I can’t wait for the live action – film adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender to be released into the big screen. I was so addicted to the animated production from the start (I was in college, back then) until it aired its series finale around a year ago. Many would think that the show is for kids (yeah, I admit, it was not targeted for my age group), but then who are you to judge the child in me? Right? (*lol)
In a nutshell, Avatar: The Last Airbender chronicles the story of a young boy destined to bring back balance into a world ravaged by greed and war. The main character, Aang, together with his friends must save the world by defeating the Fire Lord thereby ending the destructive war brought about by the fire nation. I no longer want to post details in here and not pre-empt the story for those who are interested to watch or discover why many people are going gaga over it. (For those who prefer to know the story in advance, there’s always Google).
It’s a long wait for the film is due for release on July 2010. Nonetheless, it gives me more time to re-watch the entire Book 1 of the animated series. So it’s just apt for you to follow suit. The DVD copies of the entire series are all out in the market so grab a copy.
The Last Airbender, is the first film in the planned The Last Airbender Trilogy (guys, support it so that production won’t be shelved after the first installement). The film is adapted, directed, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan (director of The Sixth Sense, Signs, and Lady in the Water) and will feature new-comer Noah Ringer as Aang, Nicola Peltz as Katara, Jackson Rathborne as Sokka and Dev Patel (of Slumdog Millionaire fame) as Prince Zuko.
I am pleased to note that James Newton Howard (The Dark Knight, The Sixth Sense, Treasure Planet) will join the production team as Musical Scorer/Composer (?). This is no longer a surprise for me as Newton-Howard has previously worked with Shyamalan before with The Sixth Sense and The Village. Another great news is that Judianna Makovsky will join the team as Costume Designer. She was also the costume designer for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (my personal fave among the series) and Xmen: The Last Stand, to name a few.
Truly, I just cannot wait for my eyes to feast on the visual imagery of M. Night Shyamalan. I hope he does not disappoint me this time. For now, I leave you with the teaser trailer. It might not be much but you have to admit, it does tickle your interest.
You might want to check out these other sites for more information:
Official Website
The Last Airbender at IMDB
Avatar Wiki Article
Official Nickelodeon Site
Epistaxis Maximus 