Variety reports that Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies will release M. Night Shyamalan's live-action big screen adaptation of the popular animated TV series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" on July 2, 2010. "Avatar" has been dropped from the title of the action-adventure so as to avoid confusion with James Cameron's 3-D epic "Avatar," which 20th Century Fox opens Dec. 18, 2009.
"In 'The Last Airbender,' I see an opportunity to make a live-action version of a Hayao Miyazaki film," Shyamalan said.
Empire Online has a great interview with Shyamalan in which he elaborates on his vision for the films.
"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. Obviously [there will be] some breathtaking visual effects. 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."
For more M. Night insight, check out Empire Online.
Shyamalan's "The Happening," battles "The Incredible Hulk" at the box office on June 13.
