I'm surprised there isn't already a thread on this (if there is, Sorry! I didn't see one!). Some potential rumors of the series include:
* It may be set 70 years in the future.
* Aang is featured in the series in the Spirit World, as Roku and past Avatars were to Aang in the Last Airbender.
* Korra is from the Southern Water Tribe.
* She has already mastered three of the four elements prior to the series, and is trying to master "Air". Aang's son, Tenzin, is supposed to teach it to her.
* Most of the story revolves around a steampunk metropolis called Republic City. It's the epicenter of the world, and a virtual melting pot but is plagued by crime and a growing anti-bending revolution that threatens to rip the city apart.
While it's pure speculation as of yet, it's a really appealing idea to me, especially considering the industrial revolution that happened in the Fire Nation during Aang's generation. I had ideas of how the Earth kingdom would probably start becoming more industrial as well if Toph is able to teach other earth benders how to bend metal, and there might end up being something of an arms race between the two countries.
Also, a female lead! Woot!
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
Most of this is actually confirmed, and are not rumors anymore. I had been waiting to talk about some of this stuff Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Wow, I had heard some of the rumors but that sounds AMAZING.
Still hoping for Koh to be involved.
Posted by Dr Strangelove (Member # 8331) on :
That look's awesome. It'd be really weird to see Aang old.
It'll be interesting whether or not they go for having it be a closed story like Aang's, where from the first episode we knew it would culminate with him fighting the Fire Lord, or if they will try to make it more open and just about her being the Avatar.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
We were talking about some of the rumors in the movie thread, but its good to have some real information! The creators had said we'd know more about Comic-Con time so I figured it'd be any day now. Yay!
The only thing that confuses me is the timeline. Originally, the rumors had it set 100 years in the future. If Aang is going to be a spiritual advisor like Roku, then that means he's dead. But 82 years old is kinda young in the Avatar universe. Bumi was still kicking butt at 112 years old, Guru Patik was 150 years old, and Avatar Kiyoshi lived to be 230 years old.
I have mixed feelings about the steampunk vibe. I like how it was handled in Aang's story because it was there but it wasn't too obnoxious. It had steampunk elements but it wasn't STEAMPUNK. But an industrialized Earth Kingdom makes alot of sense. I am excited for the whole "anti-bending revolution." I think Bryan and Michael could do some really cool things with that!
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
I think throwing "true" Steampunk into Avatar Classic would have been excessive. But bear in mind it IS a hundred years in the future. I'm perfectly happy with an Avatar world takes the classic elements and shows us the logical progression of where the world would go in a hundred years.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
steampunk is such a b.s. word anyway. for the purposes of the new series, assume it means someone trying to summarize the fact that a newly metalbending earth kingdom and the legacy of the Fire Nation's industrialized war machine, along with the tinkerer nomads, combine in the cultural epicenter of Republic City to create an environment of grim, mechanized urbanism.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
That sounds pretty much like straightforward steampunk to me.
edit: unless you're a steampunk puritan who only uses the word when it specifically refers to victorian style and non-magical power sources. But seriously, if you have a gritty, crime ridden urban setting with retro-industrial technology, steampunk is a perfectly good word.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
Really the only reason I call it bs is because people end up using it loosely to the extent that any proto-industrialization-element or any victorian theming of fantasy tech becomes 'steampunk.' The way most people are going to use it, though, Korra will be "more steampunkey" than The Last Airbender.
Posted by Geraine (Member # 9913) on :
Let's hope we don't get a "Legend of Korra" movie directed by MNS.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
M. Night Shyamalan's Legend (pronounced LAY-gende) of Korra (pronounced KWAY-ra)
Posted by Armoth (Member # 4752) on :
quote:Originally posted by Samprimary: M. Night Shyamalan's Legend (pronounced LAY-gende) of Korra (pronounced KWAY-ra)
ROFL
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
here's the show's creators being very very very diplomatic about the movie
quote:What did you guys think of the live-action version of “The Last Airbender”?
Konietzko: We’re just really focused on this new show right now, and kind of taking this off in its own direction and not concerning ourselves with that right now.
So you didn’t follow the casting controversy about the movie version of “The Last Airbender”?
Konietzko: We didn’t head up that film. We’re just happy to be back generating the original content in this mythology, which is what we do.
And then I used the world "lawl".
Posted by Darth_Mauve (Member # 4709) on :
I saw the headline "Airbender II set for 2011" and ran from the story fearing it was the sequel to the movie. This is SSSSSSSooooooooooooooooooo much better news.
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
Why would they make a sequel if it did so badly as people think it did but Firefly somehow ended up canceled?
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Um, what? The TV show (which this is a sequel to, not the movie) did just fine. The movie was universally panned, but actually made decent money anyway. In either case, a sequel is fairly justified from a marketing standpoint. Ignoring for a moment the fact that Firefly had so many things going against it for so many inexplicable reasons that I don't think it's a particularly good benchmark for when TV executives should/will cancel things.
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
I'm under the impression that the movie didn't do well financially, did this change?
And I know making a sequel series to the tv show makes sense, I'm excited for it afterall, but people did bring up the movie having a sequel, which I just found surprising based on what I heard.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
It's proving to be a modest success, and made about $80 million in the first two weeks IIRC. Paramount hasn't yet announced a live action sequel (with or without M Night) as I think they're still waiting and seeing.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:Originally posted by Blayne Bradley: I'm under the impression that the movie didn't do well financially, did this change?
No, it's not doing bad. it'll probably move the studio back into the black through dvd sales and the % take of total box office. It's also not doing good, however, so odds aren't great that viacom will risk a sequel under shyamalan.
Posted by Geraine (Member # 9913) on :
If they make a sequel I wouldn't mind if they let Sam Raimi do it, though he has a lot in the pipeline.
If they were to do a reboot though I'd want Christopher Nolan to do it, just because I KNOW it would be good.
Posted by Unmaker (Member # 1641) on :
I just shared this news with my two youngest kids, and they actually cheered!
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
I just don't want a sequel unless they're willing to scrap the previous casting decisions. No, not so much because of the racebending crap, but because Shyamalan picked a kid who doesn't really display acting talent.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
I'd be willing to blame alot of Ringer's acting on Shyamalan's inability to direct (and the kid's age.) Think back to poor Daniel Radcliffe under Chris Columbus' misdirection and combine that with his young age. Then think about how much he grew as an actor no only as he gained experience but as he began to work under different directors.
I think Noah Ringer had alot of promise. On the rare occasions he was allowed to smile, he just lit up the screen. It was a very short flicker of Aang's character. But instead of being allowed to act like the kid he is, Shyamalan gave him nothing but horrible dialogue and bland dramatic moments. Shaun Toub, Dev Patel, and Chris Curtis are professional actors and even they came across poorly.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
Ringer can't really be compared to Radcliffe. Even in the early HP movies, there was plenty of evidence of present acting experience and talent. It wasn't even his film debut, and he had been starring in television since he was 10. In short, independent of Columbus' stilting of the talent, the talent was present.
I earnestly do not see the same in Ringer. I do not know if he could even be fast-tracked through an acting education to compensate for his lack of talent.
We'll see if my opinion changes after watching him in Cowboys & Aliens, where he will be directed by Jon Favreau and star alongside daniel craig and olivia wilde.
The word talent appears five times in this post.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
VERY excited to read all the news about the new series. I'm excited to see them take it in a different, possibly more mature direction, but I hope they don't lose some of the playful spark that I loved so much about the first one. What I enjoyed so much about the funny in TLA was that Sokka was often the butt of jokes, but he wasn't JUST the butt of jokes, he was also an integral member of the team, and was given his own time to develop and shine. They've always been good at striking a balance, and I hope that continues.
I'm very excited that Aang's son Tenzin exists to carry on the Airbending culture, and I'm especially excited to see how a possibly brash and hot-headed Korra will bump heads against the heir of Aang's peace, playfulness and wisdom in Tenzin.
It's going to be weird to see the whole thing take place in an industrialized melting pot seventy years in the future, but I expect they'll do a great job of making it feel evolved without being alien.
I have to say, I'm not sure what the fascination with steampunk is as a genre, and why it gets some sort of special recognition. It's sci-fi/fantasy set in an industrial revolution era, yes? The American Gilded Age, more or less. A friend of mine is really into dressing up in steampunk type outfits and another friend of mine said she wanted to "get into steampunk" which seemed like an odd turn of phrase to me. Is there really that much special/unique to it, and what's the allure that has a following? I originally thought it was some sort of hipster, counter-culture throwack thing, now I don't know.
I think setting a show, story or movie in an industrializing setting can do a lot of interesting things depending on the message you're trying to portray. For a series that dealt a lot with large binaries: violence/non-violence, war/peace, and that specifically pitted technological advancement against protection of nature, industrialization is the perfect backdrop for the themes that were so important in the original series, and that I suspect will be even more prominent in the next one. I feel like affixing the steampunk label to it however makes it seem like they're just following a fad.
Shanna -
They said in the interview that Aang died in his seventies because of being frozen in ice for a hundred years. It took a toll that sapped some of the longevity from his normally long-lived Avatar body.
Posted by Vasslia Cora (Member # 7981) on :
Still, this is NOT a sequel to the movie but the animated television show. So as long as they don't take up M. Night's terrible pronunciations, it should be good.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
I imagine the term was used mostly for shorthand for the purpose of the press release. I mean, look how many descriptors we can add to the potential series just after reading "steam punk".
I also think that it's hardly fair to call steampunk a fad -- it's popularity has been increasing lately, but it's been kicking around since the 80s.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
It's going to be a mini-series.
But they got The Track Team to do the music again, so that's something.
Still...a little disappointing.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
quote:miniseries
Citation needed? Not doubting, just curious where it was stated.
quote:Is there really that much special/unique to it, and what's the allure that has a following? I originally thought it was some sort of hipster, counter-culture throwack thing, now I don't know.
What's the allure? It's just plain cool. Conceptually, and visually, in ways that are distinct from both sci-fi and fantasy. It represents a time period where we were just entering "the future," but at a point when technology was still made of big, clunky pieces that the average human could understand and tinker with, rather than inscrutable blackboxes. And the visual style is simply a particular visual style that some people like.
I personally love steampunk, and am pissed that right as I'm graduating and entering the industry, it's reaching the status of "fad" so that anything I do with it will feel like I'm following a trend.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
The creators were interviewed, I think at Comic-Con, and said that it will be shorter than the last episode, and that there won't be any filler episodes like TLA had. They acknowledged that the filler episodes could be great, and some would argue that the best material was even in the filler episodes, but that this show was 'lean and mean' in comparison. No official word yet on how long, as a mini-series, it will be.
As far as steampunk goes, I guess I misspoke. I get what's so cool about the setting of an industrializing society. I said a couple posts up what I thought were the especially interesting aspects of it as a time period/setting.
It's the fad part I don't get. It seems to me like there are two things here: the setting of an industrializing society, and steampunk. Steampunk is both the first and the second, but by giving it a special name, and by its transition into becoming a fad and gaining a cult following, it has become something distinct from what it began as. When people say they want to get into steampunk, or want to dress up as steampunk characters, and become a part of the cult following, I don't think it's because they appreciate all the nuances and what not of a society in the midst of technological transition. I think a lot of it is "this is a cool fad and I want to get into it." In other words, I think for a lot of people, steam punk is sort of a more modern version of why people like to go to renaissance festivals. It's an excuse to dress up and be part of a small community of like-minded individuals. Thus I think there is a difference between people who like a thing that happens to be called steampunk, and people who glom onto Steampunk as a cultural phenomenon.
I fall into the former category.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
it is a miniseries. 13 eps as I recall.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
One of the costume blogs I frequent calls bad Steampunk costumes "when goths discover brown".
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
quote:Thus I think there is a difference between people who like a thing that happens to be called steampunk, and people who glom onto Steampunk as a cultural phenomenon.
Well, I agree that there is a difference. But the name has predated the "fad" by decades, and I think it's a perfectly useful word to describe a particular set of things that people like. It's like saying "Space Opera."
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
13 episodes is roughly the same length of some of the best anime series(s) so I'm game.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:Originally posted by sarcasticmuppet: One of the costume blogs I frequent calls bad Steampunk costumes "when goths discover brown".
quote:Originally posted by Samprimary: it is a miniseries. 13 eps as I recall.
Source?
I hadn't seen a number anywhere.
If those are half hour episodes, that's disappointing indeed.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
Actually i think i'm wrong. it's probably 12.
It's nearly assuredly either 12 or 13. I will try to dredge up an internet source.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
OR THIS.
yeah it's 12.
quote:So, Im currently using my iPod to type a short message, but I just got out of the avatar signing at the Nick booth. One pretty big piece of info- Korra IS a miniseries, and Bryke is happy because tha means they can really make an impressive 12 episodes instead of hits and misses like they felt they had with original series. Also, expect Korra to air in LATE fall 2011.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
That's a letdown. I mean, I'm sure the miniseries will be excellent. And I won't have even been waiting as long as the people who wanted more from the moment TLA ended, but that's still a letdown. Hopefully something else is in the pipeline already.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
Well if an absolute ton of people watch it(as is likely), then, I can't imagine that the writers would have a serious problem getting more support from nickelodeon.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I'm sure support won't be a problem. I've read in many places that TLA was the highest rated show in the history of Nick. I'm surprised that they didn't do something at least as big as the original series the second time around, and the only reason I can imagine why they wouldn't is because the creators themselves didn't want to get involved with anything that big again. I'm sure they have their reasons.
It's just frustrating from the point of view of a fan who craves more material.
I would guess that Korra won't be the end of it. I would worry about them taking a miniseries and turning it into something bigger though, unless they work it out ahead of time. Part of what made the original so good, I think, is that they plotted out everything before hand.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Frankly, as a fan who DOES think there's plenty of so-so episodes in the original series, I'm not sure that a miniseries is a bad idea. Stories should be as long as they need to be, not longer. I suspect they have a particular story arc in mind that'll take 12 episodes, and might leave open further questions for a future arc if necessary.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:Originally posted by Raymond Arnold: Frankly, as a fan who DOES think there's plenty of so-so episodes in the original series, I'm not sure that a miniseries is a bad idea.
But don't you see? the two tribes had to learn to work together and put aside their differences in order to cross the canyon!
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
And the 500 year old boot print totally proved Aang was innocent too!
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
And Sokka leaned a valuable lesson about boomerangs or something.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
quote:Originally posted by Samprimary:
quote:Originally posted by Raymond Arnold: Frankly, as a fan who DOES think there's plenty of so-so episodes in the original series, I'm not sure that a miniseries is a bad idea.
But don't you see? the two tribes had to learn to work together and put aside their differences in order to cross the canyon!
Why does everyone mock Thd Great Divide? Haha. To be honest, that was the very first Avatar episode I ever saw and it was enough to convince me to check out the rest if the series.
Now Season 3, on the other hand, had some doozies. The Headband? The Painted Lady?
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
Notice that no one mentions the Foofoocuddlypoops episode as useless filler.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
I actually liked the Headband quite a bit and thought the Painted Lady was pretty decent.
I actually didn't have THAT big a problem with Great Divide when I first saw it, but it's definitely among the least enjoyable ones for me. I join in on the poking fun at it because its fun to make fun of (and is not sentient, so I don't worry about hurting its feelings), notsomuch because it really deserves it.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
quote:Notice that no one mentions the Foofoocuddlypoops episode as useless filler.
...you mean Bitter Work? That's my favorite episode in the entire series.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by AchillesHeel: Notice that no one mentions the Foofoocuddlypoops episode as useless filler.
That's because it wasn't.
Maybe Foofoocuddlypoops itself was useless (but adorably funny I thought), but Aang's problem with Earthbending, actually showing him learning Earthbending, and all the B-story stuff with Zuko were most certainly NOT filler. Even if you want to say all the stuff with Aang was useless, which I disagree with, the stuff with Zuko certainly wasn't.
I think TLA had a lot less filler than most shows do. And even the filler episodes usually managed to ram home a few important bits and pieces. I could have done without "The Divide" and I can't remember anything really important happening in "The Fortuneteller."
"Avatar Day" where Aang is accused of the murder the Kyoshi admits to later had filler in it, but was not filler itself. Lots of people enjoyed the background information on a past Avatar, and even if you didn't, there was a lot of interesting stuff happening between Zuko and Iroh.
"The Painted Lady" was filler, but not awful filler. "The Headband" I thought was interesting not only see things from the Fire Nation perspective, but also to show Aang as a regular kid, and also to give the Katara-Aang romance a little push in a certain direction.
Other than that, I didn't see a great deal of filler episodes. I'm sure the Korra mini-series will be very tight, so I'm not worried about that. I was just hoping for something longer.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
I watched it all in two weeks so it all blurs together, but I dont see "The Painted Lady" as filler actually. Katara had gone on this big adventure just because she thought it was the right thing to do but somewhere down the line they forgot to give the vehemance needed to spur a young woman through those ordeals. Being the painted lady was instant gratuity for the emotions that made her follow Aang, she wanted to help people and at the time she really did seem like the partys mom, that story reminded us that she was a hero too.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shanna:
quote:Originally posted by Samprimary:
quote:Originally posted by Raymond Arnold: Frankly, as a fan who DOES think there's plenty of so-so episodes in the original series, I'm not sure that a miniseries is a bad idea.
But don't you see? the two tribes had to learn to work together and put aside their differences in order to cross the canyon!
Why does everyone mock Thd Great Divide? Haha. To be honest, that was the very first Avatar episode I ever saw and it was enough to convince me to check out the rest if the series.
Now Season 3, on the other hand, had some doozies. The Headband? The Painted Lady?
The Great Divide is the only episode I am in any way inspired to skip when we introduce someone new to the series.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Tales of Ba Sing Se is the single greatest instance of true "filler", but I'm torn about it because it also has one of my favorite scenes: the Haiku Rap Battle.
The Fortune Teller was pretty much filler (apart from propelling the Aang/Katara romance a little) but I actually enjoyed the episode quite a bit. It introduces Platypus Bears, for one thing. And any episode that reminds people that fortune tellers are quacks is a worthwhile thing in my book.
(Also liked the scene where the Fortune Teller's all like "Oh no, I see a great a terrible future wherein you stand between phenomenal cosmic forces that threaten to destroy the entire -" and Aang's all like "Yeah yeah I already knew all that. Anything about my love life?"
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
Iroh's tale was also very lovely!
I really like The Fortuneteller episode. Mainly because frustrated!Sokka is hilarious. His interactions with the nomads in "Cave of Two Lovers" are equally awesome in an otherwise boring episode (I'm just not that interested in the Katara and Aang romance.). I also love examples of Sokka using his brain in situations where others rely on magic or bending.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by Raymond Arnold: Tales of Ba Sing Se is the single greatest instance of true "filler", but I'm torn about it because it also has one of my favorite scenes: the Haiku Rap Battle.
The Fortune Teller was pretty much filler (apart from propelling the Aang/Katara romance a little) but I actually enjoyed the episode quite a bit. It introduces Platypus Bears, for one thing. And any episode that reminds people that fortune tellers are quacks is a worthwhile thing in my book.
(Also liked the scene where the Fortune Teller's all like "Oh no, I see a great a terrible future wherein you stand between phenomenal cosmic forces that threaten to destroy the entire -" and Aang's all like "Yeah yeah I already knew all that. Anything about my love life?"
Woah, "Tales of Ba Sing Se" is filler?
If you mean plot filler, sure, nothing in that episode advanced the overall plot arc. The Tale of Iroh was maybe the most emotionally heart wrenching part of the entire series. And the Tale of Zuko went a long way towards showing Zuko's metamorphosis into normal human being. I'd say they were all pretty good, in some cases excellent character building episodes.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
I don't think there's anything in Tales of Ba Sing Se that was that important that couldn't have been worked into an episode wherein something actually HAPPENED, as a side plot. Iroh's tale could very well have been turned into a full episode if it was juxtaposed with another "main" story that somehow complemented it.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Come to think of it, a pretty good way to do it would to do an Iroh-centric episode which juxtaposes his present day life in Ba Sing Se (which is all happy and jovial), with his experience back during the war (which also begins happy and jovial, since he's pretty much always happy and jovial).
The "Soldier Boy" song is introduced in the present the same way as before. Towards the end of the episode there's a flashback that ends with Iroh learning his son was killed, then cut back to the present when he sets up his little shrine and sings the song again.
And since it's an Iroh-centric episode, you could include Zuko's little affair. You could probably work in the Momo story throughout the episode as well (Momo keeps popping up in areas right after Zuko or Iroh leave). Juxtaposing Momo's discovery of the Appa footprint with Iroh's song would lend even more power to both, I think.
So I guess basically I'm recommending keeping most of the episode the same, just replacing Aang, Sokka and Katara/Toph stories with Iroh flashbacks, and moving around one scene.
Because I totally have the creative authority to say to the writers "dudes, this episode totally could have been non-filler if only you had made these arbitrary changes."
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
there's two big differences in how people define filler.
one type is filler defined by plot - 'does not advance the major plot arcs'
the other type is defined by substance - 'does not provide substance to the series'
I don't care about the first. I could go for billions of episodes of avatar that involve substance which doesn't necessarily tie into 'they got closer to the macguffin/primary antagonist today'
![[Smile]](smile.gif)