Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Avatar

  • RUMOR: Netflix’s Live-action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Budget on Par with ‘The Mandalorian’

    RUMOR: Netflix’s Live-action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Budget on Par with ‘The Mandalorian’

    Netflix has been all-in with their upcoming live-action adaptation wave. We recently learned that their One Piece series will be the streamer’s biggest production “in scope and budget” as it continues production in South Africa. If a new rumor is to believe, their other major IP adaptation, Avatar: The Last Airbender, has also quite the budget behind it and continues a trend for Netflix’s dedication to their upcoming high profile adaptations.

    According to Avatar News, the upcoming series will have a budget of $15M+ per episode. As the first season is set to run with around eight episodes, that would put it at around $120M+ total budget. They can’t share an exact number, but it would definitely put it on par with shows like The Mandalorian, which had around $100M for its eight-episode season. Though it eyeing beyond $120M, it’ll likely be closer to the budgets that Marvel Studios gives its Disney+ productions.

    We still don’t know the exact budget for One Piece, but it’s also been speculated to be on a similar level. It was certainly higher than the one planned for Cowboy Bebop, which sadly ended up getting canceled. Netflix seems quite dedicated to these series and is planning high-budgets going in to build up a future season investment. Avatar: The Last Airbender is an extremely popular series and it makes sense they’d see the potential building upon the already existing fanbase. We’ll see if we get some teases from the ongoing production that hints at how they are tackling the adaptation moving forward.

    Source: Avatar News, Business Insider

  • RUMOR: ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ RPG and MMORPG in Development

    RUMOR: ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ RPG and MMORPG in Development

    Avatar: The Last Airbender has quite a few big years ahead. Netflix is working on a live-action series, Nickelodeon formed a new production studio that primarily focuses on the franchise, and it looks like a new rumor is hinting that some more games are also in some form of development. Avatar News, who have shared some insights on various projects in the past, has revealed that not one but four projects are currently in development.

    The big news story is that one of the projects is hinted at as a “console RPG” but it’s uncertain what the gameplay style might end up being. Action RPGs are quite popular and would fit the universe, but it’s uncertain if they might go a similar route to Hogwarts Legacy, but they believe that it may include characters from the original Avatar: The Last Airbender series.

    The second project is an MMORPG. No more details could be shared, but it seems these projects have been in development for some time. These two projects joined one mystery title and the Square-Enix mobile game that was announced some time ago. If the rumor is to believe, we might get more details in the near future as they might be quite far into development at this point.

    I have high hopes for an RPG in this universe, especially if you can master different types of bending. A high-budget action RPG would be a fitting game addition as you start to master the different techniques. They don’t know who might be involved with the projects, but there are definitely some studios that would offer a fantastic game based on the franchise. So, here’s hoping that announcement truly is just around the corner.

    Source: Avatar News

  • REPORT: New Casting Breakdowns for Mai and Ty Lee in Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Revealed

    REPORT: New Casting Breakdowns for Mai and Ty Lee in Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Revealed

    Production on the upcoming live-action adaption of Avatar: The Last Airbender is currently in motion, as they continue to add new cast members. Just a few weeks ago the project added Yvonne Chapman as Avatar Kyoshi, Maria Zhang as Suki, Casey Camp-Horinek as Gran-Gran, and Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula. With Azula set to make an early appearance, it seems she won’t be alone, as Mai and Ty Lee may also appear in the world of Avatar a bit earlier than expected.

    The Illuminerdi is reporting that the two will appear in the first season and has even shared the first character descriptions for both of them. The production is looking to cast an East Asian actress, who is 15 years old to play Mai. She is described as a “courteous daughter of a politician” who was sent to a private school for children of her political standing. Yet, she is also described as a “brooding teenager who finds her guarded and affluent life tedious.” Mai doesn’t wear her emotions on her sleeve and can often be seen as “quite deadpan.”

    Netflix’s looking for the same age and heritage for the actress to play Ty Lee, who attends the same school as Mai. She is described as “cheerful, bubbly, and athletic.” Ty Lee is “an adept acrobat and gymnast” and we may see her actively move around while holding conversations with people, as she can never sit still. As such, she does her utmost to be liked by the people around her. She and Mai are both described as “recurring guest performers,” which hints that we’ll get more of them than initially expected.

    No talent has yet to be announced for either role as the series continues production. They may get announced by the studio in a similar fashion to the three previous cast members. For now, we can only wait, as Avatar: The Last Airbender also doesn’t have a release date just yet.

    Source: Illuminerdi, Avatar News

  • James Cameron Offers Updates and First Look at ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    James Cameron Offers Updates and First Look at ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    We’ve been long waiting for an update on 2009’s Avatar film. No, not The Last Airbender but James Cameron‘s science fiction space opera that he was working on for many years. It’s been over ten years and the ambitious director teased that he’s not only working on one but four sequels of the original. The brand is now under the Disney umbrella after they purchased 20th Century Fox. After a long bout of silence, Cameron has finally opened up on the sequel and even offered some insight into the upcoming projects.

    It sounds kind of nuts, the process. I mean, if Avatar hadn’t made so much damn money, we’d never do this — because it’s kind of crazy

    James Cameron

    While we still don’t have an official title, the story of the first sequel will take place 14 years after the original. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), in his new homegrown Na’vi body, has settled down with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and has started a family. The film this time around will be less bout them but their children. Producer Jon Landau shared that family will be at the heart of these sequels moving forward:

    AVATAR 2

    Ultimately, the sequels are a story about family, and the lengths parents will go through to keep that family together and keep them safe. I always say that Jim’s movies have universal themes — and really, there’s no more universal theme than family

    Jim Landau

    The long-held rumors are true as the first two entries will focus on the ocean and introduce a clan of reef-dwelling Na’vi, who goes by the name Metkayina. The Titanic director is well known for his work in ocean conservation. So, he wanted to combine his love of filmmaking and exploring the ocean into one project. The reason production took so long was that their performance-capture technology wouldn’t work underwater, which they had to adapt.

    AVATAR 2

    Production has wrapped on the first two entries of the franchise with Avatar 3 heading for a 2024 release. The reasoning it’s still planned to release this late is due to the focus on giving Weta enough time to bring the effects to life. The last two entires won’t release until 2026 and 2028 respectively.

    What we are doing now, from a story standpoint and a world standpoint, is on a much larger scale. That’s both exciting and challenging. We are putting much more detail, first and foremost, into the performances of the cast, but we’re [also] putting much more detail and diversity into the world that we are creating.

    Jim Landau

    Cameron has shared his fear that the films may not make the money he hopes they will, especially with how much money they’ll cost to make. Yet, 20th Century Fox and subsequently Disney have put a lot of trust into the director to bring four high-budget sequels together. Avatar was surpassed by Avengers: Endgame as the highest-earning film of all time only to take it back with a China re-release. It’ll be interesting to see if the wait was well worth it for everyone involved.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Casting Members of The Fire Nation

    Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Casting Members of The Fire Nation

    The Last Airbender amassed a huge following on Nickelodeon when its first episode premiered over 16 years ago. The story of Aang, a young Airbender, uniting with two Water Tribe siblings, and the exiled son of the Fire Lord, as he returns from being stuck in time resonated with people both young and old. Following Aang’s journey as he learned how to master the elements in preparation for his fight with the aforementioned Fire Lord was a masterclass in storytelling, and so many incredible stories were woven into its 61 episode runtime.

    At the height of its popularity, a live-action film was inevitable. M. Night Shyamalan was enlisted to bring the story to life, with Noah Ringer as Aang, Dev Patel as Prince Zuko, Nicola Peltz as Katara, and Jackson Rathbone, fresh off his role in Twilight, as Sokka. It was promptly ravaged by critics despite it earning more than double its budget. Like the Water Tribe, Avatar fans have been waiting for news of Aang especially after the incredible Legend of Korra. Well, the wait is almost over, as Netflix announced the core cast for a live-action remake of the cartoon in August of this year: Gordon Cormier (Gabby Duran and the Unsittables) as Aang, Kiawentiio (Beans) as Katara, Ian Ousley (Physical) as Sokka, and Dallas Liu (PEN15) is Zuko. Today, we have even more casting news.

    Thanks to our good friends at The Illuminerdi, we now have word on what roles the showrunners are looking to cast.

    First up, it seems, is General Iroh. For Avatar fans, that name will mean a lot as he is who counsels Prince Zuko into joining with the Avatar instead of doing his father’s bidding and who has one of the most heart-wrenching stories when he is recounting the Battle of Ba Sing Se. His character description describes him as a “now retired, but once top athletics coach in the country. Known for his tough coaching and winning record he’s calmed since his retirement and takes the time to smell the roses and taste the pleasures in life.”

    Up next, they are looking to cast who can only be Azula. For those who don’t remember her, she is the Princess of the Fire Nation and a firebending prodigy who manages to produce blue fire when battling Zuko in the later seasons. While she doesn’t play a big role in season one, she plays an integral role down the stretch and is the perfect foil for Prince Zuko. This character is described as a person who “has been training her entire life to live up to the legacy of her father. She inherited his single-mindedness and ambition and like her father has developed a ruthlessness that she exerts toward anyone she sees as competition, including her own family.”

    Lastly, we have the Fire Lord himself, Lord Ozai. Described as an “intense and steadfast CEO of a major corporation with perfectionist standards that he believes everyone around him should live up to. Infamously willing to sacrifice everything to gain power including his marriage. He sees it as his duty to groom his teenage children to see the world as he does and to be just as ruthless.” Ozai abused Zuko and then exiled him, took the throne without a challenge from General Iroh, and ruled over the world while Aang was frozen. Think the Mandarin to Shang Chi, and you’ll have an idea.

    This is all exciting news for fans of the cartoon, as a lot of us were hoping something would be done to redeem the series after the terrible job done by M. Night. As of right now, release is tentatively slated for the 2022 Holiday season.

    Source: Illuminderdi

  • New ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Series to Premiere on YouTube during Earth Day

    New ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Series to Premiere on YouTube during Earth Day

    It feels like yesterday that Nickelodeon announced it formed a brand new Avatar Studio that will dedicate its work to create films and spin-offs of the iconic franchise. After only two months, they surprised us by announcing that Avatar: The Last Airbender will get a new original series this April. It will premiere on the official YouTube channel on April 24th to celebrate Earth Day. The channel revealed that the 3-day event features earth-shattering original videos. They used a GIF of Toph, but that doesn’t mean she will be the series’ focus. It is uncertain if these are just a bunch of mini-episodes rather than the usual 22-minute runtime.

    The series will be available on the service permanently even once Earth Day ends. So, this isn’t a timed exclusive. As Avatar News points out, the voice of Korra, Janet Varney, has teased that a project of some kind is in development. The series has built up a strong connection with the relationship between humanity and Mother Nature. So, it’s a clever tie-in to celebrate the revival of the franchise.

    Avatar was originally going to get adopted as a live-action Netflix series. However, the creators and showrunners left the project due to creative differences. The sudden announcement by Nickelodeon pretty much hinted at that live-action adaptation getting scrapped, as the creators took over the reins to continue development on the franchise through animation. There are no details on this series. So, we might get a vignette with familiar characters or a unique series that simply explores the world in celebration of Earth Day. Whatever it may be, we are excited to return to the franchise after this long hiatus.

    Source: Avatar News, YouTube

  • Animated ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Films and Series In Development

    Animated ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Films and Series In Development

    Avatar: The Last Airbender got a second wind when it released on Netflix. Many fans took to social media to revel in the nostalgia as they were reminiscing about their favorite episodes. They relived Aang’s journey as he mastered the four elements to embrace his destiny. Following Avatar’s release, Netflix released The Legends of Korra, which offered more content for fans. The upcoming live-action adaptation will fill that drought, but disaster hit when the show’s creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino left the project.

    It seems like the franchise is just beginning to expand. It got announced that Nickelodeon will be launching a brand new studio. It will exclusively develop new animated feature films and series set in the world of Avatar. The studio will be run by the original creators and executive producers, who will serve as co-chief creative officers.

    The first project will be a new animated theatrical film, which will begin production later this year. Plot details for the project are still under wraps, but content from this studio is set to be exclusive to Nickelodeon and the Paramount+ streaming service. They also confirmed that they will also release it in select theaters. It certainly seems like Nickelodeon has some big plans for the franchise. The world has a lot of unexplored corners. It will also be interesting to see what it means for the live-action Netflix series.

    Source: Deadline, Twitter

  • ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Creators Exit Netflix’s Live-Action Show

    ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Creators Exit Netflix’s Live-Action Show

    Avatar: The Last Airbender is a childhood classic for many. It’s three-season run left quite the impression on people. We entered a world full of people that could bend the elements to their whim. A diverse cast of characters gave us humor, drama, and plenty of action. The original creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko put a lot of love into this franchise. It was so popular that Nickelodeon continued with the sequel series The Legend of Korra and continued to tell the stories of the original’s through comics. Sadly, the translation to live action didn’t go as hoped. Director M. Night Shyamalan became infamous after he released his version back in 2010. Now, people were looking to Netflix to give fans the live-action adaptation they’ve been dreaming of. Even better, the original creators were given full reigns to create the series but sadly it seems as if some things aren’t meant to be.

    On his personal blog, Michael DiMartino had announced that after two years of development, he and Bryan Konietzko are leaving the production. As such, they have backed down as showrunners for the series. He does not offer any significant details on what may have transpired but it seems to be due to creative differences. This is a heavy blow for the franchise, as many hoped that their vision would help keep this live-action version as close to the original as possible. Sadly, this isn’t uncalled for especially with the current climate. They do remain optimistic about the future of this adaptation, and after two years of investment, Netflix won’t just back away from it so easily. DiMartino also confirmed that he will continue his work in this universe, so the stories of Aang and Korra will continue. Now all eyes will be on Netflix and who they announce as the new showrunner for the show. Whoever it may be, they have some big shoes to fill.

    Source: Michael DiMartino Blog