When it comes to animated series of the 2000s, few are as beloved asAvatar: The Last Airbender. The series followed Aang as he trained to be the Avatar, master of all four elements, so he could take on the dreaded Fire Lord. It ran forthree seasons on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. Since then, there has been a sequel animated series, comic book continuations, a live-action film, and alive-action Netflix adaptationthat premiered earlier this year. That latter has been renewed for two more seasons, following the path of the animated series. However, the next expansion in theAvataruniverse is the animated filmAang: The Last Airbender. Recently, at the Toronto International Film Festival, the new voice of Katara,Jessica Matten, talked about taking on the iconic character.
While promoting her upcoming Netflix sports dramaRez Ball, Matten told Collider’sSteven Weintraubwhat it meant to be a part of a franchise that means a lot to so many people. “I’m really honored. I’m playingKatara.” She would continue on:
“It’s really cool. I actually got to meet Eric Nam, who’s playing Aang a couple of weeks ago in LA, and he’s a nice human. I’ve met Dave Bautista a couple of years ago in Toronto. I met Dave briefly in Toronto just through mutual friends. He’s a great guy too, so I’m really excited that it’s just a cast of incredible people, really kind. That’s what you want to do. You want to be working with kind, cool people on projects. I’m looking forward to that. That comes out early next year. I learned more about what Avatar: The Last Airbender was for people just by honestly booking this role. I really just hope I serve it justice and I hope people like what I do. I just don’t want to let anyone down, that’s all.”
When diving more into the series having a very passionate fan base, Matten admitted, “There is, and I love that.” Her Rez Ball co-starKauchani Brattand directorSydney Freelandare included in that extensive group of fans. “I’m one of those people,” Bratt said before revealing “When she told me, we were on set, she was auditioning for it. Is that right?” Matten added, “Actually,I was in my callbacks duringRez Ball.” Bratt would finish the conversation saying, “She was telling me about it, and I was like over the moon. That’s so amazing. I knew she was going to get it, and I knew she was going to kill it.I’m super excited to see it, just as a fan of the series.”
What Is ‘Aang: The Last Airbender’ About?
Aang: The Last Airbendertakes place after the events of the original series, portraying Aang, Katara, and Sokka as adults. While there’s still a lot of mystery to the plot, as Matten alluded to,David Bautista(Guardians of the Galaxy) will be playing the villain of the film, whileEric NamandRomán Zaragozawill be the new voices of Aang and Sokka respectively.Danté Bascowill also be returning as the voice ofZuko. We saw bits and pieces of our favorite Avatar crew’s adult lives in the franchise’s sequel series,The Legend of Korra, which ran from 2012 to 2014. That being said, they were rarely the focus outside ofAang’s history, and a couple of flashbacks sprinkled throughout the show. This film will be the first of multiple planned theatrical releases.
While the film was originally set to release next year,Aang: The Last Airbenderwill now arrive in theaters onJanuary 20, 2026. As we wait for more updates and see what Matten brings toKatara, you can stream the Avatar universe, including the original series,Legend of Korra,and the live-action series onNetflix.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
A young boy known as the Avatar must master the four elemental powers to save the world and fight against an enemy bent on stopping him.
Watch on Netflix
