In an interview with IGN during San Diego Comic-Con, Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, creators of “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” confirmed that Steven Yeun has joined the voice cast of the franchise’s new animated film. He will be the voice of Fire Lord Zuko.
This, incidentally, isn’t Yeun’s first role in the franchise. He previously voiced Wan, the first Avatar, in Nickelodeon’s “Avatar: The Legend of Korra.” Now, he replaces Dante Basco, who voiced Zuko in the classic series, and joins the cast, which includes Dave Bautista (who will play the as-yet-unannounced villain), Eric Nam (Aang), Dionne Quan (Toph), Jessica Matten (Katara), and Román Zaragoza (Sokka).
The original cartoon, which ran for three seasons from 2005 to 2008, was unsuccessfully adapted for the big screen by M. Night Shyamalan in 2010. A live-action series is currently being developed by Netflix, without the participation of the franchise’s creators.
Lauren Montgomery is directing the new film alongside William Mata. Konietzko and DiMartino are producing alongside Eric Coleman. The film is being produced by the newly formed Avatar Studios, a Nickelodeon division created to produce new content for the franchise.
The new “Avatar: The Last Airbender” film is scheduled for release on October 9, 2026.
