Paramount+ Lands Hotly Anticipated Blockbuster Straight to Streaming
Paramount scraps the big-screen plan: The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, the long-awaited fantasy animated movie starring Steven Yeun and Dave Bautista, will now debut on Paramount+ alongside new series Avatar: Safe Havens.
Paramount just yanked the upcoming animated Aang movie off the big screen and dropped it into the streaming bucket. If you were holding out for a theatrical return to the Four Nations, sorry. The plan now is a Paramount+ premiere in fall 2026, and the streamer is also rolling out a brand-new Avatar series.
So, what changed?
Paramount Pictures had The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender on the books for theaters on October 9, 2026. Variety says that date is no more, with the movie shifting to Paramount+ sometime in fall 2026 instead. Not shocking in 2025, but still a little bit of a bummer for anyone who wanted Appa-sized sound in Dolby.
The new series wrinkle (and a naming hiccup)
Alongside the movie, Paramount+ also announced a fresh Avatar animated series. In the announcement it was called Avatar: Safe Havens. An exec quote referred to it as Avatar: Seven Havens. Same project, two slightly different titles floating around. Until the dust settles, consider that a working-title wobble we will keep an eye on.
"Paramount+ is proud to be the exclusive streaming home for the animated Avatar Universe."
They are leaning into that, too: the original series and The Legend of Korra are already on the service, and these new projects are meant to cement Paramount+ as the hub for the animated side of the franchise.
The movie: where and when it fits
The Legend of Aang is set several years after the original show and follows Aang into his young adult era. It is the first feature film from Nickelodeon’s Avatar Studios, which makes the streaming pivot feel like a strategic play to keep the whole animated universe under one roof.
The cast and crew (stacked)
- Eric Nam voices Aang (yes, the last surviving Airbender)
- Steven Yeun is Zuko
- Dave Bautista is on board (role not specified in this announcement)
- Dionne Quan is Toph
- Jessica Matten is Katara
- Roman Zaragoza is Sokka
- Dee Bradley Baker returns as Momo
- Also joining in undisclosed roles: Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Freida Pinto, Ke Huy Quan, and Peta Sergeant
- Directors: Lauren Montgomery, Steve Ahn, and William Mata
- Producers: Latifa Ouaou and Maryann Garger, with original series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino also producing
Bottom line
The Aang movie is no longer a theatrical play; it is a Paramount+ tentpole arriving fall 2026, paired with a new Avatar series whose exact title needs a quick polish. The franchise stays consolidated at one streamer, the voice cast is big, and Avatar Studios is finally kicking off its first feature. Now we wait to see if the scope still feels big without a giant screen involved.