Seth Rogen's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated reboot has revealed its new title and logo. Rogen is producing the reboot for Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies with long-time writing/producing partner Evan Goldberg (Superbad) and James Weaver (The Boys). The movie will be directed by Jeff Rowe, who co-directed the hit animated feature The Mitchells vs. The Machines for Netflix.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in comic-book form in 1984 and have since become a global icon, starring in everything from animated shows, live-action films, video games, musicals and more. Merchandise and toys have been a staple of the brand, earning over $1 billion in sales since the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series was released in 1987. Since that time, TMNT has continued to be a pop-culture mainstay, continually rebooted and repackaged for each new generation.
The latest reboot comes from Rogen and his producing team, and the title of this project has now been revealed (via Paramount) as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The release date is currently set for August 4th, 2o22, one year from the date of the title treatment announcement. The film will be fully CG-animated and is expected to kick off a new TMNT animated movie series that goes back to the roots of Eastman and Laird's original comic series. The title treatment was also revealed in a mural in NYC, which can be viewed below:
While the current plan is to focus on CGI-style features, Paramount CEO Brian Robbins has said that there could be a revisit of a live-action hybrid Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles somewhere down the line. The hiring of Rogen and Goldberg was intentional, as they duo has shown a knack for telling teenagers' stories through their past projects. The new TMNT will focus on this idea, with Robbins previously saying that the reboot will work for "kids, parents, Gen Z-ers and Millennials." Rogen shared a TMNT doodle sketch page on social media in June 2022, which mentioned genetic mutations, so this confirmed new title certainly makes it sound as if the movie will focus on that specific aspect of the Ninja Turtles' universe.
While there may be some trepidation by fans surrounding yet another TMNT reboot, having Rogen and Goldberg producing may well offer up a more clever take than has been seen before. The duo have had tremendous success on Prime Video's adaptations of both The Boys and Invincible, which is a strong show of faith in what they can accomplish in taking on the Ninja Turtles. While there's still much to be revealed for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, the creative team and focus on taking the franchise back to its roots is a promising start to the reboot.
Source: Paramount