Over the last year, we at Knight Edge Media have reported on a secret Waterbending animated series in development at Avatar Studios. The series had its most recent casting call last summer under the working title Red Thunder. We recently reported that the series’ villain is a female Water Tribe leader. However, all the characters used secret codenames to keep their real character names a secret. Then, just recently, a new trademark has revealed that Viacom has registered the name Avatar Kuruk: Wave of Chaos for future use. We weren’t sure whether the Kuruk trademark had anything to do with the secret Waterbending series we previously reported.
We can now tell you that the Red Thunder series and the Avatar Kuruk series are indeed the same thing. However, the series is no longer under that working title; it’s now named Metal Mountain. According to our source, the series was written several years ago and was going to be much more in the vein of The Legend of Korra in tone. However, as we previously reported, Paramount is high on this show and wanted a series that skews younger. Red Thunder was completely overhauled per Paramount’s request and given the new working title Metal Mountain. The series already has a 26-episode commitment and is said to be a much more swashbuckling adventure in an episodic “story-of-the-week” kind of way.
The main female villain will still be the main protagonist under the codename “Deela”. We were also told an ongoing secondary antagonist will be the 5th Nation pirate fleet. The 5th Nation was first introduced in the Avatar Kyoshi novels as a pirate fleet that sails the southern oceans and is comprised of waterbenders, firebenders, and non-benders. They are all led by the Pirate Queen Tagaka. Deela may be the pirate queen, though we can’t confirm that. We were told that “Meeb’s” is still a main character alongside Baroo/Kuruk and the future Water Tribe leader. However, “Deela” may no longer be his mother, as the studio reportedly replaced an older Indigenous actress with a relatively younger one. Also, it may not take place during an Ice Age after the creative overhaul. As we revealed, there are two loglines for the show, but only the first mentions “cursed by ice” (i.e., an Ice Age), not the second.
2024 -“A teenager ventures into mysterious lands cursed by ice, only to discover his former teacher–and now hunter–is behind it all. Now he must break the curse and free the world, all while having a little chaotic fun along the way.”
2025 – “A rebellious teenager bucks thousands of years of tradition to go on globetrotting adventures, staying one step ahead of his angry teacher, rowdy pirates, and chaotic gremlins–all while helping the world in his own unique ways.”
This entire series sounds very much like a prequel to Avatar Kuruk’s story in the Kyoshi novels, since he was already an adult by the time he battles the spirits. As well as the origins of the 5th Nation pirate fleet. Avatar Studios has yet to officially announce the series, but with the trademark now registered, it could be announced soon.
Avatar Kuruk: Waves of Chaos has no set release date