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Tag: Nickelodeon

  • Animated ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Spinoff Trilogy in Development

    Animated ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Spinoff Trilogy in Development

    Netflix has been busy with its live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Yet, after the original creators of the series, Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino, departed the adaptation to found an entire studio focused on the iconic franchise, we’ve anxiously waited for an official confirmation of their next projects Turns out they have not one but three films currently in development.

    Lauren Montgomery, a veteran of the franchise, is directing an untitled film in the franchise with two sequels already being worked on. The creators will be producing alongside Eric Coleman. They will be part of the Avatar Studios banner that was first founded back in February 2021. Ramsey Naito, Paramount Animation, and Nickelodeon Animation president offered the following statement.

    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.

    Ramsey Naito

    UPDATING

    Source: Variety

  • Nickelodeon’s ‘The Loud House’ Getting a Live-Action Series on Paramount+

    Nickelodeon’s ‘The Loud House’ Getting a Live-Action Series on Paramount+

    Paramount+ has just released what may be their first flagship series with the live-action Halo adaptation, and they’ve already set their eyes on another project. Nickelodeon’s popular series The Loud House is now also getting a live-action adaptation that’ll start production sometime in June. It’ll be a 10-episode produced by Nickelodeon that will follow the original series closely, as Lincoln Loud has to somehow manage his life with his ten sisters. Co-Head of Nickelodeon, Shauna Phelan, had the following to say on their decision to move forward with the series:

    As one of Nick’s most beloved animated franchises, ‘The Loud House’ has made its way into the hearts of millions of fans across the globe. When we brought the animated world of Royal Woods to life with ‘A Loud House Christmas,’ it instantly became a holiday favorite for both new and loyal fans alike, and I just know that they will love what our amazing creative team is preparing for this new live-action series.

    Shauna Phelan

    The live-action adaptation will see the return of the cast from A Loud House Christmas, a special that was released back in November. Wolfgang Schaeffer will return to play the leading role of Lincoln. Tim Hobert, Jonathan Judge, and Michael Rubiner joined the series as executive producers with Hobert acting as showrunner. The pilot of the series will be directed by Judge with Nickelodeon’s Phelan and Zack Olin supervising. There is currently no release date set.

    Source: Variety

  • New CG Animated ‘Transformers’ Film and TV Series in Development

    New CG Animated ‘Transformers’ Film and TV Series in Development

    Paramount is going crazy, as they are announcing one project after another. We’ve known for some time that they are working on reviving the live-action Transformers franchise with the upcoming Rise of the Beasts film, which we even got some looks from behind-the-scenes, but it looks like they aren’t quite done yet. During their Earnings Call, they have revealed they are working on a CG animated feature-length film eyeing a 2024 release alongside a new TV series a year earlier.

    There’s no word what exactly the series or film will be about, and if they might even be connected. It’s surprising that with all these spinoff announcements for various projects they didn’t talk about any additional live-action projects outside of Rise of the Beasts setting up a new trilogy. They may also not have finalized any plans which is why they haven’t announced anything and are looking to evolve the series. Of course, given its roots an animated film and series makes sense to prioritize especially as they continue to grow the brand, but it is a curious observation.

    Source: Twitter

  • Avatar Studios Working on a 2D/CG Animation Style Similar to ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’

    Avatar Studios Working on a 2D/CG Animation Style Similar to ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’

    It was quite a surprise when the creators of Avatar left Netflix’s live-action adaptation. While that project is still moving forward, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko founded an entire studio that exists to purely create more Avatar: The Last Airbender content moving forward. Well, it seems we may have gotten our first update on their approach for future projects. In a new listing for the newly found subsidiary of Nickelodeon Animation Studio, they are looking to cast a Pipeline TD with some insights into what the job requires. There is one particular line that stands out:

    Develop and maintain an outstanding and customized look for the show that will require the integration of traditional 2D and CG elements

    As Avatar News points out, who caught the news first, this style is quite similar to how Sony brought the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to life. It’s also become quite a popular design choice for projects, such as the recently released League of Legends series, Arcane. It offers the developers a way to create a unique art style to add an additional flair to their productions. Their previous two projects, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, were given a classic 2D animation style.

    It’ll be interesting to see if they standardized the design for all their projects moving forward, or it’s mainly for a specific project. They want to explore the different eras that were only mentioned or teased in the previous two projects. It would be a clever idea to have a unique animation style that represents stories in a specific timeline. We’ll see what direction they are heading.

    Source: ViacomCBS via Avatar News

  • Paramount’s ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Film Adds ‘SNL’s Colin and Casey Jost as Writers

    Paramount’s ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Film Adds ‘SNL’s Colin and Casey Jost as Writers

    It looks like the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film has found its writers, as Deadline just shared that Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost and his brother Casey will tackle the project.  This project is separate from Seth Rogen’s new animated TV series, as it’ll be produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Scott Mednick, and Galen Walker. Plot details remain under wraps, but it’ll feature the popular brothers of pizza-eating mutated turtles.

    There’s no word if this will be a live-action adaptation of the popular franchise, or if they will tackle an animated adaptation once more. We do know that Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures’ will adapt the turtles with a full-fledged CG reboot. Gravity Falls director Jeff Rowe is attached to the project, with Brendan O’Brien working on the screenplay. The last we heard of the project was around four months ago when Illuminerdi released character descriptions.

     

     

    What is curious about this movie is not only that nickelodeon and Paramount are fast-tracking the project, it’s also Jost’s first major franchise. He did write Worst Man for Universal and starred in Tom & Jerry, but he is slated to return for the next SNL season. The IP is a high priority, and it seems that their pitch for the film might’ve convinced them to tackle it on the silver screen once more.

    TMNT is a fascinating franchise that seems to get rebooted quite frequently by Nickelodeon. We’ve seen many iterations across the years that add a unique spin to the classic four turtles.

    Source: Deadline

     

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘Blue’s Clues’ Celebrating its 25th Anniversary With a Music Video

    EXCLUSIVE: ‘Blue’s Clues’ Celebrating its 25th Anniversary With a Music Video

    We’ve all had that show we watched as a kid that just stuck with us through the years. For me, it was my yearly visits to the United States when I would get to watch Blue’s Clues. The original series aired back in 1996, where the world was introduced to Steve Burns playing a fictional version of himself and his dog Blue. He would go on to host the show for four seasons before his younger brother Joe took over, who was played by Donovan Patton. The show ended in 2006 but saw a reboot with Blue’s Clues & You in 2019. Now that the show is back, many wondered if we might get a celebration for its upcoming 25th anniversary. We can now exclusively reveal that the upcoming Blue’s Clues celebration will be in the form of a celebratory music video.

    They are currently casting fans of different generations to share their enthusiasm for the long-running series. There already has been a visual going around teasing a potential vent since February, but there was no official announcement so far. It looks like Nickelodeon aims to explore the franchise’s history and celebrate the viewers that stuck with the little blue dog since he got introduced to the world back in 1996. There is currently no word if we might see the return of the original host Steve Burns or even Donovan Patton. Surprisingly, they aren’t doing a special episode, but it’s a nice sentiment to have fans of all ages become part of a franchise they grew up with.

    Source: NickAlive

  • 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

  • RUMOR: First Character Descriptions for Upcoming CG ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Films Revealed

    RUMOR: First Character Descriptions for Upcoming CG ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Films Revealed

    Nickelodeon and Paramount have been busy preparing a brand new CG reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Seth Rogen‘s Point Grey Pictures will be producing the project, as Gravity Falls director, Jeff Rowe, will be tackling directing duties. The screenplay is being written by Brendan O’Brien, who is known for his work on Sorority Rising as well as Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. It looks like Illuminerdi may have gotten their hands on the descriptions that offer some insight on the upcoming adaptation of the four brothers.

    • Leonardo will remain the strictly business type but is hiding his biggest fear. He doesn’t want his brothers to know how much he depends on them, as he tries to keep them focused on finishing the missions.
    • Of course, the goofball Michelangelo will keep his relaxed attitude. He continues to enjoy life and has a habit of talking to strangers for long periods of time due to his innate curiosity. The always optimistic Mickey might also be hiding something deep down.

     

    Turtle power outage: Three of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have died | GamesRadar+

     

    • Ralph remains a hothead, who loves to break things. They even tease his brooding side, as he s trying to hide his sensitive side from the others. We might also see some strife between him and Leo, as he doesn’t like authority. Even though he wants to become the team’s leader, he understands that he “wouldn’t know how to lead the team if it ever came to it.”
    • Interestingly enough, Donatello is given a comparison, as he “feels like he’s Matt Damon in Goodwill Hunting.” While he may seem arrogant and cold, it is simply the result of his intellect making him think many steps ahead. Yet, he still “finds himself paralyzed with indecision.”

    It sounds like they are sticking to the characters’ personalities that have been around since the 1987 animated series. The original TMNT release in 1984 by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman defined their iconic weapons and names, but their personalities were very similar. We’ll see what the upcoming CG film adds to make these character interpretations stand out from the previous incarnations.

    Source: Deadline, Illuminerdi

  • ‘RUGRATS’ To Return With Original Cast On Paramount+

    ‘RUGRATS’ To Return With Original Cast On Paramount+

    Paramount+ is following up its iCarly revival with the return of another iconic franchise. Nickelodeon revealed at today’s ViacomCBS Investor’s Day event that the upcoming streaming service, born out of CBS All Access, will bring back the Rugrats in 2021. The brand-new series will feature a CG animation style, which some may consider a bold departure from the franchise’s traditional hand-drawn look. Something that won’t change, however, is the cast of the characters and their voice actors. This means die-hard fans of the original show will once again hear the likes of E.G. Daily, Nancy Cartwright, and Cree Summer in their iconic roles, as troublesome toddlers.

    The revival will be produced by Nickelodeon Animation, and company president Ramsey Naito had the following to say regarding the project:

    Rugrats is one of the most iconic cartoons recognized by fans around the globe, and this original version is one we are taking great care and pride in creating for a brand-new audience. Having the voice cast behind these special characters come together is one of the essential pieces to making the show recognizable and we can’t wait to watch this talented group bring them to life again.

    The original version of the series debuted in 1991 and ran for nine seasons throughout 13 years. It was critically acclaimed by adults and children alike, winning four Daytime Emmys and six Kid’s Choice Awards. Rugrats was followed by a sequel series in 2003 titled All Grown Up!, which followed the same group of friends through their teenage years. The flagship show also produced three spin-off films, beginning with The Rugrats Movie in 1998. The latest addition to the Rugrats fold looks to bring all the same lovable energy as the projects before it. Check out the first footage in the tweet below.

    Source: Variety, Twitter

  • 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