Avatar Studios Pitch Meeting
Description
From the Spirit World takes over Avatar Studios (hypothetically) as we go around giving our pitches for the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender movie, a future Avatar series, and more shows and movies in the Avatar world!
Hosts for this podcast: Dylan, Mel, Delaney, & Ben.
Timestamps for the podcast:
- 0:00 – Introduction
- 3:45 – Avatar Studios News
- 21:15 – Aang Movie Pitches
- 48:00 – Next Avatar Series Pitches
- 1:17:00 – Other Show or Movie Pitches
- 1:56:30 – Conclusion
Here are the pitches!
(Mel) Bloodbenders 2: Full Moon Boogaloo
It’s been eight years since Zuko’s coronation and the end of the war and there’s no shortage of people in need as the world puts itself back together again. Aang and Katara have been constantly on the move, occasionally accompanied by their friends. One day, a distress call from an island in the far north where territory negotiations have seemingly gone south between the Fire Nation and Water Tribe. The Fire Nation soldiers have attacked the Water Tribe there, threatening to ignite simmering frustrations.
But not everything is as it seems. The Fire Nation soldiers claim to have not been in control of themselves, their actions not their own. Katara begins to suspect something far more sinister is going on as they, with the help of their friends, begin to investigate a group of local waterbenders with ties to an old and clandestine group with access to a forbidden power under the strength of the full moon. The Gaang must rush to uncover the truth and stop the group from igniting a full scale battle between Water Tribe and Fire Nation in a fragile time.
Why I like it:
- Bloodbending is one of the more captivating things to come out of the show so anything that brings that into the spotlight is interesting
- There’s a gap of information between when we last see bloodbending and Katara outlawing it because it became widely known. How did it become widely known? Was there a time when Katara and Aang thought they could control the use of it?
- I look spooky secret organizations
- While nothing is going to meet the level of drama and stakes as the original series, I think reverberations from world events like that are interesting to explore since we can see them clearly in our own world
(Delaney) The Red Wedding: For Mel
Short summary: Kataang wedding. Everyone is all over the world and we must go get them. Chaos at the wedding. Red Lotus?
Reasons why you like this idea:
- Kataang
- Lighthearted but also can introduce Red Lotus beginnings
- Can check in on everyone
(Ben) The Red Lotus Blooms
Summary: As we see the early days of the United Republic of Nations and what will ultimately become Republic City, we see the splintering of the White Lotus and see the Gaang go up against what will ultimately become The Order of the Red Lotus
Why I Like This Idea: It helps to connect the original series with Korra and see the foundation of an important group/plot element from Book 3: Change.
(Dylan) Red Lotus Origins
Short summary: Dave Bautista as Xai Bau the founder of the Red Lotus as the movie details it breaking off from the White Lotus as Aang and the Gang in their 20s try to stop the new global harmony from breaking apart, including Aang beginning to create the United Republic of Nations. Specific plot: New Red Lotus interrupt the Kataang wedding for some reason.
Reasons why you like this idea:
- Red Lotus stuff is most interesting thing we know about from this time, better than Republic City being the focus
- Wrestler Dave Bautista reminiscent of Zaheer
(Delaney) Avatar: The Last Avatar
Could be as far into the future as possible or next earth Avatar. Do we need the Avatar? Can the Avatar bring balance to a world like ours? Complex issues: industrialization, inequality.
- A modern take
- Less villain focused, natural progression after Zaheer
- Natural progression after spirit world focus
(Mel) The YA Antinationalist Hero Avatar
It’s been two generations of Avatars since the time of Korra. Republic City has flourished, borders between nations have been places of flourishing immigration. Our hero is one such child of a blended family, the daughter of a parent half Air Nomad and half Earth Kingdom while the other is Fire Nation. They see themselves as a child of multiple cultures with seemingly no bending to speak of.
Until, one day, they produce an unnatural gust of wind. Their Air Nomad family is delighted, ready to bring the MC into their world and help them embrace their Air Nomad identity. But then, in a moment of frustration, they firebend. It becomes clear: they are the Avatar. The Air Nomads insist they belong to them as the Avatar of the Air portion of the cycle. But they’ve known little of that world and love their life as it is in Republic City and in a diverse and vibrant world. In a panic, they flee responsibilities and labels and head into the wilds of the Earth Kingdom where they can be free of their responsibilities and all the world is trying to put on them. Until they run into a problem only the Avatar can solve, and with the help of friends made along the way, they work to forge their own path as the Avatar and define what being the Avatar in a modern world means.
Why I like it:
- Ever since they introduced characters like Mako and Bolin with different bending abilities in the same family or Asami who was ethnically Fire Nation but born in Republic City with no bending at all, it got me thinking about how elemental identity and nationalism coexist in the Avatar universe and the rules of the Avatar spirit seem to abide by it. But what happens in another generation when you have people with bits of all nations in their family tree? Are they excluded from being the Avatar? Do they have to make a choice about how they identify in daily life?
- I also like the parallels this allows for with personal identity vs perception. I think it’s an important topic. How does the Avatar world deal with changing definitions when so much of the world was built on these identities?
- I like the idea of a less action oriented story. While it wouldn’t be devoid of action, it would be interesting to follow a character-centric story that is more personal.
(Ben) Future Avatar
Honestly had a hard time coming up with a great idea for this one, but in my mind, if they do a series on an Avatar after Korra, I think an interesting idea to explore would be about how much further the world of Avatar has advanced technologically and whether the Avatar still has a relevant role to play in the world at that time. Perhaps mirroring our own world with many drifting away from religion of any kind.
(Dylan) Spark of a New Avatar
Short summary: Xin (voiced by Auliʻi Cravalho) is a computer programmer working in a normal office in the modern Earth Kingdom (~2010 equivalent). She starts feeling increasingly connected to her computer, tangibly feeling the electricity going on and off in the bits from her code. She realizes she’s a lightning bender with a speciality in interacting with electricity and therefore the Avatar since she can firebend. Mel
Reasons why you like this idea:
- Avatar in the modern world, Avatar interaction with technology
- How a very non-spiritual person in technological modern