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Singapore authorities arrested a 26-year-old man accused of leaking Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Paramount+ animated film based on the popular Avatar franchise, sources familiar with the case confirmed to Variety.
The local police issued a statement indicating that the suspect obtained unauthorized remote access to a media server from which they downloaded a digital copy of the film —not yet released— and then distributed it on the internet.
During the detention, the authorities seized electronic devices that included said copy. According to Singaporean law, unauthorized access to computer material is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of $50,000. The full movie was published on the social network X. Sources cited by the specialized media specified that the leak did not originate within the studio. We recommend reading: Authorities seized electronic devices during the arrest, confirming the illegal possession and distribution of a digital copy of the anticipated film (Paramount) The Australian-based animation studio Flying Bark Productions, which collaborated on the production of the film, also ruled out being the source of the leak. "It was heartbreaking to see images of Avatar: The Last Airbender leak online. This leak did not originate at Flying Bark," a studio spokesperson noted, according to Variety, adding that the company recognizes the work of the filmmakers, cast, and animators who worked hard to produce the film. Animators who worked on the project expressed their frustration on social media. Animator Julia Schoel shared a message on X. "We worked on the Aang movie for years with the expectation of celebrating all our effort in theaters... only to see people leak the movie without ceremony and pass our shots on Twitter as if they were candy," he said. The Australian studio Flying Bark Productions, responsible for the animation of the film, ruled out being the source of the leak and expressed its support for the creative team (Paramount) While piracy is common on social media platforms, it is very unusual for an entire film to be leaked so far in advance of its release date. The controversy surrounding the film did not begin with the leak. Last December, Paramount+ announced that the film, initially scheduled to be released in theaters on October 9, would be released exclusively on its streaming platform, which provoked the rejection of many fans of the saga. The film's director, Lauren Montgomery, expressed her displeasure with that decision in an Instagram post last month, after announcing that production had concluded. "We screened the final film for the team and celebrated the end of a four-year journey," he wrote. "The recent decision to move from cinema to streaming might give the impression that the quality wasn't sufficient, but nothing could be further from the truth. This film deserves to be seen on a big screen." The animated film revisits the story of Aang and his friends in a dangerous global quest to save their culture (Nickelodeon)
