Avatar: Seven Havens, Money-Grab or Soulful Sequel?
Avatar: The Last Airbender's is getting a reboot but life-long fans of the show are unsure how to feel about it. Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters via Unsplash
Fans of the beloved animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and its sequel, “The Legend of Korra”, have mixed feelings about the announcement of new content in the “Avatar” universe. While some see it as an exciting expansion, others question whether it is necessary.
On Feb. 20, 2025, Nickelodeon and Paramount Studios celebrated the 20th anniversary of the original three-season series by announcing multiple additions to the “Avatar” franchise. These include an untitled, full-length film set to be released on Jan. 30, 2026, following the events of “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” and a new two-season, 26-episode series called “Avatar: Seven Havens”.
In a press release, Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, announced that “Seven Havens” takes place in a world “shattered by a devastating cataclysm. A young Earthbender discovers she’s the new Avatar after Korra - but in this dangerous era, that title marks her as humanity’s destroyer, not its savior. Hunted by both human and spirit enemies, she and her long-lost twin must uncover their mysterious origins and save the Seven Havens before civilization’s last strongholds collapse.”
The series will be produced by the original co-creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, ensuring their creative vision stays alive.
Beyond Naito’s brief synopsis, little is known about the cast, production timeline or additional plot details, but some fans have already gotten their hopes up about the show and what it could mean for the future of “Avatar”.
“I am so glad they brought back some of the original staff and the show is not being made by someone else,” said fan Jack Meacham ‘27. “I trust they will do a good job staying true to Avatar’s roots.”
The resurgence of “Avatar” seemingly influenced these new projects. “Avatar: The Last Airbender” saw a massive spike in popularity after it was added to Netflix on May 15, 2020, followed by “The Legend of Korra” that August.
“I watched ‘The Last Airbender’ during lockdown in 2020 and I loved it,” said Meacham. “I am excited for the new show and hope Nickelodeon does right by the source material.”
Although Meacham has hope, some fans see through Nickelodeon’s words and have reservations about the series. In a time where most modern movies and television shows are not truly original, “Avatar” could be going down the same unfortunate path—and may already have.
“There is a new show? Didn’t they just make a live-action version?” said Anthony D’Alessandro ‘27.
It’s true—on Feb. 22, 2024, Netflix released a remake of the first season of “The Last Airbender” in live-action with plans to complete the following two seasons in the coming years. Season one received positive reviews from non-“Avatar” fans, but many who are invested in the series deemed the show unnecessary and added little to the preexisting “Avatar” world.
“The Netflix adaptation was a shot-for-shot remake of the original series, condensed into eight episodes with less soul and joy than the original show had,” said Meacham.
This is not uncommon for Nickelodeon Animation, as they have made countless remakes of their most popular titles.
“Nickelodeon has had a ton of spinoffs and cash-grabs like “The Patrick Star Show” and “The Fairly Oddparents” remake (“The Fairly Oddparents: A New Wish”), so I am not shocked they would do it again,” said D’Alessandro.
Now that “Avatar” has joined the growing list of titles that have been subjected to reboots and remakes, it remains unclear when studios will prioritize original movies and TV series over revisiting past successes. Until then, fans will likely give in to nostalgia and watch the show, ultimately getting caught in the cycle of reboots that defines modern media.