Avatar: The Last Airbender’s first film has gone through some major changes this week. Originally titled The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, the long-awaited return of the bending universe is now titled Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender. Perhaps news that is far bigger than the title change is the animated film’s release date, which Paramount has pushed far sooner than expected to July 25th. In light of these major changes, the creators of the upcoming film have commented on the adult version of Aang, confirming that the star is indeed “hot and ripped.”
For those who don’t know, Aang is around twenty-five years old in the upcoming Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, though creator Bryan Konietzko confirmed that the star of Avatar: The Last Airbender still has some growing up to do. While fans of the Nickelodeon franchise were able to see glimpses of Aang as an adult during the sequel series, The Legend of Korra, the July 25th release will focus entirely on the Avatar coming into his own. As Konietzko explains, “He’s hot, he’s tall, and ripped, broad-shouldered, and he looks great, but he’s not quite the adult Avatar that he needs to be yet. So this film is really trying to dive into that.” Avatar Aang is promising to bring the original bending gang back together again, pitting them against a brand new threat that has emerged. While said threat remains a mystery, the first trailer clearly hints that the benders have only grown stronger with time, as you can see below.
Bending Past Drama
While many bending fans are ecstatic to see the adult Aang hit Paramount+ earlier than the original October release, the animated film still has serious controversies to overcome. The biggest remains the leaking of the full film online, with the entirety of the movie hitting the internet earlier this year. On top of the devastating leak, fans were riled up by Paramount’s decision not to bring the animated film to theaters but rather to make it a Paramount+ exclusive. Even with all the controversy surrounding Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, the future for the bending franchise will not end with this feature-length film.
Avatar Aang will focus on adult Aang and his crew, but Avatar: Seven Havens will focus on a new chapter of the bending world. Taking place after the events of The Legend of Korra, the upcoming animated series will focus on an Earth bender who has become the newest Avatar after Korra’s reign. Many questions surround this upcoming animated series, though Paramount has already confirmed that it will take place in an apocalyptic setting and is looking to arrive in 2027. On top of this series, Avatar Aang’s creators have also hinted that another project is in the works, though details surrounding this mysterious endeavor are few and far between.
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