Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Sequel Already In The Works, Paramount+ Series Will Bridge The Gap Between Films
It seems Paramount and Nickelodeon have got a fever, and the only prescription is more "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Ahead of the August 2, 2023 theatrical release date of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," Variety reports that a sequel is already in development. This isn't surprising, considering the film ends with a big tease, and considering that it is one of the best animated movies of the year. Director Jeff Rowe and the team at Mikros Animation deliver a visually stunning film that delivers rebellious teen attitude, while a script by Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, as well as Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, reinvents the iconic characters by focusing on them being actual teens discovering their place in the world.
Perhaps more surprisingly (albeit equally as inevitable) is the news that a TV spin-off of "Mutant Mayhem" is now in development for Paramount+, titled "Tales of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Not only that but the show is set to be a bridge between the two films. Cowabunga dudes!
Just as "Mutant Mayhem" was made by a team full of longtime fans, so is "Tales of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" helmed by two people familiar with the franchise. Chris Yost, who wrote for the 2003 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (and also wrote for shows like "Rebels"), as well as Alan Wan, who wrote on the most recent TMNT show, "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," will serve as showrunners for the upcoming cartoon.
Anyone feel like having pizza?
According to Variety, "Tales of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" will be a 2D series that focuses on the four turtle brothers, Leo, Ralph, Donnie, and Mikey going alone for the first time to discover who they are when they can't rely on their brothers. The show will see the "Mutant Mayhem" cast of Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu and Brady Noon return to voice the titular ninja turtles.
It's been just one year since the previous "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series ended, with the feature film sequel to "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" releasing on Netflix in 2022. That show shares a lot of the same DNA as "Mutant Mayhem," exploring the early days of the turtles' careers and showing them as younger than we've usually seen them. The idea of a cartoon that can bridge the two new feature films is rather brilliant, and as long as they keep the sketch-like look of "Mutant Mayhem" (even if it's in 2D) as well as keeping the improvisational feel for the turtles' dialogue, then this has the potential to be one cool show.