Nickelodeon pulled out all the stops for Avatar: The Last Airbender's 20th anniversary at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in 2025. The Direct had the opportunity to speak with the original voice cast members Zach Tyler Eisen (Aang) and Dante Basco (Prince Zuko) at Nickelodeon's booth on the exhibit floor, who shared memories of working on the 2005 show and their reactions to the franchise's expansion in the Netflix adaptation and new animated sequel film starring their characters.
Basco said his favorite memory was working with his pop culture heroes Jason Isaacs and Mark Hamill, which left him "fanboying inside." Eisen added that he enjoyed seeing Avatar's legacy evolve with creative "fan theories" and to "hear [fans'] takes on it."
Both actors denied involvement in the 2026 sequel The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, which follows Aang, Zuko, and their friends in their young adult years. However, Basco was hopeful about seeing "what's going on with Azula" in the film, and Eisen wanted to experience Republic City (as seen in The Legend of Korra) "being built and created from the ground up."
The duo also noted that they'd watched the Netflix live-action adaptation, which is currently filming its second and third seasons. Eisen revealed that he enjoyed the "darker" adaptation and how the show had "taken liberties with the storyline." Basco shared his advice with Dallas Liu, the actor taking over his role as Prince Zuko, revealing that he had told him to throw his previous performance "out the window" and make the character his own.
The cast members' full answers can be read below. All three seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender are streaming on Paramount+. Season 1 of the live-action adaptation is streaming on Netflix (find out more about Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 here).
Avatar: The Last Airbender Stars Reflect on the Show's Legacy
"The Show Means So Much to So Many People."
- The Direct: "What is your favorite memory from your time recording Avatar: The Last Airbender from 20 years ago?"
Dante Basco: "My favorite moment really has to do with the cast members. You know, Mae [Whitman] (Katara) and Jack [De Sena] (Sokka) are the homies, we were always working together. But when new people came in, it was always memorable.
So when Jason Isaacs was there, that was cool, because I didn't know he was gonna be there, and to hear his voice, I'm like, 'That's Lucius Malfoy!' And then he's the sweetest guy in the world. And then, of course, when Mark Hamill came in the room. That was all time, you know, fanboying inside, but very professional on the outside."
- The Direct: "As new fans are discovering the story with the live-action show, are there any reactions or discussions you've had with fans that have stuck with you or that you've enjoyed seeing now that there's a new generation experiencing A:TLA?"
Zach Tyler Eisen: "People come through with fan theories, and they've invented a new style of sub bending. And it's just great to see what people have [created]. People are so creative, and the show means so much to so many people, and just to hear their takes on it, it's cool and it's been very fun."
Dante Basco: "Yeah, it's just amazing to see it continue to grow on and become this IP. You know, I grew up a 'Star Wars' fan, a 'Star Trek' fan, and to be a part of a project that becomes something like that. You see other crews, it's just like, overall we're all one big family, but then at the same time, there's the new generation. So it's like, we have different sects, but we're all under the same thing. So it's great to talk to each other, and to talk to fans who get to engage with all of us in different ways."
Hopes for Aang & Zuko in Avatar: The Legend of Aang Sequel
"We're Excited to See Where the Story Goes"
- The Direct: "We know that, of course, Avatar: The Last Airbender is continuing, and there is a new animated movie coming out. Are either of you involved in that?"
Dante Basco: "No, but we're excited to see where the story goes."
Zach Tyler Eisen: "It's so cool that the universe is just continuing to expand, and I'm excited to see where it goes."
- The Direct: "Dante, I don't know if you know, but you're listed on IMDb as being a part of the movie?"
Dante Basco: "That's not true. I don't know who put that on there. I still work for 'Avatar.' I do the podcast 'Braving the Elements' with Janet Varney. So we cover all things 'Avatar.' Our new season just dropped, so we finished the whole first series, and we're in the middle of ['The Legend of Korra'] right now. So when the movie and the new series come out, we'll continue to cover that."
- The Direct: "The movie will pick up with your characters later in life. Is there anything that you're excited to see or that you hope your characters get up to in those years?"
Dante Basco: "I'd like to see how the Fire Lord has been holding up. You know, he's older now. I would also like to see, we're not hearing anything about it, but my sister Azula, I'd like to see what's going on with Azula."
Zach Tyler Eisen: "Part of what I loved about ['The Legend of Korra'] was the city vibe in Republic City. I would love to see that being built and created from the ground up by Aang and everybody else who's involved. There's like a 70-year time jump between the end of A:TLA to the beginning of 'Korra', so there's a lot of ground to cover there. There's a lot of growing up the characters do and it's gonna be really cool to see it."
Avatar: The Last Airbender Stars Share Their Thoughts on the Netflix Live-Action TV Show
The Avatar Stars Passed the Torch to New Actors
- The Direct: "What is your favorite thing to see the new actors do with your characters in live-action?"
Dante Basco: "My favorite thing to see is it all come to life, especially the bending. It's really beautiful, like how it was seen in the animation. So to see how they created the firebending..."
Zach Tyler Eisen: "They got to do it. They got to learn all those different martial arts styles to be able to bend accurately, so to speak. We've had the pleasure of hanging out with the cast. They're great people, and they're doing a great job. I can't wait for the next couple of seasons."
- The Direct: "Have you met both your counterpart cast members?"
Zach Tyler Eisen: "I love hanging with Gordon [Cormier]. I forget he's just a kid."
Dante Basco: "Dallas [Liu] is awesome. Dallas is a great kid, it's really cool to see them carry the torch and continue it all."
- The Direct: "Did you give them any advice?"
Dante Baso: "Dallas reached out to me before he started shooting, and we had a great conversation. You know, my phone line is always open. [We just talked] about the character, because he was feeling some pressure. I was like, I come from the theatre, and we're just a fraternity of actors that got to play this character. It's an amazing character, and there'll be more people that get to play it in the future, but we're part of this fraternity, so enjoy it. Watch everything I did or Dev [Patel] did, and then throw it out the window, and it's your turn."
Zach Tyler Eisen: "I told Gordon to just have fun. Aang is just a goofy kid at his core, and it's important to remember that, especially when you're playing him and embodying him, and saving the world, whatever. But you gotta go penguin sledding, you gotta do all the fun stuff. Gordon has been doing that. He's doing a great job, but it's very important to have fun."
- The Direct: "Are there any changes you've seen them make in the live action show that you maybe prefer to what they did in the animated version?"
Zach Tyler Eisen: "It's so hard to say. I think it's very cool that it took a bit of a darker tone, because it's not a kids' show anymore, so to speak. So it's cool that they took some liberties with the storyline and whatnot, and to see a different take on the story."
The full video interview can be viewed below:
