Variety is reporting that a 26-year-old has been arrested for leaking the upcoming Avatar movie, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender, ahead of its planned October release on Paramount+.
The suspect was apprehended in Singapore, confirming that the leak did not come from within the studio. Instead, the man is said to have somehow gained unauthorised remote access to a media server, where he downloaded the film before distributing it online.
Singapore police have seized electronic devices, one of which included a digital copy of The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender. It sounds like an open and shut case, and local laws mean this person is facing a maximum of seven years in prison, and/or a potential fine of up to $50,000.
Paramount will almost certainly look to take legal action that's likely to leave the leaker financially destitute.
"It was heartbreaking to see footage from ‘The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender’ leak online. This leak did not originate from Flying Bark," a spokesperson for the Australian animation studio previously said. "Our studio proudly partnered on the production until the very end, and we acknowledge the filmmakers, cast, artists and animators who worked tirelessly to produce this incredibly crafted film."
While some fans have celebrated the leak, perceiving it as a "f*** you" to Paramount, no one actually involved with the next Avatar movie has expressed anything close to joy about the situation.
For example, animator Julia Schoel recently wrote on social media, "We worked on the Aang movie for years with the expectation that we’d get to celebrate all of our hard work in theaters...just to see people unceremoniously leak the film and pass our shots around on Twitter like candy."
Paramount's decision to bypass theaters was already a blow, and this leak on platforms like X, 4chan, and Reddit has just added insult to injury.
The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender follows the world's last Airbender, who learns of an ancient power that could save his culture from extinction. With the help of his friends, he embarks on a global quest to find it before it falls into the wrong hands and threatens to upend the peace they sacrificed everything to achieve.
Directed by Lauren Montgomery, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender stars Eric Nam, Dionne Quan, Jessica Matten, Román Zaragoza, Steven Yeun, Dave Bautista, Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Freida Pinto, and Ke Huy Quan.
Originally, the movie was dated for an October 10, 2025, release. It was later pushed back to January 30, 2026, and is currently scheduled for an October 9, 2026, debut on Paramount+.