A man in Singapore has been arrested following an investigation into the leak of the upcoming animated movie The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender online.
Variety says it confirmed earlier reports that a “26-year-old man” was taken into custody by police in Singapore. They reportedly “seized electronic devices, which included a digital copy of the unreleased film. According to the [police] report, the man had gained unauthorized remote access to a media server, from which he was able to download the film before distributing it online.”
READ MORE: The Best Animated TV Series in History
The film, a continuation of the beloved Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender was first announced in 2021. At that time, it was planned as a big-screen theatrical release, the first in the franchise since M. Night Shyamalan’s infamous live-action film version, The Last Airbender, from 2010. A planned fall 2025 release was scrapped, and eventually Paramount announced a debut in movie theaters was being called off entirely, with film instead set to debut on its Paramount+ streaming service.
Some fans were deeply upset with that decision, leading to speculation that the leak was somehow motivated by that anger; that it was perhaps a deliberate act of sabotage meant as revenge against Paramount for its choice to stream the film instead of give it the theatrical release that had been intended by its creators.
But the creators of the movie who’ve spoken publicly about the leak are even more upset about it than Avatar fans were about shifting the movie to streaming in the first place. Animator Tom Barkel wrote that the leak threatens “future work for artists in an increasingly hostile industry. Don’t oversimplify please.” (In other words, if you don’t want The Last Airbender to actually be the last Airbender project, it’s probably in your best interests to support it financially, and if decisions are made that you object to regarding its release, find more constructive ways to protest it.)
According to Variety, if the suspect in the case is convicted, he could face a significant prison sentence. “Unauthorized access to computer material carries a maximum of seven years jail time, and/or a potential fine of up to $50,000, according to local laws,” they write.
The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender is currently scheduled for release on Paramount+ on October 9.
