyway, this is great news and definitely something to help ATLA fans cleanse their palette after the horrible taste left there by the Shamalamadingdong film. Speaking of which...

 

What did you guys think of the live-action version of “The Last Airbender”?

 

Konietzko: We’re just really focused on this new show right now, and kind of taking this off in its own direction and not concerning ourselves with that right now.

 

So you didn’t follow the casting controversy about the movie version of “The Last Airbender”?

 

Konietzko: We didn’t head up that film. We’re just happy to be back generating the original content in this mythology, which is what we do.

 

Would you like to bring a cartoon version of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” to the big screen?

 

Konietzko: We would love to. I think Mike and I would absolutely love to do feature animation. Either another story, or it if worked out, one in the “Avatar” world. We would be really excited.

 

Heh. A very diplomatic "no comment." A much different tone than they had while the film was in production. I've got a feeling they have less than zero say in how their "baby" gets treated in Hollywood. Has to suck seeing something you put so much of your life and energy into utterly stripped down and shat upon by the likes of M. Night Shitstain.

 

This quote also has me wondering...

Will we see characters from the previous series pop up?

 

DiMartino: I don’t want to give anything away, but rest assured there’s a definite link between the old series and this one.

 

Maybe we'll see Aang in tutor/guide Karra from the afterlife just as he was. Also, the show didn't really address the longevity of skybison. Could Appa be the "C-3P0/R2-D2" of the Avatar franchise?

 

 

 

[Reverend Jax]

Heh. A very diplomatic "no comment."

Well, they are still working for Viacom and Viacom still owns the rights to their mythology. Viacom was very cool about letting them tell their story with ATLA the way they wanted to tell it, even though the show was expensive to produce and was a bit of a gamble. It's possible they are under contractual obligation to not criticize the film. It's possible they just want to maintain a good working relationship with Viacom. It's possible they realize there are many fans of the show that actually liked the movie (they exist...really...seriously) and there's no need to alienate them. It's even possible (though I find this explanation the least likely) that they liked it, but realize alot of fans didn't like it and they want to maintain credibility with them. It's possible more than one of these could be the reason they didn't want to comment. The way these things work, their opinion on the movie will eventually come out, years down the line. Shia LeBeouf said he thought Indiana Jones 4 "dropped the ball on a legacy," and that's about 2 years removed from the movie's release, though most of the time it takes longer than that.

 

Anyway, this new series is only 12 episodes, "very tight" according to Mike and Bryan, but hopefully there is more of this mythology to come after The Legend of Korra.

Maybe we'll see Aang in tutor/guide Karra from the afterlife just as he was. Also, the show didn't really address the longevity of skybison. Could Appa be the "C-3P0/R2-D2" of the Avatar franchise?

I think we'll definitely see Aang play to Korra the kind of role Roku played to him. What I'm wondering is, if Aang died around 70 years old, will he appear as an old man in his Spirit World form? That'd be kind of cool. Maybe he' have cool facial hair, like most of the adult Air Nomad monks did. Even though almost all young male characters in animation are voiced by adult women, Aang was voiced by a boy about Aang's age (you can actually hear a slight difference in his voice by the end of the series), and that voice actor is now 16. Would they use his voice for Aang, even if Aang is supposed to be an old man?

 

And in one of the flashbacks in Appa's Lost Days, the Air Nomad Nun told young Air Nomads that were picking their Sky Bisons that "Sky Bisons are companions for life," so presumably, their lifespans are similar to human lifespans. Appa could still be alive and in Tenzin's care.

[The NZA]

 

 

 

[Reverend Jax]

In motion

 

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Edited November 7, 2010 by Reverend Jax
Copied wrong youtube embed code

[Mr. Hakujin]

Uh, Jax? Why is there a Palin narrated campaign vid in the Legend of Korra thread?

[Reverend Jax]

Because I fucked up and didn't copy the embed code.

[Mr. Hakujin]

Muuuuuuuch better. I dig the speed of Korra's style. Looks like she's using some airbending there...

[Reverend Jax]

Maybe. She's supposed to know waterbending, earthbending and firebending at the start of the series, and learn airbending over the course of the show, so if she is using airbending, it'll be later on in the show.

[Reverend Jax]

Two of the new series' voice actors were recently revealed, Rob Paulsen, most famous for providing the voices of Pinky from Pinky and the Brain and Yakko from The Animaniacs, and Eva Marie-Saint, the Academy Award winning actress famous for her roles in On The Waterfront and North by Northwest. I'd say it's safe to presume the former will play a more comic-relief type character, and the later will play a more dramatic role, though that might be over simplifying things (Uncle Iroh was played by Oscar nominated actor Mako, and he provided both comic relief and dramatic grounding for the show). Good stuff.

[The NZA]

yeah, all of that is pretty good. thanks for keeping this thread updated - realistically, are we actually expecting this in 2011? wiki thinks so, but, you know.

[Reverend Jax]

Supposedly, they are shooting for Fall 2011. Considering the amount of time animation takes to get from script to airing, it sounds realistic.

[Drifter]

Speaking on returning voice actors; I was on Wikipedia looking at the page about an animated movie I caught the ass end of (and found out there was a comic book) called Firebreather and jumped to looking up Dante Basco (voice of zuko, was also Rufio in Hook, funny how he doesn't look that old), anyways, he's not only confirmed to be in the new series but tweeted the name of the episode he was working on last week.

 

In studio recording #LegendOfKorra... Its called "Skeleton In The Closet". Pretty amazing stuff. I think fans are going to love it. 6:34 PM Nov 16th via Twitter for BlackBerry® Retweeted by 34 people

 

Just an interesting tidbit I stumbled upon by accident.

[Reverend Jax]

Yeah, it is unclear if Dante Brasco is recording a voice for a new non-Zuko character, old Zuko, not-so-old Zuko in a flashback, or maybe something else. Some of the first series' best episodes were heavy with flashbacks (The Storm, Zuko Alone and The Avatar And The Firelord), so hopefully, we'll get at least one episode that do flashbacks as well as the old series did.

[Mr. Hakujin]

Damn, son. This thread just reminded me Mako died. Now I is all depressed and shiz. *sigh* Mako was awesome. But the news of Ruffio Zuko making an appearance (in any capacity) int he new series did cheer me up a bit.

 

[deagon]

I remain hopeful that this show will be a good thing, but then again..... there is the live action movie that disapointed most

[Reverend Jax]

Yeah, but this show is being made by the same two guys that created the first show. No reason to believe this show won't continue the progression of quality we saw from the first season of ATLA until the finale.