The Last AirbenderVia Reuters -

Fresh from directing the box office bomb “Lady in the Water,” M. Night Shyamalan is making a rare foray into family films with a feature based on a popular animated series on the Nickelodeon kids cable channel.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender,” a series influenced by Asian art, mythology and fighting styles, has attracted an audience beyond Nickelodeon’s usual 6-11 demographic.

Shyamalan will write, direct and produce the live-action adaptation for Paramount Pictures’ MTV Films and Nick Movies. They hope it will turn into a three-picture series with Shyamalan’s continuing involvement.

The project marks the first time that Shyamalan, who is known for crafting original screenplays, will direct material he didn’t create. His last children’s film was 1999’s “Stuart Little,” which he co-wrote.

Created by Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, “Avatar” is set in a world balanced on four nations — Water, Earth, Fire and Air. In each society, there are masters who can manipulate their native elements — Waterbenders, Earthbenders, Firebenders and Airbenders — while the one person who can master all four is the Avatar.

When the current Avatar, a 12-year-old boy still learning to master his powers, seemingly dies, the Fire nation launches a war for global domination. One hundred years later, two teens discover and free the Avatar and his flying bison from suspended animation, and he must fight to restore harmony among the four nations.

Since James Cameron is also about to film a new project titled “Avatar,” the films could end up in a showdown over their titles. Cameron’s camp said he began his “Avatar” screenplay 12 years ago. Both camps say they have registered the title with the Motion Picture Assn. of America.

Call me a psychic, or maybe a liar, because just a few days ago I was watching this show with my son and thought to myself that it would translate well to the big screen.  I’m not so sure about that with Shyamalan directing, but as with all of his previous pictures, I’ll likely give him another chance.

Browse and purchase Avatar: The Last Airbender books, DVD’s, and merchandise at Amazon.com