Man arrested in Singapore and could face 7 years in prison for leaking movie online

A man is facing up to seven years in prison after allegedly leaking a major upcoming movie online, it has been reported.

The 26-year-old suspect was apprehended in Singapore following an investigation by the movie studio Paramount+.

This comes after their upcoming film, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender was shared online, six months prior to its release date,

Footage from the fan favourite Nickelodeon property first began circulating on social media after a user claimed they had been sent the full movie by mistake.

The entire film was later leaked in full – garnering so many views that it began to show up on Letterboxd’s ‘most popular’ list.

A man has now been arrested and detained for accessing a media server without athorisation.

According to The Strait Times, Singapore police received a report on April 16 that parts of an unreleased film had been uploaded to the Internet.

The man was identified and arrested within a day of the report, while various electronic devices belonging to him were also seized.

Police said that preliminary investigations had revealed that the man gained unauthorised access to the studio’s server, from which he downloaded the film.

If found guilty of gaining unauthorised access to computer material, he now faces a maximum jail term of seven years, and a fine not exceeding $50,000 – potentially even both.

Originally set for theatrical release on October 9, the film was hit with backlash after the studio decided to release the film exclusively on Paramount+ instead.

It had also received criticism from fans for replacing its voice cast – with alexisplaysvg asking on X: ‘Wasn’t there anyone who stood up and said replacing the original cast was a terrible idea?’

Reiterating that they’d see the film nothing less than theatrically, TheManInYourPC1 branded it ‘plain wrong’ that it should have been hidden behind a subscription service in the first place.

However, many were sympathetic to the animators’ plight, with MrJulianR1 noting that the creators ‘deserve a lot of appreciation’ for their effort.

Following the leak, Variety recorded a spokesperson as saying: ‘It was heartbreaking to see footage from ‘The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender’ leak online. This leak did not originate from Flying Bark.

‘Our studio proudly partnered on the production until the very end and we acknowledge the filmmakers, cast, artists and animators who worked tirelessly to produce this incredibly crafted film.’

In a post to X, animator Julia Schoel said: ‘We worked on the Aang movie for years with the expectation that we’d get to celebrate all of our hard work in theaters… just to see people unceremoniously leak the film and pass our shots around on Twitter like candy.’

Another artist who worked on the film, Tom Barkel, admitted that he ‘understood’ fans who engage with leaks, but shared his frustration at both Paramount and the leakers for their treatment of the film.

He continued: ‘It could have been a moment for all fans, but the rug was pulled and now there is division on whether to watch or wait. To those who say: “who cares, the artists were paid,” The ugly truth is that by not supporting the official release you bite the hand that feeds someone else.’

Prior to the whole film being uploaded, the initially leaked material is said to have included older versions of the cast, including Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko.

Its all-star voice cast includes Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista, The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun and Traitors USA contestant Eric Nam.

First announced in 2024, The Legend of Aang was expected to be the start of a new trilogy of animated films within the Avatar universe.

The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender is set for release on Paramount+ on October 9, 2026.

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