Paramount has seen some huge success with the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (TMNT) franchise, as the animated film, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” was a massive success. The animated feature led to a tie-in series and will also see a sequel in 2027.
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Though the “TMNT” animated ventures have been popular, the live-action formula has been severely lacking. The last live-action film that was released was the Michael Bay-produced “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” in 2016, which was a box office disaster. Now, Paramount has announced a new live-action movie.
Fans have longed for a new live-action film, which began to get some big traction with the incredible comic, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin.” The comic brought back “TMNT” co-creator Kevin Eastman and his writing partner, Tom Waltz.
The hit comic follows a future where three of the turtles are killed by the grandson of Shredder, leaving Michaelangelo to assume the role of the “Last Ronin,” and enact revenge for his fallen brothers.
Considering the vast popularity of the comic, it was not long before it was announced that a Rated-R live-action film would be put together. Sadly, that is no longer the case.
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Per multiple reports, Paramount has pulled the plug on the adult live-action movie. Instead, they will pivot to a more family-friendly endeavor behind longtime producer Neal H. Moritz. Moritz has worked on the ever-popular “Sonic” franchise, which has also been a huge hit for Paramount.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, “Neal H. Moritz, the veteran producer behind The Fast and the Furious franchise, is in negotiations to take on the job of re-starting TMNT as a live-action film franchise for Paramount Pictures. Toby Ascher, who works with Moritz at their Original Films banner, will also act as a producer.”
“At the same time, The Last Ronin, another TMNT live-action/CG animation hybrid project that was in development, has been put back in the pizza box, according to sources. That project was being developed as an R-rated feature, and had Nobody filmmaker Ilya Naishuller in talks to direct, but the new regime wasn’t keen on having the first non-animated movie in 10 years be a bloody, adult-skewing story. One insider says the studio wants to leave the door open to possibly revisit it down the road.”
Considering “Mutant Mayhem” was such a hit and a much more family-friendly affair, it makes sense the studio does not want to completely go the opposite way with a bloody adult look at the “TMNT.”
There are plans still to release a video game based on “The Last Ronin,” which makes more sense to make than a live-action movie.
“TMNT” continues to be popular, and it will be interesting to see how the new live-action film looks. There could be animatronics and realistic suits, or the studio could go the route of CGI like in “Sonic,” putting the turtles into a human-based world in the same manner.
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