Man arrested for allegedly leaking 'The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender' film
A 26-year-old suspect has been arrested for allegedly leaking The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender months before its premiere in October.
Police identified and arrested the suspect on April 16, the same day they received reports about parts of the upcoming film circulating on social media, The Straits Times reported.
The police said initial findings indicate that he obtained unauthorized remote access to the server, downloaded the film, and later shared portions of it online.
Authorities confiscated several of his electronic devices and recovered a copy of the film.
He is now under investigation for unauthorized access to computer material, an offense punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 (around P3 million).
This came after 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. 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 during the leak. She also stressed that Paramount’s “awful decision” to pull the movie from theaters does not justify leaking it online.
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 is being neutered by both Paramount and the leakers."
"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, which aired for three seasons, from February 2005 to July 2008. However, in 2021, the network 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.
