Summary
2026 was poised to be a good year for fans of two Paramount Studios animated IPs:Avatar: The Last AirbenderandTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It’s not anymore. The latest update is one that only patient fans will take lightly.
The Legend of Aang:The Last Airbenderwill be the first of three standalone post-Avatar: The Last Airbenderanimated films that take place many years after 12-year-old Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai and stopped a hundred-year war. Lauren Montgomery and William Mata are paired as co-directors. Meanwhile, Jeff Rowe will return as director forTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mayhem 2,as will Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon in the cast.
Fans Will Have To Wait Nine Months ForThe Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender
The Wait forTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mayhem 2Will Be Even Longer
June 25, 2025. That’s the date originally scheduled forThe Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender’s release. PerDeadline, fans will now have to wait till October 9, an additional nine months. This pushback comes at the expense ofTeenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesMayhem 2, which originally held the October 9 slot and has been revised to June 19, 2025. Challenges in animated physical production are cited as reasons for the delays.
Unfortunately, this less-than-ideal update overshadowed what should have been an exciting moment: Paramount’s unveiling of the official logo forThe Legend of Aang. Still, it’s not all gloom for the studio’s slate. For instance,Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie’s debut will arrive a week earlier, featuring Jameela Jamil, Terry Crews, Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, Bill Nye, Meredith MacNeill, and Ron Pardo.
The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbendermay have escaped the wrath of28 Years LaterandScream 7at the box office, both of which are set to debut in the January release window, but it’s not clear of strong competition.Aang must now contend with DC’sClayface, a Universal Blumhouse production, and an untitled Jordan Peele film come Fall of 2026. If anything, it’s the latter trio who should be scared.Avatar: The Last AirbenderandThe Legend of Korrahave some of the most loyal cult followings in Hollywood.
Production problems notwithstanding, it’s difficult not to think of this rescheduling as a means of puttingThe Legend of Aang: The Last Airbenderin an optimal position commercially. Here’s the thing: January isn’t a month many studios look forward to releasing their pictures. Apart from the horror genre, box office history doesn’t favor January. October, however, is a more than ideal alternative for the blockbuster that an Avatar film will surely be, despitenot featuring its original voice actors—the quartet of Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph, originally voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack De Sena, and Jessie Flower, will be taken over by Eric Nam, Jessica Mattan, Roman Zaragoza, and Dionne Quan, with Dave Bautista voicing an unknown villain.
