The world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is expanding once again, and San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H gave fans an emotional first look at what’s next. The cast and creative team behind Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender took the stage to discuss revisiting beloved characters, honoring the original animated series, and introducing audiences to a more mature Team Avatar.
The upcoming Paramount+ original film follows an adult Aang navigating a world that demands more than ever from its Avatar. Joining the Hall H panel were Eric Nam (Aang), Dave Bautista (Tagah), Jessica Matten (Katara), Román Zaragoza (Sokka), Bryan Konietzko, and other members of the creative team, who shared what it meant to bring this new era of the franchise to life.
Eric Nam Reflects on an Older, Wiser Aang
For Eric Nam, voicing Aang meant stepping into the shoes of one of animation’s most beloved heroes at a completely different stage of his life.
“When I think about Aang and his journey, he is so many different things to so many different people,” Nam shared. “We meet him in the series as a kid. Then we see him as an adult who’s, I think, coming to terms with his place in the world and the responsibilities that he holds with his crew and the world and all the craziness that’s going on.”
Rather than the carefree twelve-year-old fans first met, this version of Aang carries the emotional weight of leadership.
“I think it is something that is very unique to the Avatar,” Nam continued. “I can’t imagine how lonely it might be to have so much expectation.”
His comments highlighted one of the film’s central themes: what happens after the victory, when saving the world becomes maintaining it.
Román Zaragoza Calls Playing Sokka a Childhood Dream
Román Zaragoza couldn’t hide his excitement when talking about becoming Sokka, revealing that the role has been on his wish list since childhood.
“I remember watching Sokka and being like, ‘Oh, I wanna be like that guy when I grow up,'” Zaragoza said. “He was so cool. He was a goofball. He was smart. And he got the girl. That’s the dream.”
Landing the role, however, came with plenty of nerves.
“It was just a dream when I got that audition, and I was like, ‘I don’t wanna screw this up,'” he laughed. “When you get an audition and you want the job, it’s terrifying because when you want it too much, they can sniff that out.”
Zaragoza also gave heartfelt praise to casting director Jennie Zhu, crediting her for helping him through the audition process and welcoming him into the Avatar family.
“I felt so grateful to do this.”
Bryan Konietzko on Respecting the Original Series
Series co-creator Bryan Konietzko spoke candidly about the responsibility of telling another story featuring the original Team Avatar while preserving what fans already love.
“We’re very lucky that there’s a real hunger and desire for more stories with the original Team Avatar,” Konietzko said. “We still love those characters too.”
But revisiting them wasn’t a decision made lightly.
“For me, that’s very much done and baked, and I don’t want to infringe on it.”
Instead, the filmmakers approached the movie as a natural extension of the timeline.
“We’re lucky that we have a sequel series, and we’re lucky that we get to make a movie, but in order to do that, we have to plug it into the events that have already happened and the events that we know are going to happen.”
The comments reinforced the creative team’s commitment to honoring the continuity established across Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra while still giving fans an entirely new adventure.
Dave Bautista Connects With Tagah Through Tattoos
Dave Bautista also shared how deeply he connected with his new character, Tagah, particularly through the symbolism of tattoos.
“I have a lot of tattoos from films I’ve done,” Bautista explained. “It’s just stuff I love, and that’s kind of what the tattoos are. They’re just a story.”
That personal connection made Tagah especially meaningful.
“There’ll definitely be a Tagah tattoo somewhere,” Bautista revealed. “It’s one of the things that I love about the character and your relationship to the ritual of ink — marking time and marking your identity.”
The audience responded enthusiastically, applauding the actor’s passion for bringing the new character to life.
A New Era Begins for Team Avatar
The film features an all-star voice cast led by Eric Nam as Aang, alongside Dave Bautista as Tagah, Jessica Matten as Katara, Román Zaragoza as Sokka, Steven Yeun as Zuko, and Dionne Quan returning as Toph. They are joined by Freida Pinto, Ke Huy Quan, Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Ronny Chieng, and Ken Jeong, while Dee Bradley Baker reprises his fan-favorite roles as Appa and Momo.
Directed by Lauren Montgomery with co-directors Steve Ahn and William Mata, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is produced by Latifa Ouaou, Maryann Garger, Bryan Konietzko, and Michael Dante DiMartino. The screenplay comes from Tim Hedrick and Christopher Yost, with a story by Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, Tim Hedrick, and Kenneth Lin.
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender premieres globally on Paramount+ on Saturday, July 25.
