When it comes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film series, the animated side is thriving. 2023’s Mutant Mayhem was a critical success, and not only did it score a two-season Paramount+ subscription-exclusive follow-up series and a theatrical sequel set for 2027, you’ll be able to watch the short film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 – Lost in New Jersey attached to The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants next month on the 2025 movies schedule. As for the live-action TMNT front, some exciting news finally came in today, although it comes with an unfortunate update on that The Last Ronin movie first.
What’s Happening With The Next Live-Action TMNT Movie
Let’s start with the good news first. THR passed along that producer Neal H. Moritz, best known for his work on the Fast & Furious franchise, is in talks to relaunch the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film franchise. The report states that following Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount Pictures, the film studio is looking to “fully unlock its potential,” having owned TMNT since 2009. Moritz has also worked on the Sonic the Hedgehog film series, and considering how successful those three movies were (with a fourth one on the way), Paramount reportedly wants the producer to help to “Sonic-fy” TMNT.
2016’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows was the last live-action TMNT movie, and its critical and commercial underperformance resulted in another movie set in that continuity being scrapped. Back in 2021, it was reported that Colin Jost and his brother Casey were working on a live-action TMNT script, but it doesn’t sound like anything came of that. With Neal H. Moritz being a key creative figure in two hugely popular film franchises, among many other movies and TV shows, perhaps he can work some of that magic on Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael in a live-action setting.
Apparently The Last Ronin Isn’t Moving Forward… For Now
Now here comes the bad news. While we don’t know yet what this next live-action TMNT reboot will be about, what it won’t be is a film adaptation the comic book miniseries Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin. In April 2024, word came in that Paramount was developing an R-rated Last Ronin movie that Nobody’s Ilya Naishuller was in negotiations to direct. However, according to the latest from THR, the project’s been shelved. According to sources who spoke to the outlet, the new “regime” at Paramount “wasn’t keen on having the first non-animated movie in 10 years be a bloody, adult-skewing story.”
That being said, instead of permanently shutting the door on The Last Ronin, one insider claims that Paramount “wants to leave the door open to possibly revisit it down the road.” Considering what a family-friendly franchise TMNT is, I can understand not wanting the first live-action movie right out the gate in this new Paramount era to immediately delve into R-rated territory. Maybe if Neal H. Moritz is successful at relaunching the live-action film series, The Last Ronin could be revisited after a few movies. If that happens, though, don’t expect it to be tackled until the 2030s.
We’ll keep our eyes peeled for specific information on how the new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie shapes up. In the meantime, we can look forward to the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 arriving on September 17, 2027.
