The person who allegedly leaked the new Avatar movie has been arrested

Straight Times Singapore police have reportedly arrested a 26-year-old man who allegedly downloaded the new file Avatar The movie (previous title The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender) online after accessing the server where the project was being held ahead of its scheduled October 9 premiere on Paramount Plus. According to authorities, a copy of the entire film was found on the suspect’s electronic devices. If he is ultimately convicted of unauthorized access to computer materials, he could face up to 10 years in prison as well as a $50,000 fine.

The leaks first appeared in an April 11 X post from an anonymous user who claimed that someone at Nickelodeon (owned by Paramount Skydance) “accidentally sent them the entire Avatar Aang movie.” While the post has since been removed, it initially remained for hours, and the leaked footage quickly began spreading across the internet.

It is not clear whether the user of Account X is the same person who was arrested. talking to Hollywood Reporter, A person claiming to be behind the leak account said they were trying to “troll a little” because of Paramount’s decision He releases Avatar date Directly to its streaming service Instead of giving it a theatrical release as the studio originally announced. But this specific leaker also said THR They did not plan to upload the entire movie after originally receiving it from a hacker associated with the PeggleCrew hacking group. After an internal investigation, Paramount determined that the leaks did not come from anyone working at the company itself.

Although leaks are nothing new for the entertainment industry, it was shocking to see the entire completed film hit the internet months before its intended release in such high definition. Avatar Fans are especially hard given how Avatar date — the first of three planned animated films — marked the first time that series co-creators Brian Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino returned to the franchise after creating the series. Sudden exit from Netflix’s live-action adaptation From the original animated show.

People with direct professional connections to Avatar The franchise also spoke. Michaela Jill Murphy (original voice actress of Toph Beifong) – from she urged her fans on TikTok Do not engage in leaks at all out of respect for the creative team working on the film. Animator Julia Showell, who worked on it Avatar date, Speak frankly on X About the leaker’s reasoning, he said that Paramount’s “terrible decision” to move the film to streaming did not justify releasing the film ahead of schedule.

“I completely understand people not wanting to pay for/support (Paramount Plus),” Showell explained. “But pirating the film after its release could have been at least better than this. This is disrespectful to all the hard work the artists have put in.”

News of the alleged leaker’s arrest comes just days after the Tokyo District Court A man was sentenced to prison To operate a website dedicated to publishing spoiler-filled summaries of newly released series and movies. And while piracy is unlikely to end anytime soon, it’s already starting to look like studios are ready to start playing hardball when it comes to protecting their intellectual property.