The first Avatar: The Last Airbender movie was supposed to be a triumphant moment for the franchise, but it’s had a surprisingly turbulent road to release. First, Paramount announced it would skip theaters and go straight to streaming, which led to fan outcry. Then, in April 2026, the film leaked in its entirety online, and Paramount stayed mostly silent about the whole debacle. Now, we finally have a trailer for Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, but it comes with the confirmation of some disappointing news: the movie is still headed straight for Paramount+. And it’s dropping on a Saturday. In just two weeks.
Still, now that the film is gearing up for its official release, Avatar: The Last Airbender co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino is trying to put a positive spin on the situation. DiMartino told Entertainment Weekly, “At least for me, now that the film is ready to finally be out officially in the world, the excitement’s back. And I’m excited for everybody to finally see it in their homes, wherever they’re watching, with their friends. Hopefully people can recreate some kind of community experience because the big part about Avatar is the community.”
Paramount+ seems to be trying to do some damage control with fans, too, lining up a Hall H panel (that’s the big one) at San Diego Comic-Con for the film on Thursday, July 23. There will also be a fan screening at SDCC the following day.
The film takes place between the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. It “sees Avatar Aang, the world’s last Airbender, learn of an ancient power that could save his culture from extinction. With the help of his friends, he embarks on a global quest to find it before it falls into the wrong hands and threatens to upend the peace they sacrificed everything to achieve,” according to a press release.
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender stars Eric Nam as Aang, Dave Bautista as Tagah, Jessica Matten as Katara, Román Zaragoza as Sokka, Steven Yeun as Zuko, and Dionne Quan as Toph. In addition, Dee Bradley Baker returns as the voices of Appa and Momo.
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender releases on Paramount+ on Saturday, July 25.
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