Credit: New Line CinemaHot off the heels of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) trailer comes even more exciting TMNT news, which some might even find “shell-shocking”. This time, an R-rated Ninja Turtles installment is finally happening…
TMNT fans have been praying for a dark adaptation of the beloved, pizza-munching reptiles for decades, which would see the titular half-shell heroes return to their gritty roots, as seen in the original Mirage Comics from the ’80s.
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On this side of the millennium, we’ve had many close encounters to an R-rated Ninja Turtles reboot, and it all started some 20 years ago, when Mission: Impossible II (2000) director John Woo announced that he was attached to such a project.
As we know, the project never emerged from production hell (or the sewers), and never saw the light of day. 20 years later, and we’re still waiting to sink our teeth into such a film.
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In the last couple of years, however, we seem to have gotten closer to the possibility of a dark iteration of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In fact, if you put the films aside for a moment, then, in fact, we already do have a dark version of TMNT.
In 2020, IDW Publishing, who have been churning out TMNT comic books for 12 years, released “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin” (2020), a five-issue run that sees Michelangelo as the lone survivor trying to survive a dystopian future without his brothers. The story feels heavily inspired by Logan (2017), which finds the titular mutant aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) as the sole survivor of the X-Men.
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The series quickly garnered a lot of attention within the TMNT community, so much that you can now even buy a handful of action figures inspired by the comics. There’s also now a second series titled “The Lost Years” (2023), a continuation of “The Last Ronin”.
“The Lost Years” acts as both a prequel and a sequel to the original series, and introduces four brand-new Ninja Turtles, two of whom are female. So, needless to say, “The Last Ronin” has a very promising future, and there’s even a third run on the way.
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“The Last Ronin” has even had an impact outside the comic book community — last year, a short, fan-made film based on these comics found its way onto YouTube, proof that fans are still craving a dark iteration beyond the pages of a graphic novel.
And, in recent weeks, DC and Marvel actor Joe Manganiello revealed on Twitter that he was attached to an R-rated Ninja Turtles spin-off a number of years ago that would have focused on Casey Jones, a character who has appeared in numerous films and shows.
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Meanwhile, the director of twisted “Disney” horror flick Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) said he has its sights set on an R-rated Ninja Turtles horror reboot! While that’s very unlikely to happen, there’s clearly a demand for a dark version of Ninja Turtles across the board.
Whether or not a live-action adaptation of “The Last Ronin” will ever happen remains to be seen, but some exciting news does suddenly make it seem all the more likely.
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It has now been confirmed that “The Last Ronin” is getting a video game adaptation. Last year, it was reported that a “AAA” TMNT game was in the works (AAA, or Triple-A, being the gaming equivalent to a massive blockbuster in film), which we suspected might be open-world, but now, we know that it’s “The Last Ronin” project.
Polygon reported the news in an interview with Doug Rosen, Senior Vice President for Games, and Emerging Media at Paramount Global. Rosen said the game, like the comics, would focus only on Michelangelo, although he did say that Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello, who only appear in those comics in the form of hallucinations and flashbacks, could also show up in a playable format in flashback sequences.
Rosen also likened the game to the popular God of War titles (which are also AAA games and are rated as “Mature”), adding that there are opportunities to make TMNT games for both young and older audiences, while stating that The Last Ronin would not be “dialled back to make the game something it shouldn’t be”.
The bad news, however, is that the game is “a few years” from release. Rosen said to expect more news about the upcoming title in the coming months and years.
In the meantime, at least we have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem to look forward to.
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Mutant Mayhem is the seventh theatrical TMNT movie. It follows Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993), TMNT (2007), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016).
Check out the brand-new trailer for Mutant Mayhem below:
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As per Wikipedia, here’s the official synopsis for Mutant Mayhem:
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtles set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a notorious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
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Mutant Mayhem stars Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Micah Abbey (Donatello), Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo), Brady Noon (Raphael), Jackie Chan (Splinter), Ayo Edebiri (April O’Neil), Seth Rogen (Bebop), John Cena (Rocksteady), Hannibal Buress (Genghis Frog), Rose Byrne (Leatherhead), Ice Cube (Superfly), Post Malone (Ray Fillet), Paul Rudd (Mondo Gecko), Maya Rudolph (Cynthia Utrom), Natasia Demetriou (Wingnut), and Giancarlo Esposito (Baxter Stockman).
Mutant Mayhem (2023) will be released in theaters on August 4, 2023.
Related: ‘Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ Full Characters and Cast Guide
Are you excited for “The Last Ronin” video game? We know we are! Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!