Aang returns as an adult

The animated film "Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender" was unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con on July 23. Directed by Lauren Montgomery, it follows Aang and his friends as grown-ups, a chapter fans have long requested. Co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino said the decision to start with a feature came from the studio. "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," he told Reuters. The voice cast includes Eric Nam as Aang, Dave Bautista as the villain Tagah, Jessica Matten as Katara, Román Zaragoza as Sokka, Steven Yeun as Zuko, and Dionne Quan as Toph Beifong. Matten, an Indigenous actor voicing an Indigenous character, said the role "directly impacts my Native community by allowing somebody to have this role."

A leak upended the release plan

In April 2026, the entire film leaked online after being posted on X by an unknown source. Paramount subsequently canceled the planned October theatrical release and moved the premiere to Paramount+ on July 25. The film will also have a one-week awards qualifying run in theaters in New York and Los Angeles. Co-creator Bryan Konietzko described waking to the news on a Sunday morning.

“To have this unceremonious, quite rude thing happen was pretty harsh.”

Despite the setback, the creators remain optimistic, citing the franchise's passionate fan base.

New series 'Seven Havens' set for October

At the same Hall H panel, the creators announced that "Avatar: Seven Havens" will premiere on Paramount+ on October 9. The 26-episode series, divided into two 13-episode books, will release all at once as a binge drop. The show is set after "The Legend of Korra" and follows a young Earthbender named Pavi, who discovers she is the new Avatar in a world shattered by a devastating cataclysm. In this era, the Avatar is branded humanity's destroyer, not its savior. Hunted by human and spirit enemies, Pavi and her long-lost twin Nisha must uncover their mysterious origins and save the Seven Havens before civilization's last strongholds collapse.

Voice cast and creative team

The series stars Saheli Khan as Pavi, Aishu Devan as Nisha, Akshay Khanna as Karthik, Major Curda as Jae, Sakina Jaffrey as Agam, Darren Barnet as Daemin, Dianne Doan as Zi, and Dee Bradley Baker as Geet and Ruhi. DiMartino and Konietzko executive produce with Ethan Spaulding; Sehaj Sethi is co-executive producer. A teaser trailer was released during the panel. The series order was first announced in February 2025, and the October 9 date was originally the planned release date for the "Avatar Aang" film before the leak accelerated its timeline.

What's next for the franchise

"Avatar Aang" will have a special screening at Comic-Con on July 24 before its streaming debut on July 25. The franchise, which began with the acclaimed Nickelodeon series in 2005, continues to expand under Avatar Studios. DiMartino said landing on the idea of Aang and friends being grown up "felt like a natural progression of the original story." The new series marks the first new animated Avatar show in more than a decade, arriving 12 years after the end of "The Legend of Korra."