Avatar: The Last Airbender Returning With A New Show?
Avatar: The Last Airbender is rumored to get a new animated sequel series, that takes place after The Legend of Korra and starring an earthbender, in 2025.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most successful cartoons in history, launching multiple comic books, video games, a live-movie adapation that no one wants to acknowledge, and a sequel series, The Legend of Korra, that was also a huge hit. New reporting from CBR is suggesting that the franchise will continue to grow in 2025, with a new sequel series to the The Legend of Korra. The rumored new series will follow an earthbender as the new Avatar, following the path established by Aang and Korra in their respective series, and it will be airing exclusively on Paramount+.
In the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the four great nations, representing the four primary elements, were all at peace until the Fire Nation attacked. Aang, the last survivor of the Air Nomads, journeys with his friends to defeat the Fire Nation. Airing on Nickelodeon for three seasons and 61 episodes, the cartoon that blended anime with traditional western styles, would go on to win multiple awards before the launch of its sequeul series, The Legend of Korra, in 2012.
Also airing on Nickelodeon, The Legend of Korra took place a generation after Avatar: The Last Airbender, when bending was now commonplace and even part of a spectator sport. The second series dealt with heavy issues for a children’s show, including terrorism represented by the Equalists in season 1, that were actively anti-Bender. In addition, the show was one of the first to include a same-sex romance, albeit in the closing moments of the show’s final episode.
With a multimedia empire coming out of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the first sequel series having ended in 2014, it’s time to return to the mystical setting once again. The unnamed second sequel series will arrive 11 years after the end of The Legend of Korra, but thanks to the enthusiastic fanbase that still exists, it will not have to struggle to get viewers. To this day, attendees at anime conventions across the world will cosplay as characters from the two shows.
2025 will be a huge year for the franchise, not only will the new show debut then, but a new Avatar: The Last Airbender movie featuring an adult Aang will be arriving in theaters. The first movie, which was live-action and infamously directed by M. Night Shyamalan, was a historic flop, purposely going against the plot of the cartoon and managing to anger longtime fans while failing to bring in a casual audience. That failure has not stopped the development of another live-action project, this one following a young Aang before the events of his series.
Starring Gordon Cormier as young Aang, Kiawentiio as waterbender Katara, Ian Ousley as her brother Sokka, and Dallas Liu as the exiled Fire Nation prince Zuko. The Netflix prequel series is currently expected to air in 2023, with a second season likely for 2025, the same year as the new cartoon and feature-length movie. Avatar: The Last Airbender fans have an exciting two years to look forward to, with the potential for more unannounced projects, products, and events coming in honor of the franchise’s upcoming 20th anniversary.
