The Avatar Creators Left Netflix. They Made This Instead.

By The Backlot

@backlotfriends

Aang and his friends walk through a vibrant animated Asian-inspired marketplace, with a towering pagoda visible in the golden light behind them.

The original Avatar creators left Netflix's live-action adaptation in 2020. Now they're back.

Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino created Avatar: The Last Airbender as a Nickelodeon animated series in 2005. When Netflix greenlit a live-action version, the two were attached to produce. In 2020, they stepped down publicly, writing that they could not do the show the way it needed to be done. Netflix went ahead without them.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is the animated feature they made instead. Konietzko and DiMartino are producers. Director Lauren Montgomery spent years on Avatar episodes before going on to lead DC animated films. The voice cast includes Eric Nam as Aang, Steven Yeun as Zuko, and Dave Bautista.

It opened in US theaters yesterday.

Quick Facts

DirectorLauren Montgomery

CastEric Nam, Dave Bautista, Steven Yeun, Freida Pinto, Román Zaragoza

GenreAnimation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Release2026-07-24

Runtime99 min

Rated9.2/10

Instagram caption

The original Avatar creators left Netflix's live-action show in 2020 because they couldn't do it on their terms. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is what they made instead. In theaters now. #AvatarAang #Backlot

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The original Avatar creators left Netflix's live-action show in 2020. Now they made their own film. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is in theaters now. #AvatarAang #Backlot

The original Avatar creators left Netflix's live-action adaptation in 2020. Now they're back.

It opened in US theaters yesterday.