It’s Official: Avatar: The Last Airbender Gets a Sequel

Earlier this year, it came out that Nickelodeon was looking for artists to work on a new, untitled Avatar: The Last Airbender project. Well, now it’s official: Nickelodeon has announced that they are moving forward with a sequel to the critically acclaimed cartoon series. Tentatively titled The Legend of Korra, the sequel will be done by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko (the original series’ creators) and is scheduled to premiere on Nickelodeon in 2011.

Here’s a brief plot synopsis:

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.

This news makes me very happy. I know, I know: steampunk is so passé these days, but I think it makes a lot of sense within the Avatar world, especially with that we saw of Fire Nation technology in the original series. Also, I’ll be very interested to see what Aang’s (and Zuko’s) legacy will have been in those 70 years. And finally, and most importantly, the fact that the original creators — DiMartino and Konietzko — are helming this production gives me a lot of confidence that The Legend of Korra will do right by the original series.

Via Topless Robot