Avatar: The Last Airbender just got demoted in a major way as the new The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender movie is no longer planning a full release in theaters, but is instead going straight to streaming as a Paramount+ exclusive. As part of the 20th anniversary commemoration of one of Nickelodeon’s biggest franchises, Avatar Studios was formed with the original creators behind Avatar: The Last Airbender to expand the franchise with new shows and even feature films. The first of which was lining up for its debut next October after a few delays amidst production.
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The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender was set to kick off this new era with a debut in theaters in October 2026, but a new report from The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the film is now going to be exclusively releasing on Paramount+ as the streaming platform becomes the future home of all of Avatar Studios’ future projects (which includes the also in the works official sequel series, Avatar: Seven Havens). This is going to be a big blow for fans hoping to see this on the big screen.
What Happens to New Avatar Movie Now?
The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender is a brand new feature film set after the events of the original animated series, and follows a much older version of Aang that fans never got to see in action with either the original show or The Legend of Korra sequel. It was scheduled to premiere in theaters on October 9, 2026, but now has a more general “October 2026” window for its new launch with Paramount+ instead. But it can’t help but feel like a step down.
Paramount has been in the midst of restructuring their priorities in terms of what they will put in theaters according to several reports (alongside putting in a bid to own Warner Bros.), and it seems like the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise is an unfortunate casualty of these changes. It’s still good news to see that the film is going to get a release at all instead of being cancelled, but it not coming to theaters definitely weakens the appeal of a feature film idea in the first place.
What to Know for The Legend of Aang Movie
While there’s still a quite a lot now up in the air thanks to this move away from theaters, the new update also reveals new additions to the voice cast. Joining the previously announced additions of Eric Nam as Aang, Steven Yeun as Zuko, Dave Bautista, Jessica Matten, Dionne Quan, and Romรกn Zaragoza are the likes of Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Dee Bradley Baker, Peta Sergeant, Freida Pinto and Ke Huy Quanย in currently unconfirmed roles.
Originalย Avatar: The Last Airbenderย series creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are helping to oversee the film as part of Avatar Studios in collaboration with Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies, and now it will be exclusively coming to Paramount+. It’s good news for the fans who will have access to the streaming service when it makes its debut, but it’s definitely something that stings because it would have been awesome to see in theaters given all of the teases for its visuals so far.
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Image Courtesy of HBO Max -
Image Courtesy of HBO
