Shyamalan's 'Airbender' Gets 2010 Release Date

by Elisabeth Rappe Apr 16th 2008 // 8:46AM

Filed under: Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Paramount, Family Films, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek

M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender now has a release date, according to Variety. Fans of the popular Nickelodeon series can circle their calenders for July 2nd, 2010 -- and start complaining about the title change. In order to avoid confusion with James Cameron's Avatar, the film will now simply be titled The Last Airbender.

The anime series follows a young hero who has the ability to manipulate the elements, and who must stop a ruthless nation from crushing everything in its path. It is heavily influenced by anime legend Hayao Miyazaki, which Shyamalan says was the big appeal of the project. "In The Last Airbender, I see an opportunity to make a live-action version of a Miyazaki film," Shyamalan said. He is penning the script himself, which may give fans a pause. There's been talk that an adaptation is just what Shyamalan needs to get his storytelling focus back on track -- but if he's doing the writing, there's no telling where this could go.

Shyamalan also gave a big, exclusive interview to Empire on the project -- there's nary a mention of Miyazaki here, but he discusses the mythological and philosophical overtones that drew him to the story. "Buddhist and Hindu philosophies run through the stuff. When I realized that is what it was, it really drew me as the template for putting storytelling on a new level. There is a kind of thread that connects Star Wars and The Matrix – the first one. That same thread is in this story, about a forgotten belief system, or the illusion of the world now."

With a release date, expect casting announcements soon. I've never been lured into the series, but let me say that I hope Jason Isaacs plays the live action version of his character. He makes all movies cool.

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