Avatar Studios (production company)

Avatar Studios is an American production company and division of Nickelodeon formed in February 2021 to oversee the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise. Franchise co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko serve as co-chief creative officers.

Background
Avatar: The Last Airbender, an animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, aired on the cable channel Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. During its run, it would achieve high ratings as well as garner critical acclaim and several awards. It was succeeded by a sequel series, The Legend of Korra, which ran from 2012 to 2014. The property would grow into a multi-media franchise consisting of an ongoing comics series, a prequel novel series, video games, and a live-action film.

History
In 2018, Netflix announced that a live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender was to start production in 2019. The series' original creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, were initially announced to be the executive producers and showrunners. In June 2020, the creators departed the series due to creative differences. That same year, Nickelodeon licensed the original The Last Airbender as well as The Legend of Korra to Netflix, which led to a boom in popularity for both series. This success convinced Nickelodeon to rekindle their relationship with Konietzko and DiMartino and explore further opportunities.

In February 2021, ViacomCBS announced during its annual Investor Day the formation of Avatar Studios, a new division of Nickelodeon centered on developing animated series and films set in the universe of the franchise, to be distributed via Nickelodeon's linear and digital services, Paramount+, theatres, and other third-party platforms. The division is helmed by DiMartino and Konietzko, who are its co-chief creative officers and report to Nickelodeon Animation Studio president Ramsey Ann Naito. It was also announced that the studio's first project would be an animated theatrical film that was initially planned to begin production in 2021.

Projects
The division's first production, an animated film titled Aang: The Last Airbender is set to released in theaters on January 20, 2026 by Paramount Pictures. It will serve as a continuation of the original series. Two additional theatrical animated films are also in the works.