Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender's cast is just as hopeful for a bigger theatrical release of the animated movie as the fans are. The Avatar: The Last Airbender universe is living on in the latest movie release from Avatar Studios, which was released on Paramount+ on July 25, almost 18 years after the original series concluded on Nickelodeon. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender continues the story of the original gang, including Aang, Toph, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko, into their young adult lives, as they encounter another surviving Airbender named Tagah (Dave Bautista).
Initially, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender was intended for a theatrical release, before Paramount announced it would instead go straight to streaming on Paramount+. This sparked outrage among fans who wanted to see the movie released in theaters as originally intended, a strategy that has recently served many cult-classic animated franchises, such as Demon Slayer, very well.
In the end, Paramount opted to release Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender in a limited theatrical run in cinemas only in Los Angeles and New York to allow the film to qualify for awards.
While at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 to promote the movie, The Direct participated in a roundtable with Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender cast members Eric Nam (Aaan), Jessica Matten (Katara), Dionne Quan (Toph), and Román Zaragoza (Sokka), who shared their hopes for the animated movie to be seen as it was originally intended.
"Find the biggest screen you can," Zaragoza encouraged fans, while Nam added from his own personal experience, "[the movie] hits different on a big screen with a big sound system." Matten said that fan demand could change the game for future Avatar projects, saying "these networks will see that there's a demand," which would "open the door to so many other possibilities."
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is directed by Lauren Montgomery, with Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Ken Jeong, Steven Yeun, and Ke Huy Quan also providing voices. The film was animated by Flying Bark Productions, Studio Mir, and Studio Ppuri.
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender Deserves the Big Screen
"The Animators Made This Film Thinking It Was Going To Be in Theaters..."
- The Direct: "There's quite a passionate movement from the fans to get this film seen in theaters, or at least more theaters than it's getting currently. Could you talk about why you think it's important for this movie to be seen on the big screen, in theaters globally, and if you think there's a chance that it could happen more so than it is right now?"
Román Zaragoza: "We can't really speak on exactly if it'll happen more, but I will say the animators made this film thinking it was going to be in theaters. So just saying to the fans, as much as you can, find the biggest screen that you can. It sucks that it's not going to be in theaters longer and [will only be] in select theaters. But I think find a good TV with good sound and stuff, and find good friends and watch it."
Eric Nam: "Román and I saw it in a theater for the cast and crew wrap party, and it hits different. It hits different on a big screen with a big sound system... Having said that, whatever way you're gonna watch it, it is something special.
I think there's something special about watching things in community with other people. This show is for such a dedicated fandom, and I think we like to be together. We're at Comic Con with 130,000 people, and that's because we're coming together around great stories and IP. So, the more opportunities we have to be together and watching this stuff, I think the better. When it comes to the feasibility and all that, I don't know. I wish I had the answers, but you know, fingers crossed."
Jessica Matten: "That's honestly what I think the fandom can do. It's like if [the fans] watch it, these networks will see that there's a demand, no matter what, even when something like a leak happens, and I think that will attest to the power of community, right? So I think it's really going to come down to what do the people want? You know we can't change the circumstances, what happened this time, but I mean that opens the door to so many other possibilities."
The Next Generation of Avatar
Additionally, in the roundtable, the Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender voice cast addressed how to make a film for both new and existing generations of fans, as well as what excited them about joining the existing (and expanding) Avatar universe.
Zaragoza said he was "excited for the new generation," and hoped that those just finding Avatar through Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender might be encouraged to "go back and watch the original series:"
"I'm excited for the new generation of Avatar fans. I'm excited for people to dive into this world. Also maybe people will go back and watch the original series because they saw the movie, which is really exciting too, and it's the growing of this universe. There's the new show [Avatar: Seven Havens] coming out. I guess all in all, I'm excited for the Avatar universe and the growth of it."
Nam added that he hoped the release of Avatar Aang would "re-energize" original fans and also "bring in an entire new world of fans."
"There are so many new things coming into the world from Avatar Studios, and hopefully, this is kind of like the kickstart of getting old fans re-energized and really excited because I feel like they've waited. They've waited for so long for new stuff. This also brings in an entire new world of fans who are younger, who this may be their first time exploring this world of Avatar."
Nam shared that what excited him most about this new era of Avatar: The Last Airbender content is the "growth of artistry" and "mixing and blending of new and older technology." While Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender remains a love letter to the 2D animation style of the original, the animation has been updated with modern influences.
"I think it's also seeing the development and the growth of the artistry, mixing and blending new and older technology. You know, there are so many elements that are still hand-drawn, but there's also new technology that I don't understand, but it looks beautiful.... So I think, coming from the series and coming to the film, to get to see the full spectrum of how art and technology has developed, I think is a really cool thing.
Despite the years that have passed and the changes in animation style, Nam reiterated that "the characters are still the core" of the Avatar universe, adding that Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender plays on the "chemistry we have as a group," and realizes them in their "fullest coolest form:"
"From a story perspective, from a character perspective, the characters are still the core of what this is. It's the heart. It's the story. It's the morals. It's the ethics. It's what we care about so deeply as individual characters. But then the chemistry that we have as a group, as the gang, that we're able to really dive into and kind of see them all reunite in their fullest, coolest form to date, in my opinion."
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is now streaming on Paramount+.
