Steven Yeun is fondly remembered in The Walking Dead fandom as the mild-mannered, former pizza delivery guy Glenn Rhee. The actor has made a huge name for himself in a long list of roles since his character's divisive death during the season 7 premiere episode of The Walking Dead. Yeun has several upcoming roles, including one in the Avatar franchise that recently made headlines.
In 2021, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies announced an untitled animated Aang "Avatar" film. The movie is a continuation of Michael Dante's Avatar: The Last Airbender animated TV series, which will be directed by Lauren Montgomery, with William Mata co-directing. The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender is a part of Avatar Studios, a division of Nickelodeon that focuses on projects in the Avatar world.
In 2025, Yeun was announced as a new cast member for the film. This isn't a surprise because he is no stranger to Avatar as he voiced Wan, the first Avatar, in three episodes of The Legend of Korra. This is the role everyone assumed Yeun would be playing, but the Avatar: The Last Airbender creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, set the record straight at the 2025 SDCC. In an interview with IGN, the creators revealed that Yeun will voice Zuko, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation.
Additional main cast members include Eric Nam as Aang, Dionne Quan as Toph Beifong, Jessica Matten as Katara, and Román Zaragoza Sokka. Dave Bautista has been confirmed as the film's villain, but no character details have been revealed.
The creators also announced that the theatrical release for The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender will be Oct. 9, 2026. The film was originally set to release in 2025, then moved to January 2026, and now fans must wait until fall 2026.
The actor has numerous accolades for his performances, including two Primetime Emmys and two Golden Globes. Some of his recent roles include Beef, Mickey 17, and Nope, and he continues to voice Invincible/Mark Grayson in Robert Kirkman's adult animated Invincible series. In 2020, he became the first Asian American nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the drama Minari.
Some of his upcoming projects include Animals, a crime thriller starring Ben Affleck, Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington, and more. Yeun will also star in the Netflix action thriller The Rip with Affleck, Matt Damon, Néstor Carbonell, and Kyle Chandler.
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