Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender: Cast, Release Date, and Everything to Know

Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender isn't premiering until 2024, but we are slowly getting more information about the live-action adaptation. For the uninitiated, Avatar: The Last Airbender — often abbreviated as ATLA — is one of the most beloved animated series of all time.

The show became an instant hit when it premiered on Nickelodeon in 2005. Avatar: The Last Airbender, which spanned three seasons, is in a world where "benders" have the ability to manipulate one of the four elements of water, earth, fire, or air. They belong, respectively, to the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads, which existed harmoniously until the Fire Nation launched an attack that started a century-long war. The Avatar, the only person capable of mastering all four elements, is the last hope for stopping the Fire Nation. The show kicks off when Aang, the latest Avatar, emerges from an iceberg — where he lay dormant for the last hundred years — and sets out to end the war. Avatar: The Last Airbender has been celebrated by children and adults alike, and it's often praised for introducing heavy themes in a kid-friendly way and thoughtfully drawing from influences from Asian and Indigenous cultures.

Netflix's remake of the series is helmed by showrunner Albert Kim. "A live-action version would establish a new benchmark in representation and bring in a whole new generation of fans," Kim said in a press release from Aug. 2021. "This was a chance to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as living, breathing people. Not just in a cartoon, but in a world that truly exists, very similar to the one we live in." 

Here's everything to know about Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Avatar: The Last Airbender latest news

Netflix dropped the first look images for Avatar: The Last Airbender at Tudum: A Global Fan Event on June 17. We at last get to see our lead actors of Gordon Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio as Katara, Ian Ousely as Sokka, and Dallas Liu as Zuko.

Avatar: The Last Airbender release date

Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender will premiere in 2024. We don't know which month the series will release, but since it's been in the works for a while now we are hoping for an early 2024 launch.

Avatar: The Last Airbender cast

Gordon Cormier stars as Aang, the 12-year-old Avatar who is an expert airbender and the one destined to master the other three elements to restore peace. Aang is joined by Water Tribe siblings Katara and Sokka on his journey, who will be played by Kiawentiio and Ian Ousely, respectively. Katara is a waterbender eager to sharpen her skills, while Sokka is her older brother determined to become a fierce warrior. Dallas Liu will star as Zuko, the banished prince of the Fire Nation who believes the only way to reclaim his honor is to capture the Avatar.

Daniel Dae Kim joins the cast as Fire Lord Ozai, father of Zuko and leader of the Fire Nation driven by his thirst to conquer all nations. Paul Sun-Hyung stars as Uncle Iroh, a retired general of the Fire Nation and the mentor who trains his nephew Zuko in firebending. Another firebender is seasoned military officer Commander Zhao, who will be played by Ken Leung. Netflix also announced Lim Kay Siu as Gyatso, a powerful force in the Air Nomads who is a father figure to Aang. 

The live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender features Elizabeth Yu as Azula, a princess in the Fire Nation hungry to become heir to the throne. Maria Zhang will play Suki, who leads a formidable organization of female fighters called Kyoshi Warriors. The group is named after the legendary Avatar Kyoshi, played by Yvonne Chapman. Tamlyn Tomita stars as Yukari, Suki's mother and the mayor of their village on Kyoshi Island. And Casey Camp-Horinek stars as Gran Gran, Katara and Sokka's grandmother and the matriarch of the Southern Water Tribe.

The cast also includes Amber Midthunder as Princess Yue, A Martinez as Pakku, Irene Bedard as Yagoda, Joel Oulette as Hahn, Nathaniel Arcand as Chief Arnook, and Meegwun Fairbrother as Avatar Kuruk. These are all characters belonging to the Water Tribe. Over at the Earth Kingdom, Arden Cho will play June, Utkarsh Ambudkar will play King Bumi, Danny Pudi will play the Mechanist, Lucian-River Chauhan will play Teo, and James Sie will play the Cabbage Merchant. 

The Fire Nation will see Momona Tamada as Ty Lee, Thalia Tran as Mai, Ruy Iskandar as Lt. Jee, Hiro Kanagawa as Fire Lord Sozin, C.S. Lee as Avatar Roku, François Chau as The Great Sage, and Ryan Mah as Lt Dang. Finally, in the Spirit World, George Takei has been cast as the voice of Koh and Randall Duk Kim as the voice of Wan Shi Tong.

Behind the scenes

In Aug. 2020, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko—co-creators of the original animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel The Legend of Korra—announced they were stepping away from the production of Netflix's live-action adaptation. The pair was first brought on board in 2018 and said they were leaving due to differences in the vision for the show. 

Now, in addition to Albert Kim leading the project, Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore, and Michael Goi join as executive producers. Roseanne Liang is an executive producer along with her role as director. Goi will also direct, along with Jabbar Raisini. 

Where to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender

The live-action remake has not been released. But Nickelodeon's original animated series is available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Paramount+.