Popverse's top stories of the day

• My New Years Resolution is to watch less anime in 2025 - but to enjoy it more
• Sam Wilson has always been the perfect successor as the MCU's Captain America and Brave New World will show that
• Is Severance enough to make AppleTV+ a real player in streaming?

When it comes to casting news, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Sometimes rumors take on a life of their own. Case in point, a rumor has been floating around that Avatar voice actor Dante Basco will be reprising his role as Zuko. The report stated that Zuko would appear in the upcoming Avatar animated film, which is set to focus on the adventures of adult Gaang.

However, this wasn’t firebending, this was truthbending. During an Avatar reunion panel at Florida Supercon 2024, Basco was asked about his return as Zuko and was quick to refute the report. “That’s a rumor,” Basco said.

“Right now, I’m just doing the podcast. I don’t know what’s going to happen with the newer stuff. As actors, you kind of just keep going on to the next thing and do the work and just trying to be as good as you can. I only have one voice though. They’re all going to sound very similar."

There is a possibility that Basco is pulling an Andrew Garfield and denying reports due to an NDA. But I don’t think the next Avatar project has the same security protocols that Marvel Studios has. However, he didn’t rule out the possibility that he could return in the future to play other characters, or an older version of Zuko. “I aspire to be Uncle Iroh someday,” Basco joked.

In case there was any ambiguity, Basco circled back to the original question. “The me playing Zuko thing is a rumor. That’s not real.”

The Avatar animated film is set to be released January 30, 2026. Don’t hold your breath waiting for a Zuko cameo. 

Netflix has renewed Avatar: The Last Airbender for season 2! While you wait, check out our watch order for newcomers, an exclusive Avatar reunion panel from ECCC 2024, and a couple recommendations on what to watch after the series. Heck, we've even interviewed some of the best Avatar cosplayers from across the four nations - why not check it out?