For anyone who remembers watching “Avatar: The Last Airbender” during its original Nickelodeon run in the mid-2000s, this next sentence may make you feel old. The franchise’s next animated chapter, “Avatar: Seven Havens,” arrives more than two decades after Aang first appeared on screen. The new series is aimed at continuing the story for an entirely new generation of viewers.
Paramount+ has set an October 9 release date for “Seven Havens,” the first new animated series in the universe in more than 10 years. Its teaser trailer arrived alongside the announcement during a Comic-Con panel this week.
It is already confirmed that the series will have two seasons of 13 episodes each.
A Series Picking Up After Aang and Korra
“Seven Havens” is set well after the events of “The Legend of Korra,” the franchise’s 2012-2014 sequel series. The new series will follow an entirely new protagonist: a young Earthbender named Pavi discovers she is the newest Avatar after Korra, only to learn that the title marks her as the destroyer of humanity rather than its savior like other Avatars before her. The young Avatar and her long-lost twin must uncover their origins and save the Seven Havens all while being hunted by both human and spirit enemies.
The premise is notably darker than where the franchise started, perhaps showing how its writers are banking on audiences that have grown up with the story rather than discovering it for the first time. It is certainly a test if the series can become a multi-generational franchise like so many other media from its time have become.
Where The Franchise Began
The original “Avatar: The Last Airbender” ran from 2005 to 2008, meaning its earliest viewers are now well into their adulthood. Many original viewers have likely introduced the show to their own children or young people in their lives through Netflix’s live-action adaptation or streaming rewatches of the animated original. “The Legend of Korra” wrapped in 2014, meaning “Seven Havens” arrives a full 12 years after the franchise last had animated episodes airing.
Who’s Running “Seven Havens”
Original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Koneitzko return to executive produce alongside Ethan Spaulding, with Nickelodeon’s Avatar Studios producing the 26-episode series.
The voice cast is mostly comprised of new faces, but one of the most notable actors from the franchise will return.
Saheli Khan plays the lead Pavi. She is joined by Aishu Devan as Nisha, Akshay Khanna as Karthik, Sakina Jaffrey as Agam, Darren Barnet as Daemin, Diane Doan as Zi, and Major Curda as Jae, Pavi’s mentor and friend.
Veteran voice actor Dee Bradley Baker rounds out the cast. Baker is a returning voice actor to the franchise, known most affectionately for his role as Appa in the original series. He will return to voice Geet, Pavi’s cat monkey companion.
Paramount+ also debuts “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” this week, a feature film adaptation that gives the franchise a rare double-header moment across both film and television formats simultaneously.
