Mallery McKay December 28th, 2025 - 3:12 PM
When news earlier this month that Paramount had decided to skip a theatrical release of the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender feature, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, in favor of a straight-to-streaming deal with Paramount+, fans were not happy. So much so that the fans, who were hoping to see adult Aang grace the big screen, have launched a Change.org petition that wants Paramount to uphold its original plan for a theatrical release.
The campaign rapidly gained attention, garnering approximately twenty-one thousand signatures since it was created on December 23rd. The campaign details a “dual release model,” in which “the film would first debut in theaters, followed by a streaming release.” Proposers of this campaign believe that this approach would effectively balance “the company’s financial interests while also respecting the cultural legacy and audience’s anticipation.” Though the campaign itself seemed under control, one comment from someone who claimed to be Steve Ahn, the director of the animated feature, in response to the campaign stoked the backlash even further. The comment read:
Worked on this film, first leading one of the teams, and eventually directing. Very frustrated about studio ‘higher up’s’ decisions. There were A LOT of frustrating, unfair moves by them throughout the entire production that I want to share in the future, but, first, bring this back to theater immediately!!
However, this comment would turn out to be just a troll and not Ahn, who would take to X after he got news of the impersonation, responding,
I am truly grateful for the passion shown in the Avatar petition. However, I must clarify that someone has impersonated me and left a misleading comment. I am not the author of that post, and I hope this official clarification prevents any further rumors or false speculation.
The voice cast of the feature includes Eric Nam as Aang, Jessica Matten as Katara, Román Zaragoza as Sokka, Dionne Quan as Toph Beifong, and Steven Yuen as Zuko. Dave Bautista, Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Dee Bradley Baker also join the ensemble in undisclosed roles.
Right now, the petition has yet to change the decision as The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender is still set to stream on Paramount+ on October 9, 2026.
