Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan’s adaptation of the popular action cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender is set to hit theaters hard in July (minus the Avatar part, so as not to cause confusion with a certain billion-dollar blockbuster) but Shyamalan himself is already settling in for the long haul. He says that this summer’s Airbender is actually the first installment of a planned trilogy that he expects to continue himself.
Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender will reportedly be based just on the first season of the cartoon series, with the next two parts following the show’s second and third seasons through to the conclusion of the story.
In an interview with UGO, M. Night discusses his approach to the proposed trilogy, likening the series to Lord of the Rings, in that the three movies will comprise a single, arcing plotline rather than establishing separate adventures for the characters.
He also says that he hopes to write and direct the next two parts of the series himself, and producer Frank Marshall told Starlog that the script for the second picture has already been written.
Unlike Peter Jackson’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS, this trio of films won’t lense back-to-back-to-back. “We’re shooting them one at a time, because they’re being written one at a time,” says veteran producer (and STARLOG favorite) Frank Marshall. “Night is now working on the script for the second movie, but he hasn’t had time to write the second or third ones. He’s looking at the arc of all three. One of the things we’ll be doing is using the sets, ships and elements for each different nation in this film and incorporating them into movies two and three. We’re not waiting. There just isn’t enough time. Night will finish this movie, then the script and then we’ll prepare for thme next one. I think it’ll probably happen over six years.”
This is great news, both for fans of the Airbender series and for Shyamalan’s fans, but we have heard him say this before. Remember the planned Unbreakable trilogy? No? Well, he apparently does, because there have been reports recently that he and Bruce Willis have actually spoken about reigniting those old fires. I, for one, greatly hope that we get some more Unbreakable films, but that doesn’t look likely until this Last Airbender business is taken care of.
What do all of you think about a Last Airbender trilogy? Who is excited for this summer’s first film? Who else is left that even cares about Shyamalan’s work? We want answers!
I must say I have never seen any of the Airbender series. I know nothing about them. With that being said, I do feel comfortable saying this looks like a solid movie. Albeit a trilogy I doubt will happen.
Studios will always do something once but if it “flops” nothing more happens. As with an Triology, the key is to bring back ALL associated characters. If Harry Potter was missing Ron(Rupert Grint) halfway through the series, it would change everything.
This is a must with all associated films.
I must say I’m excited to see Shyamalan’s take on the Last Airbender franchise. I loved the series and from the trailers it looks like he did a pretty decent job creating the world. Hope the trilogy pans out (and I hope I enjoy his take on it).
So many poor reviews. Looks like a “flop,” even though I enjoyed the movie. I’d like to see two more of the series.