It's not often that a live-action adaptation of another piece of work is done right, but with the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, Netflix might have just struck the perfect balance between staying true to the beloved animated series and adding a fresh, cinematic touch.
After premiering its first season in February 2024, the adventure fantasy series was quickly renewed for two additional installments only a month later. However, fans may have to wait longer than expected to reunite with Aang, Katara, Sokka, and the rest of the beloved characters, as Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 has likely been delayed to next year. We've come to this conclusion after Netflix's 2025 lineup didn't include the highly anticipated second season.
Netflix’s lineup for the year includes the return of several major shows, such as Wednesday season 2, Stranger Things season 5, Squid Game season 3 and Ginny & Georgia season 3. Given that Avatar: The Last Airbender is also one of the platform’s biggest series, this would have been the perfect opportunity for Netflix to confirm its second season for 2025. However, since no such announcement was made, it strongly suggests that the show won’t be returning until 2026.
Are we really surprised by any of this? Honestly, not really. Another live-action Netflix series that has likely been pushed to 2026 is One Piece season 2, and we believe that the main reason for its delay has to do with it having a lengthy post-production process. Like One Piece, the Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series is a special effects-heavy show, which would require a considerable amount of time for post-production, including visual effects, sound design, and complex action sequences.
So, a lengthy post-production process could be a reason for the new season being pushed to next year. I mean, production on Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 is still currently in progress, and it's not expected to wrap until sometime in March 2025. After production wraps, the new episodes will then move on to post-production, where they will spend their time being edited to perfection. There will be nine months left of 2025 once the second season moves into post-production, and the issue could be that the new episodes won't have enough time to be fully finished to make a 2025 release. That's our guess for why we won't be seeing Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 this year.
Now, we don't foresee the season 2 release date being pushed to mid or late 2026. Truthfully, an early 2026 release would make the most sense. The new season should be completely edited by then, and the episodes should be ready for viewing. Maybe a February 2026 release? The first season came out in February, so it would make sense for Netflix to keep that tradition and release the second season around the same time. As soon as the official release date is announced, we'll be sure to share it with you immediately.
Although plot details for Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 are being kept secret, the second installment is expected to cover the events of the second season of the animated series (Book Two: Earth). Gordon Cormier (Aang), Kiawentiio (Katara), Ian Ousley (Sokka), Dallas Liu (Zuko), Elizabeth Yu (Azula), Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Iroh), Daniel Dae Kim (Fire Lord Ozai), Momona Tamada (Ty Lee), and Thalia Tran (Mai) are all confirmed to return.
There are also a bunch of new cast members this season, like Chin Han (Long Feng), Hoa Xuande (Professor Zei), Justin Chien (King Kuei), Amanda Zhou (Joo Dee), Crystal Yu (Lady Beifong), Kelemete Misipeka (The Boulder), Lourdes Faberes (General Sung), and Rekha Sharma (Amita).