THE LEGEND OF AANG: THE LAST AIRBENDER Will Skip Theaters and Go Straight To Parmaount+
Fans waiting to see Aang return on the big screen are unfortunatley going to need to adjust expectations. The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender isn’t playing theaters after all. Instead, the animated feature will debut exclusively on Paramount+ next fall, marking a notable shift in plans for one of Avatar Studios’ most anticipated projects.
This is a huge bummer, and I think it’s a big mistake for Paramount Pictures. The movie was originally greenlit under the previous Paramount Animation administration and had been positioned as a theatrical release.
Its release date bounced around the calendar, first landing on October 10, 2025, then shifting to January 30, 2026, and most recently settling on October 9, 2026.
Paramount has stated that next year will still deliver at least 15 theatrical releases overall. With the theatrical release of The Last Airbender now off the table, that date clears space on Paramount’s movie slate. But, this was a film I was excited about watching on the big screen, it was made for that experience!
Directed by Lauren Montgomery, with Steve Ahn and William Mata also helming the project, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender is set after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The story follows Avatar Aang, the world’s last Airbender, as he uncovers an ancient power capable of saving his culture from extinction. Alongside his friends, Aang embarks on a global quest to secure that power before it falls into the wrong hands and threatens to shatter the fragile peace they fought to protect.
The voice cast includes Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Dee Bradley Baker, Freida Pinto, and Ke Huy Quan, joining previously announced cast members Dave Bautista, Eric Nam, Jessica Matten, Dionne Quan, Román Zaragoza, and Steven Yeun.
This movie isn’t the only Avatar project heading to Paramount+. Avatar Studios is also developing a brand-new 2D animated series titled Avatar: Seven Havens. Produced by Nickelodeon Animation, the series takes place after the era of Korra in a world fractured by a devastating cataclysm.
The story centers on a young Earthbender who discovers she is the new Avatar. In this era, that title marks her as a destroyer rather than a savior. Hunted by human and spirit enemies alike, she and her long-lost twin must uncover their origins and protect the Seven Havens before the last remnants of civilization fall.
The series is structured as two seasons, with Book 1 consisting of 13 half-hour episodes and Book 2 matching that count. Avatar: Seven Havens comes from Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who serve as co-creators and executive producers.
Both The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender and Avatar: Seven Havens are rooted in the original Avatar: The Last Airbender, created by DiMartino and Konietzko. On Paramount+, they join The Legend of Korra and Avatar: The Last Airbender, both of which continue to pull serious streaming numbers.
Since arriving on the service in March 2023, the original series has ranked among Nielsen’s Top 100 most-streamed titles for 17 of the past 139 weeks.
While it sucks that Aang’s return won’t light up theater screens, the move to Paramount+ makes it clear that the Avatar universe is becoming a cornerstone of the streaming platform.