It's confirmed! Season 2 of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender is officially happening – and this is what we know about it.
When ATLA was confirmed to be getting a live-action release, I think fans of the show were less than excited. While it was an interesting decision, the last live-action version of this critically acclaimed cartoon didn't go over well. It is considered one of M. Night Shyamalan's worst movies, so we were quite nervous.
However, it arrived on Netflix, and as a long-time fan, I binged ATLA all in one night, and I really enjoyed it. Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 was confirmed quite quickly, thanks to the series' mega success. But, when can we expect the next season, and what will it be about? Here is what we know so far.
What Is The Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 Premiere Date?
When writing this, in April 2024, there has yet to be a set release date for Season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which isn't surprising. The first season only came out as part of the 2024 TV premiere schedule in February, so to have a release date already set would be pretty shocking.
Honestly, I wouldn't expect it to premiere even in 2025. Huge shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender take years to make, especially ones that have this many effects. Just think of Stranger Things Season 5. The fourth season was released in 2022, and we won't be getting that final season until 2025—three years later.
I would say we'd most likely get Season 2 in 2026 at the earliest, but fingers crossed it won't take that long. Netflix's Tudum even confirmed that the series was renewed for both Season 2 and Season 3—with the third season officially the last, which is the same for the animated show. So, maybe with that timeline, we'll get these episodes sooner.
The Avatar: The Last Airbender Cast Is All Expected To Be Back
As someone who has followed the making of this show since the very beginning, I have loved almost every casting decision for the Netflix Avatar: The Last Airbender cast. Thankfully, we can expect that most of the main actors will be back. This includes:
- Gordon Cormier as Aang
- Kiawentiio as Katara
- Ian Ousley as Sokka
- Dallas Liu as Zuko
- Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iroh
- Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai
- Elizabeth Yu as Azula
Other additional cast members that we can most likely expect to see in some fashion in Season 2 are Utkarsh Ambudkar as King Bumi, Thalia Tran as Mai, Momona Tamada as Ty Lee, Yvonne Chapman as Avatar Kyoshi, Maria Zhang as Suki, Arden Cho as June, and James Sie as the Cabbage Merchant.
I say this because all of them were featured in the renewal video, which is available to see in the Tudum article above, where Daniel Dae Kim personally gives the news.
Assuming The Show Follows The Animated Series, Season 2 Will Likely Focus On Aang's Earthbending
So, in terms of the story, something has yet to be ultimately confirmed. Still, if Season 2 follows the same path as the animated series it is based on, we can assume that Season 2 will focus on Aang learning Earthbending.
However, the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender had many changes, an important one being that Aang didn't even appear to learn much Waterbending—which was the primary point of the first season of the animated show. That could mean that Season 2 might incorporate both Water and Earthbending.
That being said, there are only three seasons of this show, and I wouldn't be surprised if Season 2 might skip over Aang learning Waterbending and move right into the Earthbending part of his story, with him learning it off screen. Only time will tell.
There Will Be A Time Jump Between Seasons 1 And 2
Something else we know about the upcoming second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender is that there will be a time jump between the first two seasons. Albert Kim confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly in January 2024, saying it was what made the most sense since the actors are going to grow up:
All three seasons of the animated series essentially take place in the course of one calendar year. There was no way we could do that. So we had to design this first season, especially, to accommodate the possibility of some time elapsing between the first and the second season.
This makes a ton of sense. If you look at how tall Gordon Cormier was when he first took on the role versus now in 2024, it would be hard to convince an audience that only a few months have passed between Seasons 1 and 2. This is one change I am open to.
Christine Boylan And Jabbar Raisani Are Taking Over As Showrunners
The last thing we know about the upcoming second season is that Albert Kim will no longer be the showrunner. Variety confirmed in April 2024 that Kim would be stepping down and that the series would now be co-run by Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani.
It does come as a surprise, as Kim seemed so eager to bring the world to life when he first took over the role after the original creators of the animated series left the live-action version. However, Variety reported that a source close to Kim revealed he had signed a deal with Disney to be an executive producer on Percy Jackson and the Olympians and that he was also developing new projects for them.
These things happen, and I wish the best of luck to Boylan and Raisani, both of whom already worked on the show prior to becoming showrunners. Boylan has worked on series such as Poker Face, The Punisher, Cloak and Dagger, and more. Raisani has worked on Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, The Flash, and others.
While shaking up the showrunners can sometimes cause fear for fans, I hope they will bring this show to life like never before.
What are you most excited about for Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2? All I know is that I am eager to see how they tell the story and incorporate what fans want to see—it's time to finally meet Toph!
