'Avatar Aang' film creators reveal first Avatar Studios project

LOS ANGELES — The creators of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" unveiled their latest project, the animated fantasy film "Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender," at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, saying they wanted their first Avatar Studios project to connect with longtime fans of the franchise.

Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko said they had explored several ideas for television and film projects before deciding to begin Avatar Studios with a feature film.

"We had a lot of ideas for different projects in TV and film," DiMartino told Reuters. "The idea to start with a feature came more from the studio because if we're going to come back, we're going to come back big."

Directed by Lauren Montgomery, the film will explore a chapter fans have long wanted to see — Aang and his friends as adults.

"Landing on the idea of Aang and friends being grown up felt like a natural progression of the original story," DiMartino said.

The film follows Aang, the airbender who has the ability to manipulate air, later in his life as he continues to deal with the trauma he experienced during his childhood.

The creators also announced that the new animated series "Avatar: Seven Havens" will premiere on Paramount+ on Oct. 9. The 26-episode series follows a young Earthbender who discovers she is the next Avatar after Korra in a world devastated by a catastrophic event. Labeled as humanity's destroyer instead of its savior, she must navigate a dangerous and divided society.

The franchise's first feature film has faced several setbacks. In April, the movie leaked online after an unknown source posted it on X. The leak came after Paramount canceled the film's planned October 2026 theatrical release and moved it to Paramount+, where it will premiere on July 25.

Despite the challenges, DiMartino and Konietzko said they remain hopeful about the future of Avatar Studios.

Konietzko said the leak was a difficult moment for the team.

"I woke to the news on a Sunday morning," Konietzko said. "To have this unceremonious, quite rude thing happen was pretty harsh."

However, he said the franchise's dedicated fan base continues to support its growth and success.

The voice cast for the film includes Eric Nam as Aang, Dave Bautista as villain Tagah, Jessica Matten as Katara, Román Zaragoza as Sokka, Steven Yeun as Zuko, and Dionne Quan as Toph Beifong.

For Matten, who is an Indigenous actor portraying an Indigenous character, the role carries special meaning.

"It directly impacts my Native community by allowing somebody to have this role," she said, adding that the opportunity has helped her connect with broader audiences and industry leaders.

DiMartino and Konietzko previously worked on a live-action adaptation of the original "Avatar: The Last Airbender" series for Netflix but left the project in 2020, citing creative differences.

The live-action series premiered in 2024 under showrunner Albert Kim, who led the first season. Jabbar Raisani and Christine Boylan are set to direct the next two seasons after Kim stepped down in 2024.

In 2021, DiMartino and Konietzko reunited with Nickelodeon to launch Avatar Studios, a division dedicated to expanding the world of the original franchise through new films and television series.

-Reporting by Danielle Broadway, Rollo Ross and Arafat Barbakh; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus/Reuters