Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is a 2026 American animated fantasy action-adventure film directed by Lauren Montgomery from a screenplay by Tim Hedrick and Christopher Yost, based on a story by Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, Hedrick, and Kenneth Lin. A continuation of the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008) created by Konietzko and DiMartino, and the first production of Avatar Studios, the film stars the voices of Eric Nam, Dave Bautista, Jessica Matten, Román Zaragoza, Dionne Quan, Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Ronny Chieng, Ken Jeong, Dee Bradley Baker, Steven Yeun, Freida Pinto, and Ke Huy Quan. The story follows Aang and his friends as they discover Tagah, a surviving airbender, and join him in searching for an airbending staff to bring back the Air Nomads.
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. By June 2022, Montgomery was attached as director. Principal cast members were announced in the following years, with the main voice roles from the series being mostly recast in respect to character ethnic and racial backgrounds. Animation for the film was mainly handled at Flying Bark Productions, with Studio Mir and Studio Ppuri providing additional support, combining 2D hand-drawn animated characters with 3D computer-animated environments.
Originally slated to release in theaters worldwide, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender premiered both at San Diego Comic-Con and two theaters in Los Angeles and New York as part of a limited engagement on July 24, 2026, and was released globally on Paramount+ on July 25. Before release, the entire film was leaked online, prompting staff members of the project to condemn the leaker's actions, while fans advocated for Paramount to revert to their theatrical release plan. Despite this, the film received favorable reviews from critics, praising the animation but criticizing the overall narrative.
Plot
Thirteen years after the end of the Hundred Year War, Avatar Aang and his friends further establish Republic City as a home for people of all nations, causing Aang to increasingly mourn the absence of his own people. While visiting the desolate Southern Air Temple, Aang is ambushed by the Denied, a group of non-bending outlaws. Aang repels their attack, but the Denied steal a map connected to an unknown airbender Avatar named Sonam.
Aang travels to Republic City to warn his girlfriend, Council Representative Katara. Aang also consults his past lives and learns that Sonam was a forgotten Avatar whose staff could channel the energy of the Spirit World and grant others airbending. Aang believes the Denied seek the staff and leaves Katara to gather their friends—Sokka, Toph, and Fire Lord Zuko—and meet him at the staff's last known location atop Mount Baihu.
At the top of the mountain, Aang discovers the frozen body of an airbender. The group rescues him and learns he is Tagah, an ancient follower of Sonam. Tagah persuades them to accompany him to a hidden island surrounded by a cyclone where the staff is said to rest. Aang hopes to use the staff to restore the Air Nomads. Although Tagah shares this vision, he expresses resentment toward the other bending nations. While they travel to the island, the Denied launch a surprise attack on their airship. Tagah retaliates and nearly kills the Denied, but is stopped by Aang. Aang and Tagah airbend a path through the storm as the rest of the group work to keep the airship flying. Noting Tagah's ruthless methods and the danger of their mission, Katara pleads with Aang to abandon the mission, but he prioritizes his desire for the staff over the safety of his friends.
On the island, Aang retrieves the staff by wielding all four elements. Tagah tries to follow, but is stopped and confronted by Katara. Tagah reveals his true intentions by killing the group—including Aang—and stealing the staff to restore what he believes to be Air Nomad supremacy. Landing in a pool of spirit water, Katara revives herself and then the others. Before he is saved, Aang sees Sonam's spirit and learns that Tagah betrayed her too. Tagah was traumatized by a brutal war and he stole her staff to seek vengeance against non-airbenders. Sonam imprisoned him atop the mountain and hid the staff for a future Avatar; she urges Aang to recover the staff and bring the world in balance.
The group pursues Tagah through the Spirit World to Republic City. They find the city under attack by the Denied, whom Tagah granted airbending through the staff. While his friends battle the Denied, Aang confronts Tagah and reclaims the staff. Aang succumbs to a corrupted Avatar State after becoming enraged by Tagah's accusations that he failed to protect the Air Nomads. Childhood memories of Monk Gyatso and his teachings influence Aang to spare Tagah. He instead destroys Sonam's staff, which strips the Denied of their airbending and causes Tagah to fade away. Before he disappears, Aang tells Tagah they must forgive themselves for failing to save their people.
In the aftermath, Aang oversees construction of a new Air Temple on an island near Republic City. Speaking with Sonam's spirit, he concludes that the true legacy of the Air Nomads is their values, which can be passed on to future generations. Afterwards, Aang and his friends welcome a new group of Air Acolytes, including a reformed member of the Denied. Together they discover a surviving herd of sky bison, which strengthens Aang's hope for the future of his culture.
Voice cast Eric Nam as Avatar Aang, the last living Air Nomad of the Southern Air Temple and the current Avatar. He was kept unnaturally alive in an iceberg for a century and is now chronologically 125 years old. He was originally voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen. Sander Argabrite as younger Aang Dave Bautista as Tagah, an ancient airbender from Avatar Sonam's time who remained frozen in ice for approximately 5,000 years, much like Aang himself. Jessica Matten as Katara, a Southern Water Tribe waterbender. She is Sokka's younger sister and Aang's girlfriend who taught him waterbending. She was originally voiced by Mae Whitman. Román Zaragoza as Sokka, a Southern Water Tribe warrior, strategist, and Katara's older brother. He was originally voiced by Jack DeSena. Dionne Quan as Toph Beifong, a blind earthbender who can "see" by sensing vibrations in the ground. She was Aang's earthbending teacher during the Hundred-Year War and now runs a metalbending academy. She was originally voiced by Michaela Jill Murphy. Steven Yeun as Fire Lord Zuko, the current ruler of the Fire Nation and a former enemy-turned-ally of Aang who taught him firebending to help defeat his father, Fire Lord Ozai. He was originally voiced by Dante Basco. Taika Waititi as the Gorillavark, a spirit who helps Team Avatar escape from the Spirit World and get to Republic City. Geraldine Viswanathan as Kallik, a member of the Denied who has a change of heart and becomes an Air Acolyte. Ronny Chieng as a Fire Nation messenger. Ken Jeong as the cabbage merchant, an unlucky man from the Earth Kingdom who occasionally crossed paths with Team Avatar in the past. He was originally voiced by James Sie. Dee Bradley Baker as Appa and Momo, Aang's pet flying sky bison, and lemur. Baker is the sole actor from the original series to reprise his roles. Freida Pinto as Avatar Sonam, an Avatar from the distant past of the Air Nomads. She was the original owner of an ancient staff during a golden age of airbenders in the city of Jharana. Ke Huy Quan as Avatar Xian, an Avatar from the Earth Kingdom and a gifted scholar. He is the only one of Aang's past lives who knows who Sonam was and the power of her staff.
Other cast members for the film include Peta Sergeant as Jie, the leader of the Denied, Jonathan Ohye and Vic Chao as Yuddah and Hong, members of the Denied under Jie, François Chau, who portrayed the Great Sage in the live-action Netflix series, as Monk Gyatso, an Air Nomad Monk and Aang's mentor and father figure who was originally voiced by Sab Shimono, Tim Dang, who previously voiced Yon Rha, as the Grand Chamberlain of the Fire Nation, and Keone Young, who previously voiced Jeong Jeong, as Roku, Aang's spirit guide and predecessor of the Avatar mantle who was originally voiced by James Garrett.
Production Background and development In 2018, Netflix announced that a live-action remake of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008) 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 first project of the studio is an animated theatrical film that would begin production later in 2021. Original series executive producer Eric Coleman takes executive producer credit, with Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, Latifa Ouaou, and Maryann Garger as the film's producers.
In June 2022, it was announced that Lauren Montgomery, who was a 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 would serve as co-director, alongside Montgomery. In April 2025, the title of the film was announced as The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender.
In March 2026, Montgomery revealed that production had wrapped and the final cut of the film had been screened for the entire cast and crew. Posts from the screening by Eric Nam and Román Zaragoza revealed that the film had been retitled Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender. The next month, it was reported that the film's budget cost million.
Casting