During the pop culture convention MomoCon in Atlanta, Georgia this weekend, voice actor Michaela Jill Murphy, a.k.a. Jessie Flower, cautioned fans not to expect the original voice stars to return for the new, as yet untitled Avatar: The Last Airbender animated feature coming in 2025. Murphy/Flower voiced Toph, the blind Earthbender, in the original Nickelodeon series (2005-2008).
The Untitled Avatar movie will be set between the events of Avatar and it sequel series, The Legend of Korra (2012-14), following the original “gaang” as young adults working to restore the world following the destructive war with the Fire Nation. “If you’re an actor, you’re always interested in being called back for a project,” Flower told the audience. “I think they’re going to be recasting for pretty much everything … It’s not like people are going to clamor and be like, ‘Bring back the originals!'”
Though fan backlash has come to be expected when beloved franchises make big changes, Flower voiced her admiration for creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko sticking to their narrative vision throughout, including choosing to end Avatar as planned after three seasons. “They have a vision, and they execute it the way they want to. I’m sad because I would come love to come back and do stuff, but you know I’ll be cheering from the audience with everyone else!”
Avatar: The Last Airbender followed the adventures of a Aang, an irresponsible, 12-year-old Airbender awakened from suspended animation (along with his ped sky bison) as he quests to learn all forms of elemental magic in order to stop the Fire Lord’s war of conquest. The series won honors from the Annie Awards, Kids’ Choice Awards, a Peabody Award, an Emmy Individual Achievement recognition and nomination for Outstanding Animated Program, spawning the hit spinoff The Legend of Korra, as well as a live-action movie from M. Night Shyamalan in 2010.
In addition to Flower, who joined in Book Two (Season Two), the original series starred Zach Tyler Eisen as Aang, Mae Whitman as Katara, Jack DeSena as Sokka, Dante Basco as Zuko, Grey DeLisle as Azula, Jennie Kwan as Suki and Mark Hamill as Fire Lord Ozai.
As previously announced, the untitled Avatar movie — the first of three planned feature films in the works under the Avatar Studios banner — will hit theaters on October 10, 2025. Lauren Montgomery (Avatar: The Last Airbender, Voltron: Legendary Defender) is attached to direct.
Konietzko and DiMartino are producing alongside Eric Coleman. Latifa Ouaou, EVP of Movies and Global Franchises for Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, is overseeing development alongside Jason McConnell, VP of Animation, Nickelodeon Animation & Paramount Animation. The project is being produced with a hybridized traditional 2D animation augmented with CG elements, by Australian studio Flying Bark Productions (part of Studio 100 Group).
Upcoming Avatar Studios projects also include a new Paramount+ exclusive series that will follow the next Avatar after Aang and Korra, teased in December by Avatar News. The series is also slated for some time in 2025.
[H/T Collider]
