Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender has had quite the journey before even coming out. The animated sequel to the beloved Nickelodeon show was originally meant to premiere in theaters before getting yanked out of a theatrical run in favor of streaming on Paramount+; then, in April, the film leaked in full and was circulated online without so much as a watermark. At the time, the movie was set to premiere on Paramount+ in October, but now it looks like the company is moving it up several months, presumably because some people have already watched the whole thing. Despite it all, the movie does look pretty stunning in its first official trailer.
In the trailer, young adult versions of Aang and all his allies meet Tagah (Dave Bautista), an ancient Airbender who is, against all odds, alive, revealing that Aang is not actually “the last Airbender” after all. This sets off a potentially cataclysmic turn of events that the gang must prevent, and my god, the animation in just these two minutes of footage is really something.
The film will now come to Paramount+ on July 25, though you’ll still find fans in the comments section of the trailer angry that it didn’t get a theatrical release as originally planned. The trailer itself doesn’t overtly draw attention to the April leaks, but does end on a note for fans thanking them for their “dedication” and “passion,” signing off with the message, “This is for you.”
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is one of several Avatar projects in the works, including a new show set after The Legend of Korra and a fighting game called Avatar Legends coming to PC, PS5, Xbox, and Switch 1 and 2.