The animated film "Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender," created by the original series co-creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, will be available on Paramount+ starting Friday, July 25, 2026. The movie serves as a sequel to the original series, which concluded with Aang as a teenager, and a prequel to "The Legend of Korra."
The story picks up with Aang, now around 25 years old, who discovers a new Airbender named Tagah, voiced by Dave Bautista. Tagah reveals a method to restore the Air Nomads, requiring Aang to find a magic staff. Aang is reunited with key members of Team Avatar: Katara (Jessica Matten), Sokka (Román Zaragoza), Toph (Dionne Quan), and Fire Lord Zuko (Steven Yeun). The group embarks on this quest aboard Appa.
Directed by Lauren Montgomery and written by Tim Hedrick and Christopher Yost, the film's story was developed by Konietzko, DiMartino, Hedrick, and Kenneth Lin. The movie will begin streaming on Paramount+ on Friday, July 25, at 12 a.m. Pacific Time, and 3 a.m. Eastern Time.
Paramount+ offers two subscription tiers: Essential, priced at $8.99 per month with ads, and Premium, which costs $13.99 per month and is ad-free, including Showtime titles and live CBS. New subscribers can currently access a seven-day free trial of the Premium plan.
While primarily a streaming release, "Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender" also had a limited one-week theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles from July 24 to July 30 at select AMC theaters, intended for Oscar qualification. The film was originally planned for a wider nationwide theatrical release, but this was shifted to a streaming-first approach due to leadership changes at Paramount following the merger with Skydance in August 2025. The shift occurred before the film was leaked online in April 2026.
Co-creator Bryan Konietzko described the leak as "unceremonious and abrupt." Both Konietzko and DiMartino expressed enthusiasm for the film's official release, emphasizing the importance of community viewing experiences, a core theme of the Avatar franchise. They acknowledged that changes in Hollywood and studio leadership are a significant factor impacting projects.