Toph Voice Actor Confirms Original Cast Will Not Return For New “Avatar: The Last Airbender” Movie

At CinemaCon 2023 this past April, fans were given some more information on the upcoming project from Avatar Studios. The film is set to be released in theaters October 10, 2025, and fans were treated to concept art for the adult versions of the beloved characters. The film will take place approximately 15 years after the end of the series, with the lead cast in their late 20s/early 30s. Series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino (affectionately known by fans as Mike ‘n Bryan) will be writing the movie, with Avatar’s executive producer Eric Coleman at the helm.

In an interview this weekend at Momocon Atlanta, voice actress Michaela Jill Murphy (who played the character of Toph and was previously credited as Jessie Flower) confirmed that she and the rest of the principal cast would not be returning for the new Avatar: The Last Airbender film. Rumors had been circulating that Konietzko and DiMartino would be seeking new talent to bring the older versions of these characters to life, but this is the first confirmation fans have gotten.

When asked if she’d be interested in returning for the film, she responded “Yeah, I mean, listen, if you’re an actor, you’re always interested in being called back for a project… I think they’re going to be recasting for pretty much everything, and, you know Mike and Bryan do what they want. 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. Not that I’m thinking that’s gonna happen. But they very much have a vision and this is something they feel is best for the show and so they do it.”

She went on to elaborate on the Avatar creators: “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.’ They did make a new show [The Legend of Korra], but they were like, ‘We are not going to mess with the integrity of the story just to give you a fourth season.’ So they have a vision and they execute it the way they want to… I’m sad because of course I would come love to come back and do stuff but, you know I’ll be cheering from the audience with everyone else!”