Well, this is annoying. Paramount and Avatar Studios, makers of the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender follow-up movie The Legend Of Aang, made the announcement today that the theatrical premiere for the movie has been wiped off the schedule. Instead, Legend OF Aang will make its debut as a streaming original.
No reason was given, beyond some weird incomprehensible desire to “align the franchise” as a TV and streaming exclusive. If I had to guess I’d say someone new at the revolving door of executives got scared over putting a 2D animated movie on the big screen. Or maybe the #4 opening of the latest Spongebob movie had something to do with it. The release date, October 9 of 2026, remains the same.
The Legend Of Aang is the opening act to a revival of the Avatar franchise that will include two other movies eventually, as well as a third ongoing series, Avatar: Seven Havens. The first conceptual image was released last July and reveals Pavi, the latest Avatar and a born Earthbender, strolling down the path toward her city of Aurora. Pavi has a twin (who isn’t the Avatar), but they are not in this picture…we’re told the other human figure is Pavi’s mentor Jae. We don’t know who the cat is but we find it cool Pavi has a peg leg.
“The Avatar Universe has captivated audiences for two decades, and Paramount+ is proud to be the exclusive streaming home for its beloved animated incarnation,” Jane Wiseman, Paramount+’s head of originals, said in a statement. “The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender and Avatar: Seven Havens represent the next evolution of storytelling from Avatar Studios—bringing together remarkable talent both in front of and behind the camera to deliver the epic adventures and emotional depth fans have come to expect. These additions, alongside The Legend of Korra and the original series, solidify Paramount+ as the destination for the animated Avatar Universe.”
Avatar: Seven Havens has been given a two-season order of 13 episodes each, but The Legend Of Aang is meant to debut before anything else. The film was delayed from a January 2026 release (yup, would’ve been next month) to give the animation a bit more polish. We wish we could see the results of that polish up close. But alas, that will now require a 100-inch TV.
The post ATLA Movie The Legend Of Aang Loses Theatrical Premiere appeared first on Anime Superhero News.
