A first look at the Shyamalan-less Last Airbender sequel series

March 8th 2011, 11:43am

The biggest tragedy of M. Night Shyamalan’s LAST AIRBENDER was not that the film itself was an abomination, it’s that it was so bad, anyone who saw it would probably never even consider watching the animated series it was based on.

Let me make a PSA here where I say trust me, even if the horribleness of the movie is burned into your mind, the TV show on Nickelodeon is an amazing series, and worth checking out no matter your age or entertainment preferences. An American anime show seems like a strange concept, but trust me, it works incredibly well, and the universe created for the show is both fascinating and compelling.

But enough free advertising for Airbender DVDs, the news item here is that Nickelodeon is attempting to shed the Shyamalan associations with a brand new Airbender series subtitled “The Legend of Korra.” Above and below are the first images from the new show, and below you’ll find a synopsis of what’s going on in the future Airbender universe.

The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender and follows the adventures of the Avatar after Aang – a passionate, rebellious, and fearless teenaged girl from the Southern Water Tribe named Korra. With three of the four elements under her belt (Earth, Water, and Fire), Korra seeks to master the final element, Air. Her quest leads her to the epicenter of the modern “Avatar” world, Republic City – a metropolis that is fueled by steampunk technology. It is a virtual melting pot where benders and non-benders from all nations live and thrive. However, Korra discovers that Republic City is plagued by crime as well as a growing anti-bending revolution that threatens to rip it apart. Under the tutelage of Aang’s son, Tenzin, Korra begins her airbending training while dealing with the dangers at large.

Aang’s son, incidentally, is voiced by J.K. Simmons. Hell yeah.

Anyway, this is the first I’ve heard about this, so I’m unreasonably excited for it. Now go check out the original series and make me happy.