First Avatar Animated Movie Gets Title, Cast
Paramount announced today at CinemaCon that Eric Nam will voice Aang in the first of the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender movies, which will be called Aang: The Last Airbender. Dave Bautista will play the film’s villain, with Dionne Quan, Jessica Matten, and Roman Zaragoza in supporting roles. The film will be directed by Lauren Montgomery, who storyboarded for Avatar and Legend of Korra. Aang will be an adult in this movie, but plot details and other included characters are unknown at this time. This is the first film in a trilogy and is set to premiere in theaters on October 25th, 2025.
I’m excited for everything coming from Avatar Studios, but this news strikes me as odd. I’m not sure how Zach Eisen would sound as Aang two decades on as an adult, but I’m disappointed that he has been recast. I think Eisen has all but officially retired from acting, and as I said, maybe he still wouldn’t be a good fit. But I would be disappointed in any recasting where the actor’s voice is so tied to the character in my mind. I’m not familiar with Nam, so I will wait to judge his performance. I like Dave Bautista, and he was good in a voice role in The Boy and the Heron. I will also reserve judgment on his performance until we hear it. If creators Bryan Koneitzko and Michael Dante DiMartino have faith in Lauren Montgomery’s direction, so do I. I don’t feel strongly about the release date, but I’m glad they took their time with this project, which was announced in 2021. I’d rather wait longer for better output. Interestingly, Dionne Quan, who played Yasmin in the Bratz movies and TV series, is the only other actor I’m familiar with. In the original Avatar series, Tai Lee was voiced by Olivia Hack, who played Cloe in Bratz media.
What do you think about the title, cast, director, release date, etc? Are you looking forward to Aang’s triumphant (animated) return? Let us know in the comments!
