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M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender Gets Release Date, Director Update, “Avatar” Dropped From Title

Posted on Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 by Hunter Stephenson

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Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan will definitely be following up his June blockbuster contender, The Happening, with Paramount’s adaptation of the hit Nicktoons series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The ambitious live-action film is now due on July 2, 2010. Variety reported just minutes ago that the film’s title has been officially shortened to The Last Airbender, thus avoiding the 3D death ray of James Cameron’s AVATAR. Smart move, but as a standalone title The Last Airbender reminds me of Air Bud or something. It’s goofy. Shyamalan spoke with Empire recently about what drew him to the high concept children’s material and professed how difficult it will be to bring the philosophical aspects and [deep breath] deeeep action to the screen…

“Obviously [there will be] some breathtaking visual effects,” the director says. “Just imagine if you saw a little girl bending water out of a glass into the air as an extension of her own personal discipline. It’s three movies about the hero learning three elements. Live action.”

“It’s daunting on the level of not doing it properly,” he admits. “It can’t be special effects for the sake of special effects, it has to be [that you use] take seven because the girl breathes properly on take seven. I have to tell the animators that. Everything, has to have that detail. I can’t leave it. I have to make sure that I make it the same kind of storytelling, but with just one more tool.”

The title character is a young savior, comparable to a holy Llama (Carl Spackler grins), who possesses superpowers allowing him to “bend” the four elements, earth, water, fire and air, each of which is delegated to a respective tribe/nation. Like any young punk who’d rather play GTA than commit to charity, this airbender is reluctant to protect his world’s three tribes from the fourth warring tribe. Shyamalan tries to explain this better in the quote below. He also aspires to make The Last Airbender a live-action Hayao Miyazaki (Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away) flick. Right now in Hollywood, it’s safe to say that anime is here to stay…

“The story is about how, in this particular time, this avatar is born into the airbenders and disappears. Then all hell breaks loose and the fire nation basically commits genocide and eradicates the air tribe in the hopes of killing the avatar and taking over control of everything. … He reappears having been frozen in the ice a hundred years later and this world is all fucked up and he is the last airbender, but he doesn’t want this job. He’s forced into the position of putting the world back together again. It actually has a lot of Shakespearean overtones to it.”

With Spielberg getting behind Ghost in the Shell today, DiCaprio doing Akira, and the Wachowskis’ Speed Racer and Ninja Assassin on the way, it will be interesting to see how general American audiences receive these heavily stylistic films. What do you guys and gals think, is this Shyamalan’s The Matrix or, gasp, his Star Wars (he compares it to both)? If anything, it will probably be far more satisfying than the live-action Dragon Ball Z.

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  • [...] "DiCaprio doing Akira" [...] wait, WHAT?!?
  • AvatarMoviePhail
    yeah i dont think thats real. DiCaprio doing Akira= COMPLETE BULLCRAP

    The title character is a young savior, comparable to a holy Llama (Carl Spackler grins), who possesses superpowers allowing him to “bend” the four elements, earth, water, fire and air, each of which is delegated to a respective tribe/nation. Like any young punk who’d rather play GTA than commit to charity, this airbender is reluctant to protect his world’s three tribes from the fourth warring tribe. Shyamalan tries to explain this better in the quote below. He also aspires to make The Last Airbender a live-action Hayao Miyazaki (Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away) flick. Right now in Hollywood, it’s safe to say that anime is here to stay…

    which retard wrote this.

    "who possesses superpowers allowing him to “bend” the four elements"
    -bending is not some corny "superpower" or whatever american cartoons its being compared to.

    "Like any young punk who’d rather play GTA than commit to charity, this airbender is reluctant to protect his world’s three tribes from the fourth warring tribe."
    -WTF?!?!? AANG IS AFRAID OF THE RESPONSIBILITY AND DOESNT THINK HE CAN TAKE IT, HES NOT "LIKE ANY YOUNG PUNK WHO'D RATHER PLAY GTA THAN COMMIT TO CHARITY" HE LIKES TO HELP PEOPLE.

    -"this airbender is reluctant to protect his world’s three tribes from the fourth warring tribe."
    THERES ONLY THREE LEFT, AIRBENDERS WIPED OUT RETARD, PLUS, THEY ARE NOT ALL TRIBES, air NOMADS, fire NATION and earth KINGDOM.

    this was directed at the dumbass who wrote the update's- The title character is a young savior, comparable....... blah blah- not at Julio Biason
  • Big STEVE
    did you forget the water TRIBE or did you just leave that out because i doesn't help your point?
  • ericdahred
    Wow... rant much?
  • Jojo
    Dragonball franchise is 100 times more popular than all these cartoons combined.
  • jarc
    he was talking about the dragonballz movie fuckhead
    which, if you havent seen the trailer, could possibly be the worst adaptation of a cartoon series to film ever
    and avatar is 5000000000000000times better then your shitty goku
  • orlando
    dragon ball is a clasic, but you cant even dare to compare them because there are total diferent concepts, and the dragon ball movie is going to suck TOTALLY hope night does not do the same stupid thing with this one.
  • DragonballSux
    are you insane?
  • DBSUX
    True it is more known in the world. Too bad its live action film sucked
  • ericdahred
    Too bad the live action adaptation of DBZ was the most horrible adaptation ever. Seriously. Did the writers ever watch the show?
  • Scott
    Shyamalan compares his own work to "Star Wars" and "The Matrix"? Wow, he usually seems like such a modest, unassuming guy...
  • austin
    no thats what the author of the article said :)
  • gah
    I seriously thought those Dragonball photos looked DTV.
  • Captain Awesome
    My nephew loves this series. I usualy glanced over and would watch it sometimes when he had it on. I have to say, some of the stuff they did have in the show was pretty cool. The story isn't bad either.

    It's not "obnoxious" like most anime series I've seen. It's got a good design behind it. And a big fanbase from what I know. His comparison to either film isn't too far off. I could see him pulling this off with lots of style. I don't know, it's not really something I'm looking forward to in terms of films. But if he does it well, im sure the fans will eat it up.
  • caygfry
    I completely agree. The cartoons do have a huge fan base. I am not sure if he will be able to pull it off though. I am personally not that interested in his films. What he has done is very different from this. This requires a whole lot more action and he is right about the detail. For his sake I hope he can make it look good. Otherwise tons of Avatar fans will be pissed off. But I am rooting that he does well....and I shall see it either way.
  • user
    "The Last Airbender reminds me of Air Bud or something"
    jeeez you're kidding, right?
  • Hunter Stephenson
    @ user

    Slashfilm thinks the new title is a little iffy. The studio could come up with something catchier.

    I wasn't comparing the content of Air Bud to the content/themes of Airbender.
  • Hefty Lefty
    I think this movie will be pretty kool. My little brother watches it, and I have seen a couple episodes. It's a pretty awesome show. The look and tone are really neat. Some of the things that Ang can do are pretty amazing. Plus, I am a huge Shyamalan fan, I have loved all of his movies, except The Village, but we don't talk about The Villiage.
    Am I more excited for this movie than I am DBZ? Not at all.
    Even if DBZ sucks ass, which it probably will, it will be one of those movies thats so bad its good.
  • Meli
    I watch this with cartoon with my daughter and have
    thoroughly enjoyed the story. It's well told and each
    character has evolved and grown throughout the
    series. I hope the live action version of this won't
    come off too cheesy; the CGI will have to be just
    right. And as long as M.Knight doesn't screw with the
    story I think a lot of peoples will be pleasantly surprised.

    I wish they hadn't shortened the title, but I understand
    the decision. The Last Airbender sits fine with me, but
    perhaps that is because I am a fan of the show.
  • Rosario
    One of the things that will make this movie great is the cartoon is so well written and detailed it will translate into a good movie. Im 19 and I will admit I watch Avatar on a regular basis. Even thought the show is on Nick it has a dark tone to it at times. The creators know that the show is watched by all ages and since they will be contributing to the movie, I expect the same tone for the live action.

    What I am a little disappointed in is that they will basically be retelling the show just in live action. I wish they could of expanded it but im not complaining. It will just be like if Avatar was a book and it was being made into a movie.
  • Jayden
    avatar is a book
  • JFK
    so he's making a kids movie. will it amount to anything? will the happening?
  • Marlow
    "Scott Says:

    April 15th, 2008 at 7:43 pm

    Shyamalan compares his own work to “Star Wars” and “The Matrix”? Wow, he usually seems like such a modest, unassuming guy…"

    I'd say he's shooting low if those are his bench marks of quality.
  • I only started watching this series last week, but it's so addictive I've just finished watching the first two seasons. The plot and mythology of Avatar is great and much better conceived than most live-action TV shows around. Plus the magic system is stunning, yet at the same time "believable". The way they manipulate Earth, Air, Fire and Water is the best I've seen so far. It has really convinced me that this would be a great format for fantasy book adaptions. TV adaptions just end up looking corny because of the low budget and movie adaptions always cut too much out the plot. I think we need more cartoons like this and hope to see some great stuff in the future.

    Enter Shyamalan, who wants to do the exact opposite! Let's take a story that already works perfectly as a cartoon and mess it completely up. I can hear him going: Because it has to be seen as a Movie. Cartoons are too low for Us. Let's take the story and world and magic and everything and make a Movie out of it, then it will be worth Our time.

    At least that's how it feels like. Why bother with a "remake" of something like this? It's completely unnecessary.
  • Chris
    "The Last Air Bender", don't know if the slang word Bender is used in America but the title is going to conjure all sorts of images in the heads of UK readers. Most of them, I'm sure, they do not want to think about.
  • Dbz
    Why is there so much hate for the Dbz movie? The trailer isn't even out!
  • Matt
    Agree with Drew. Love the show. Hopefully M. doesn't screw this one up.
    "Ah, what a twist!"
  • AIr bender is a pretty cool cartoon.. Lots of cool action. Which makes me wonder why M.night is doing this. He may be an interesting story teller... but his films are usually only interesting because of the script/dialouge he wrote. Not because he is such a great director... All his films are basically the same, shot wise. What makes him think he can just all of a sudden become an action film director?
  • charles
    With the right promotion and release date anything is possible. I also believe that anything will be better than Dragonball Z movie. The photos look horrible.
  • LannIE LyN
    I honestly think that "The Last Airbender" will turn out great. First of all the show was so well written that it appeals to all kinds of audiences. And I think that Avatar is safe in the hands of M. Night Shyamalan, his is after all, fairly good at portraying complicated plot lines. So I have faith in him. Not only that, but with the creators of the show so involved in the making of the movie, it's bound to be good. I don't think they'd let someone mess up Avatar.
  • Jess
    And besides that, he is also a fan of the series, which says to me that he cares about it. He wants to do this right. The creators (Mike and Bryan) are excited about seeing it live-action and trust him with it so why shouldn't we?
  • Denise
    One of the things that makes the avatar universe so consistent is how each "nation" has it's own distinct feel, if you will. Each bending technique is so unique and consistent with the different cultures.... the hand movements, arm motions, rooting... it all has a place,

    Well, i just hope that feeling and attention to detail stays with the movie... those are the things i will be looking for
  • user1
    in all seriousness i cannot wait for this film to come out. I have been a huge avatar fan ever since the series was introduced, so to see it come to the big screen and in live action will be so awsome.

    But this movie is going to be different that anything that M.Night has done before, so i really hope he doesn't screw the pooch on this one. And as for the DBZ movie, i don't think that should even be made at all. Dont get me wrong i am a really big DBZ fan as well, ive seen mostly all the saga's(except for the GT series) but i just dont think think that it should ever be a live action film(just my opinion). If i had to choose between both shows, Avatar and DBZ, i would for sure choose Avatar!
  • P.R.I.M.E.
    Believe it or not about a month ago I actually was telling my 65 year old uncle who has become a fan that this story was good enough to make into a live action movie. This is a good idea, although I'm not sure that they have the right director. The storyline of the Avatar cartoon is better told and makes more sense than most of the live-action movies coming out of Hollywood these days. Shyamalan must be sure not to get too caught up in cgi effects. Don't get me wrong, the cgi will definitely be needed to do the adaptation. But what drew me personally as a 30 year old man to this cartoon was not just the fighting and bending, there are plenty of other cartoons that have characters who use kung fu inspired super-abilities(Dragonball, Naruto, etc.), was the way this story is told. All the characters have a well developed background, we are never taken off of the main track of the story, and the theme of the conquering empire relates well to the present state of the real world. They even have a group of freedom fighters, viewed as terrorist by the fire nation(Jet and his crew)who in one episode try to blow up a dam to flood an earth village that is occupied by the fire nation even though this will hurt innocents(made me think of Iraq). So, I am excited about the possibility of this being a great movie, but after viewing a few other Shyamlan movies I'm just not sure that he can hit the homer.
  • Matt
    Great input prime. I absolutely agree.
  • Pickles
    This will suck beyond comprehension. The Last Airbender is an amazing series and just from reading Shyamalan's comments it's clear he doesn't comprehend the most important character concepts of the series. The show isn't about action, it's about actions.
  • Tracie
    I have watched every episode of this show with my son. It is a great series. It has a sequential plot and great deeper meaning and soul searching that some of the kids probably don't even get. The show is interesting and addictive. I hope Shyamalan stays true to the story and the characters. The main characters are all teenagers, he needs to remember that when casting. They are all struggling with loss and learning about themselves through their adventures.
  • Zao
    has it been realesed yet who will star in the movie? like how could you have a different voice for aang, katara or any of the main actors? so do you think that they will just use the people from the show?
  • jessi
    I'm 14 years old and I absolutly love the show Avatar. I started watching it a few weeks after it first came out on tv and I can't get enouph of it. I love how all the characers have thir own backrounds and own stories and destinies and each of the four nations have totally different styles of living. This show has a great story with occasional episodes that make me cry. If you havn't noticed I am completely obsessed with this awsome show and am sooooooo excited for this live action movie. I've seen every single episode at least 3 times.
    But what's up with changing the title? I'm not saying it's terrible. I'm just saying that the show started off as Avatar:The Last Airbender and should stay that way as a movie. Oh well... I don't make those decisions. I have all three seasons on DVD and when the 4th volume of the third season comes out on DVD I'm getting it the second it comes in stores. The show is dramatic and hilarious at the same time and isn't just another one of those same little kid cartoons on Nickelodian. All ages can enjoy it. My grandma is really having fun watching it with me. There's a little love story included as well as a dramatic destiny needed to be faced. It's great to watch with anyone. I can't wait for this movie and I know it will never disapoint me.
  • Brie
    I'm not really into anime shows, but something about Avatar just made me wanna sit down and watch it. I love the show and can't wait to see how M. Night does it. I usually don't like his films, so I hope he can pull it off. I bet it won't be THAT hard to find actors that sound similar to the characters. It was kind of done in the Scooby Doo films, and I thought thier voices were fine.
  • Matt
    Jesse, never say never.
  • Matt
    Apologies, Jessi.
  • Jen
    If M. Night Shamalan does the an Avatar movie, he's totally going to ruin it. All his movies have the worst ending ever!!!
  • Amber
    I'm actually quite nervous about him making a movie.
    Don't get me wrong, the guy has amazing views on things, but I saw the Happening, and I didn't think it was all that great.

    Idk, I guess just being as big of a fan as I am...I'm just a tad skeptical.

    Overall, I think he can handle it and will pull it off quite nicely.
    =]
  • qwentin355
    m night may Not be the Best Director but it seems like he understands what he has started and knows that people will be pretty pissed if the Last Air Bender is a complete waste of time sure expectations are low but avatar Fans will well (sorry to use the Word again) be absolutly pissed if he screws up Major
  • leanne
    reading all of these reviews has made me a tad nervous as well.but i do have faith that he's going to do a fair job at making this movie-he does have a certain taste on how to end movies (with a slight twist) but when he made the happening it was kindof at a diffrent perspective-and he took a diffrent approach with the plot then all his other movies.I believe he could turn around and make an epic movie, sortof out of his line of style-but the man has the skills to make avatar into a really great film.
  • Joel
    I just saw the end of the series on tv, this guy better do a good job on this movie it better be better then the series
  • Emanla Eraton
    But what’s up with changing the title? I’m not saying it’s terrible. I’m just saying that the show started off as Avatar:The Last Airbender and should stay that way as a movie.

    They had to change the name because of trademark disputes with another movie, which James Cameron is the director.
  • jillian
    avatar live action...im sold. the show is amazing, one of the best cartoons i have ever seen, and the storyline is completely breathtaking. i know people ages 6-26 who are just in love with the show. the character developement is remarkable.

    for the live action, word has been spread that we will not be disappointed when the movie comes out. supposedly we will be astonished at the resemblance of the characters and the actors that are going to play them. also, the best cgi masters are being brought together to work on the movies effects. and it wont just be some kiddie movie either. the plan is for the movie to satisfy the tastes of children and adults alike.
  • Lacey
    I don't think a live action movie will do this series justice. It's such a great show and this will just make it cheesy. What are they gonna do ride horses instead of a flying bison? It just won't be the same.
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