Friday, November 06, 2020

ViacomCBS CEO Hints That Paramount+ Could Expand the 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Franchise With New Show

Could Nickelodeon be planning to expand the Avatar: The Last Airbender universe?


Ever since Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered on Nickelodeon 2005, it has been a firm favorite with fans. Nickelodeon followed up the series in 2010 with a live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender movie from M. Night Shyamalan, which was so poorly received that fans would rather forget it even exists, and in 2012 with The Legend of KorraAvatar: The Last Airbender concluded its run in 2008, with Korra concluding its run in 2014. Both series have since continued in the form of graphic novels, and have since received new life after being added to Netflix earlier this summer, with Avatar even smashing a record on the platform. There is also a live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series in development at Netflix, although it won't have its original creators on board.

Following its second life on Netflix, fans have been wondering whether we could see another series/movie set in the Avatar Universe. And although nothing has been announced, ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish has hinted that we see another Avatar project!

CBS All Access, ViacomCBS' streaming service which will soon be renamed Paramount+ is currently building up its programming, with both library content from ViacomCBS networks including Nickelodeon - Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra are both available on the service - and original programming, including the upcoming SpongeBob spin-off, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years.

Speaking today (Nov. 6) during ViacomCBS' 3Q 2020 earnings call, Bakish ticked off new originals already reported including The Offer, a scripted limited series about the making of The Godfather; a new edition of MTV’s Behind the Music; true crime docuseries The Real Criminal Minds based on the CBS series; Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years; and spy drama Lioness from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan.

Bakish also suggested that the platform could also tap Nickelodeon’s Avatar franchise and MTV’s The Challenge for new original series!

"In terms of Paramount Plus, we have announced some new entertainment franchises that we’re bringing to Plus, the Godfather, SpongeBob, the Criminal Minds spinout," said Bakish.. "But, under the covers, our preview launch showed that there’s other franchises that work too that have potential, things like MTV’s reality show, The Challenge; things like Nick’s animated library series, Avatar, and all this is really the tip of the iceberg. And we do have other franchises in the Company. So, you can safely assume that upcoming announcements will include new original variants of them for Paramount Plus. We will of course have some non-franchise-based new originals to keep things fresh. But, I’m not going to get ahead of things and reveal them until we get much closer to launch."

Although this is far from confirming that a new Avatar project is in the works, it at least confirms that Nickelodeon and ViacomCBS are open to looking into expanding the Avatar universe!

Bakish even threw in "tip of the iceberg", which could be a reference to the pilot episode of "The Boy in the Iceberg"!

What do you think? Would you like to see a Avatar: The Last Airbender spin-off? Let me know in the comments!

More Nick: Toph Beifong to Feature in Her Own Standalone 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Graphic Novel!

Originally published: Friday, November 06, 2020.

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