# Aang: The Last Airbender

Aang: The Last Airbender is an upcoming American animated martial arts fantasy film directed by Lauren Montgomery and co-directed by William Mata. It serves as a continuation of the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008), as well as the first production of Avatar Studios. The film stars the voices of Dave Bautista, Eric Nam, Dionne Quan, Jessica Matten, and Román Zaragoza, and will follow the series' main cast in their young adult years.
The film was announced in February 2021, along with the formation of Avatar Studios, a new division of Nickelodeon dedicated to the creation of projects set in the universe of the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise. The film is produced by Latifa Ouaou and Maryann Garger and executive produced by original series creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and executive producer Eric Coleman. Animation services were provided by Flying Bark Productions in Sydney, Australia.
Aang: The Last Airbender is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on January 30, 2026, by Paramount Pictures.

## Premise

Taking place years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the film will follow the series' main cast in their young adult years.

## Voice cast

* Dave Bautista as the villain of the film
* Eric Nam as Aang
* Dionne Quan as Toph Beifong
* Jessica Matten as Katara
* Román Zaragoza as Sokka

## Production
### Background and development

In 2018, Netflix announced that a live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-08) was to start production in 2019. The series' original creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, were initially announced to be the executive producers and showrunners. In June 2020, the creators departed the series due to creative differences. That same year, Nickelodeon licensed the original The Last Airbender as well as The Legend of Korra (2012–14) to Netflix, which led to a boom in popularity for both series. This success convinced Nickelodeon to rekindle their relationship with Konietzko and DiMartino and explore further opportunities.
In February 2021, ViacomCBS announced during its annual Investor Day the formation of Avatar Studios, a new division of Nickelodeon dedicated to the creation of projects based on animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. The series creators and executive producers Konietzko and DiMartino would serve as co-chief creative officers. It was also announced that the studio's first project is an animated theatrical film that would begin production later in 2021. Konietzko, DiMartino, and the original series executive producer Eric Coleman take executive producer credits, with Latifa Ouaou and Maryann Garger as the film's producers.
In June 2022, it was announced that Lauren Montgomery, a former storyboard artist on the original series and a supervising producer for Korra, would serve as director. In July 2022, Janet Varney, the voice of Korra, revealed that the plot of the film would revolve around the original series' characters. A sneak peek of the film was revealed at Paramount Pictures' CinemaCon presentation in April 2023, confirming that the film would follow the characters in their young adulthood. In April 2024, it was reported that William Mata will serve as co-director, alongside Montgomery.

### Casting

At CinemaCon in April 2024, Paramount announced the casting of Eric Nam as Aang, Dionne Quan as Toph Beifong, Jessica Matten as Katara, Román Zaragoza as Sokka, and Dave Bautista as an antagonist.

### Animation

In October 2022, it was reported that Flying Bark Productions in Sydney, Australia, will provide animation for the film. The film will combine hand-drawn animation with CG elements. Alexia Gates-Foale, director of production for Flying Bark, said that working on the film will be "a dream project" for the studio due to multiple employees being fans of the franchise.

## Release

Aang: The Last Airbender is set for theatrical release on January 30, 2026, by Paramount Pictures. The film was previously expected to release on October 10, 2025.