Paramount probes ‘The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender’ leak ahead of October premiere
Paramount is investigating the leak of The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, months before its premiere in October.
According to reports by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, an anonymous X user ImStillDissin uploaded a clip from the upcoming movie over the weekend, claiming that Nickelodeon "accidentally" emailed him the entire movie.
The post earned 30 million views, but the video is unavailable as of this writing. Citing sources, Variety reported that Paramount determined that the leak did not come from within the studio itself.
It will reportedly be released on Paramount+ instead of in theaters on Oct. 9 following the leak, though the studio declined to comment on the matter.
Artists involved in the film shared their disappointment on social media. Animator Julia Schoel lamented how they worked hard for the movie for years, expecting it to premiere in theaters, only for it to be leaked online.
"We worked on the aang movie for years with the expectation that’d we’d get to celebrate all of our hard work in theaters.. just to see people unceremoniously leak the film and pass our shots around on twitter like candy," she wrote on X. She also stressed that Paramount’s “awful decision” to pull the movie from theaters does not justify leaking it online.
“I totally understand folks not wanting to pay for/support Paramount+, but pirating the movie after its release would have at least been better than this. This is incredibly disrespectful to all of the hard work the artists put in," she continued.
Meanwhile, animator Tom Barkel said he understands that there could be leaks after the movie is "out there," but his issue is that the release "being neutered by both Paramount and the leakers."
"It could have been a moment for all fans, but the rug was pulled and now there is division on whether to watch or wait," Barkel wrote.
"To those who say: 'Who cares, the artists were paid.' The ugly truth is that by not supporting the official release you bite the hand that feeds someone else," he added.
The Legend of Aang is based on the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The original series aired on Nickelodeon for three seasons, from February 2005 to July 2008. However, in 2021, Nickelodeon announced that it's planning to continue Aang's story through the launch of Avatar Studios, which would produce two more films after the new one.
The story centers on four nations—the Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads—that once coexisted peacefully under the Avatar’s role as keeper of balance, until the Fire Nation destroys the Air Nomads. The responsibility then falls to the last surviving Air Nomad, a young boy named Aang, who must step up as the new Avatar and bring peace back to the world.
The upcoming movie's voice cast includes Dave Bautista, Steve Yeun, Dionne Quan, Jessica Matten, and South Korean singer Eric Nam, who will voice Aang.
