Actor Michaela Jill Murphy, who voiced Toph in Avatar: The Last Airbender, claims the upcoming adult Team Avatar movie will feature an entirely different cast.
The actor recently attended Momocon Atlanta where she confirmed that the principal cast, including Mae Whitman, Dante Basco, Zach Tyler Eisen and more, will not be reprising their roles in the film, as reported by Game Luster. Murphy, credited as Jessie Flower in the animated Nickelodeon series, stated, "I think they're going to be recasting for pretty much everything." She also added that while she was disappointed, she would still be "cheering from the audience with everyone else!"
Avatar: The Last Airbender Creators Stand By Their Decision
Murphy explained that the show's creators, Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino, are always firm regarding their decisions about the property. "Mike and Bryan do what they want," she said. She then stated that even if fans were to demand the return of the original cast, it would not make any difference as the creators don't change their minds easily. "So, it's not like people are going to clamor and be like, 'Bring back the originals!' and they're just going to change their minds."
Konietzko and DiMartino's history with firm decision-making dates back as far as the conclusion of the original series. Murphy touched on this by saying, "That's what happened with the original. It was three seasons, and then people were like 'make a fourth, make a fourth!' and they were like 'no.'" While the creators did produce a sequel series known as Legend of Korra, they adhered to their decision not to make a fourth season of the hit show. The only official projects featuring Aang's Team Avatar since the conclusion of The Last Airbender are the upcoming film and multiple comic-book appearances.
Avatar Studios' feature length Avatar: The Last Airbender film is set to take place 15 years after the events of Book 3. It will explore the characters of Aang, Katara, Toph, Suki, Sokka and Zuko in their late 20s/early 30s. While there is no official word yet on the film's narrative, it does have a confirmed release date of Oct. 10, 2025.
The studio is set to create more Avatar content, including a series based on the next member of the Avatar cycle and a reported Zuko solo film. Meanwhile, the original Avatar: The Last Airbender series is getting a live-action adaptation from Netflix, which is set to be released some time this year, though no official release date has yet been announced.
Source: Game Luster