Netflix’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender” has found its Toph Beifong. Miya Cech, known for her roles in “Always Be My Maybe,” “The Astronauts,” and “Surfside Girls,” will portray the iconic Earthbender in the series’ upcoming second season.
The casting announcement follows a teaser revealed during Netflix’s Geeked Week 2024 event, which showcased a barefoot Toph demonstrating her Earthbending abilities. The teaser also confirmed that production for Season 2 is currently underway, although an official release date has not yet been announced.
Executive producer Jabbar Raisani discussed Toph’s introduction to the live-action series, emphasizing the importance of staying true to the original animated narrative. “We really rely on the animated series. So I think you’re gonna see a lot of the dynamics that were true in the animated series come through in live action. It won’t be a one-to-one. You can never do a one-to-one, but, you know, expect that feeling all over again,” he said.
Toph Beifong, originally voiced by Michaela Jill Murphy in the Nickelodeon cartoon, is the blind daughter of an aristocratic Earth Kingdom family. She becomes Aang’s Earthbending instructor, having taught herself to “see” using vibrations in the earth. Toph quickly became a fan favorite and a core member of Team Avatar, later appearing in comic continuations and as an elder in “The Legend of Korra.”
Despite mixed reviews for its first season—holding a 61% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes—Netflix renewed the live-action “Avatar: The Last Airbender” for two additional seasons earlier this year. Raisani noted that the second season’s narrative would be condensed due to a limited number of episodes compared to the original cartoon.
The live-action series is one of several “Avatar” projects in development. An animated movie featuring Aang and his friends as adults is set to release in 2026. The film’s voice cast includes Dave Bautista, Dionne Quan, Eric Nam, Román Zaragoza, and Jessica Matten, with reports suggesting Dante Basco may reprise his role as Fire Lord Zuko.
Netflix’s Geeked Week also unveiled updates on other popular shows. Announcements included “Wednesday” Season 2 and “Squid Game” Season 2, the latter premiering in December. Trailers and clips were also released for anticipated animated series like “Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft,” “Devil May Cry,” “Splinter Cell: Deathwatch,” and the final season of “Arcane.”
Season 1 of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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