X user who leaked new Avatar film months in advance apparently based in S'pore

On Apr. 12, the upcoming American animated film "The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender" was leaked to X months before its scheduled release on Paramount+, after a Singapore-based user claimed Nickelodeon accidentally sent him a full copy of the movie.

Two clips from the film were posted

According to American magazine Wired, the user had posted two short clips from the film, which is set to premiere on Paramount+ on Oct. 9.

As of the time of writing, his first post had garnered over 30 million views in total.

He also threatened to stream the entire movie unless Paramount released an official trailer within days.

The user also reportedly posted a still from the movie’s end credits, revealing previously undisclosed voice-over cast and roles.

According The Hollywood Reporter, the user's friend from his "hacker days" had allegedly sent him a full copy of the film and he had decided to "troll a little bit" by posting the videos.

He reasoned that since it was not a theatrical release, it was not a big deal.

The media from his posts were later hit with copyright strikes and removed.

Within 48 hours, however, links to download the full movie had spread to imageboard site 4chan and across X, where some users streamed it directly, Wired reported.

Animators speak out

The leak drew an emotional response from those who worked on the film.

Animator Julia Schoel said the team had poured years of effort into the film, "with the expectation that we’d get to celebrate all of our hard work in theatres... just to see people unceremoniously leak the film and pass our shots around on Twitter like candy."

"This is incredibly disrespectful to all of the hard work the artists put in," she wrote.

One of the commenters on her post had asked about the difference between pirating the movie before and after its release.

In response, Schoel said that doing so before undermines the entire effort at "its most vulnerable moment" by stripping it of its marketing buildup and premiere, and potentially harming both its reputation and future opportunities for the artists involved.

In contrast, the latter happens after the film has already had the chance to reach audiences through official channels, she wrote, and does not harm its reputation.

Tessa Bright, animation director at Flying Bark Studio who worked on the film in a leadership capacity, echoed the sentiment, saying it broke her heart to see fans disrespecting the hard work of the artists behind the film:

"It breaks my heart to see the way some fans are treating the hard-working artists who dedicated years of their lives to bring you the best possible work they can with this film...

The amount of effort and dedication it took to make this film happen speaks for itself in the final product and I'm sure a lot of you will agree.

And even if you disagree with us, I hope that you can find it in yourself to still be respectful."

"Respect the art and respect the creators"

The original voice actor of Toph Beifong in the Nickelodeon animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender", Michaela Jill Murphy, also known by her stage name, Jessie Flowe, took to TikTok to share her thoughts.

She urged fans to stop sharing or consuming the leaked content entirely:

"If you want to be respectful, and if you want to know how I feel, stop sharing it. Stop consuming it. Stop talking about it. And watch it when it comes out. That’s what I’m doing. And if you want to respect the creators and respect the cast and respect me, and respect the art, then stop sharing it and editing it and looking at it and commenting about it."

@michaelajillmurphy for those asking…it’s not that hard. stop consuming it and using it. super disrespectful. #atla #movie #toph #nickelodeon #avatar ♬ The Avatar's Love (From Avatar: The Last Airbender) - CJ Music & Narratio

Background

The film was first announced in 2024 and was officially titled as "The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender" by Paramount in 2025.

It is expected to be the first in a trilogy of animated films set in the Avatar universe.

According to IGN, the film was initially set for a theatrical release on Oct. 9, before Paramount decided to bypass cinemas entirely and make Paramount+ the exclusive home of Avatar Studios content.

Both "The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender" and the original series "Avatar: Seven Havens" will head to the streaming platform.

As of the time of writing, the film's Oct. 9 release date remains unchanged.

Top photos from Avatar: The Last Airbender/Facebook and @ImStillDissin/X