‘Avatar’ director reveals why Nickelodeon show added ‘The Last Airbender’ to title

Giancarlo Volpe, who directed 19 episodes of Nickelodeon’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” recently mentioned why the hit show needed to add “The Last Airbender” to its title.

The Italian American animator took to Twitter on Sunday to discuss the name change.

“In 2004 we learned that we had to change the name of our show from Avatar to Avatar: The Last Airbender because James Cameron already had the rights to a movie called Avatar,” Volpe wrote in his tweet, which has already garnered over 260,000 likes.

“Now the sequel is called The Way of Water. If part 3 is called The Firebending Masters we riot,” he continued.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” premiered on Nickelodeon on Feb. 21, 2005. James Cameron’s “Avatar” was first released on Dec. 10, 2009, in London.

Both franchises will be making a comeback in the next few years – an untitled “Avatar: The Last Airbender” movie is scheduled for an October 2025 release, while Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” will premiere in London on Dec. 6 before making its U.S. premiere on Dec. 16.

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Featured Image via Avatar: The Last Airbender

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