Nickelodeon Studios is developing a Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated film for Netflix. The popular series recently returned to the Nickelodeon schedule. Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a popular 2D cartoon that follows brothers Raph, Leo, Donnie, and Mikey, along with their ally April O'Neil, as they unlock the mystical secrets of New York City.
The animated series touts an impressive voice cast that includes the talents of Ben Schwartz, Brandon Mychal Smith, Omar Benson Miller, and Josh Brener as Leo, Mikey, Ralph, and Donnie, respectively. In addition to its roster of heroes, the series also features a top-tier line-up of villains voiced by the likes of Lena Headey as Big Mama, John Cena as Baron Draxumand, Rhys Darby as Hypno-potamus, and former Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten as a nefarious pig chef named Meat Sweats. Fans will now be getting a brand new, feature-length film premiering on Netflix.
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According to Deadline, during Viacom’s fiscal first-quarter earnings call, CEO Bob Bakish confirmed that Nickelodeon Studios will partner with Netflix in a two-movie deal. One will be a Loud House movie (a family comedy about a Michigan boy growing up with 10 sisters) with the other being a Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature-length animated film. Bakish went on to argue why Netflix would be making and streaming these movies instead of Viacom. It will pull in a larger audience than the actual TV shows they're based on. However, the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film will not be connected to Nickelodeon's current animated TV series of the same name.
Neither Nickelodeon nor Netflix released a timetable for the Rise of the Teenage Ninja Turtles movie. It's also not clear if the same team will be brought in to work on the animated movie, or if the same voice cast will be utilized. The series' voice director is none other than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles veteran Rob Paulson and is produced by Andy Suriano. Viacom already produces Pinky Malinky for Netflix, in addition to a reimagined live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which recently started production.
It's good news that Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be moving over to Netflix for this film. The streaming service offers larger budgets, and the animated series showcases an incredible sense of style and some really great animation designs. Producer Andy Suriano even revealed that the show borrows a little from everything including anime, to Franco-Belgian comics, and even the 1960s television version of Batman. Considering the popularity of Rise on Nickelodeon, this looks to be a substantial project for Netflix and targeting younger viewers.
More: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Gets Season 2 Order Ahead of Series Premiere
The first season of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is currently airing, with its second season currently in development. New episodes air weekly on Saturdays at 9:30 AM/EST on Nickelodeon.
Source: Deadline