“Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” is finally streaming on Paramount+ and playing in select theaters, but it’s been a long journey for Team Avatar to hit the big screen.
The movie takes place after the events of Nickelodeon’s beloved animated show, “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” but before the sequel series, “The Legend of Korra.” Aang (Eric Nam), Katara (Jessica Matten), Sokka (Román Zaragoza), Toph (Dionne Quan) and Zuko (Steven Yeun) return as adults for a new adventure where they discover another long-lost airbender named Tagah (Dave Bautista). The film premiered at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday and begins streaming on Saturday, but some impatient fans may have already seen the movie after it leaked online earlier this year.
In April, clips from “Avatar Aang” somehow spread on social media, followed by the full movie. A 26-year-old man was later arrested in Singapore for illegally accessing a media server and leaking the film. The “Avatar Aang” cast and original “Last Airbender” stars soon spoke out against the breach and urged fans to not watch the unauthorized version.
“There’s something about respecting the intentions of the creators and many artists who poured years of their life into this. To go about it the proper way is a very respectful way of showing appreciation to the art form and to the many, many, countless hours put into this,” Nam said at the Variety Studio, presented by Google TV. “Thank you guys for waiting.”
