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.
However, it arrived on Netflix, and as a long-time fan, I binged ATLA all in one night, and I really enjoyed it, and it’s become one of the best shows to binge-watch on the platform and will probably continue to stay on that list.. ATLA Season 2 was confirmed quite quickly, and now, we know plenty about the next season.
What Is The Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 Premiere Date?
At the time of updating this in October 2024, there has yet to be a set release date for Season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, which isn’t that surprising since the first season came out as part of the 2024 TV schedule.
Honestly, I wouldn't expect it to even premiere as part of the 2025 TV premiere schedule. . Huge shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender take time 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.
We might not see Season 2 until 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 amount of seasons that the animated series had. So, maybe with that timeline, we'll get these episodes sooner.
The Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 Cast
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.
Toph Has Been Cast
I previously noted back in July 2024 that Discussing Film on Twitter revealed that a giant search was happening for who would play the iconic character, Toph from the animated series.
And now, we officially know who will play Toph according to Tudum in September 2024 – Miya Cech. The young actress has appeared in shows such as Beef, Young Rock and The Santa Clauses, but this will be her first major starring role. The actress even released a statement regarding playing Toph, and who she’s so honored to represent her heritage:
Toph is a completely unique character. No one is like her…I personally am of Chinese and Japanese American descent and I’m so excited to represent my Chinese heritage in Toph Beifong.
Honestly, this is just the best news ever and I can’t wait to see the completed gang all these years later.
What Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 Is About
I know, we’re all waiting for some updates on what the story of Season 2 will be about, but here is what we know so far:
Season 2 Will Most Likely Follow The Same Storyline As The Animated Avatar: The Last Airbender
Season 2 will most likely follow the same path as the animated series it is based on, so Aang will most likely learn Earthbending, especially since Toph has been cast.
However, the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender had many changes from the animated series, 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 going to be three seasons of this show, and I wouldn't be surprised if Season 2 skips over Aang learning Waterbending, and moves right into the Earthbending part of his story, with him learning it off screen. Only time will tell.
We also know from the Tudum guide above regarding the announcement of Season 2 that Ba Sing Se (as the two new showrunners reference a famous line from the show) will be included in the next part of the story, and Aang will be learning a new kind of bending “or two:"
“There’s no war in Ba Sing Se. For the Gaang, fans can expect more brilliant plans from Sokka [Ousley], even more masterful bending from Katara [Kiawentiio], Appa and Momo to be as fluffy as ever, and Aang [Gordon Cormier] to learn a new bending form (or two).”
There Will Be Probably Be A Time-Jump In Season 2
It was also reported by Entertainment Weekly in January 2024 through an interview with former showrunner Albert Kim that a time jump would happen, 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.
Even if Kim is no longer a part of the show, the two new showrunners (which we will get into below) also reported in the Tudum article regarding the renewal that the characters will grow a bit in Season 2 and “mature” much like the animated series, so it certainly teases the idea of a time jump:
We’re going to challenge our characters with more complex and nuanced obstacles as they navigate a more tactile world. Just as the animated series matured and progressed, the live- action will also take these characters and worlds and grow them.
Christine Boylan And Jabbar Raisani Are Taking Over As Showrunners
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.
Production Has Begun As Of September 2024
It’s finally happening! With the confirmation of Toph’s casting, production on Season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender has begun, according to Tudum in September 2024. The article also confirmed that the actors are in “boot camp” training for the bending style. The official Twitter page even shared a picture of the main ensemble for Season 2 of the show, with their scripts ready:
the gaang's all here for AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER season 2! pic.twitter.com/xJLi0vRuv9September 25, 2024
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.
