Credit: (Far left) Netflix (Left) 20th Century Studios (Right) Marvel Studios (Far Right) DC/Warner Bros. (Front) NickelodeonWhile we wait for the smallest slice of news about the new live-action Ninja Turtles reboot, we’ve no choice but to imagine which actors could take on the titular Turtles and all their human friends and not-so-human enemies. And so, naturally, our minds gravitated toward the Marvel and DC franchises, seeing as that’s where most actors are working these days!
The Seth Rogen-produced, CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) will be arriving in theaters this summer, and though the film looks like huge fun, deep down, we want to see the Ninja Turtles back in live action.
Whether or not we’ll get a big-screen adaptation of the popular comic book series “The Last Ronin” remains to be seen, but for now, here’s our casting for a more “traditional” TMNT reboot…
Elizabeth Olsen — April O’Neil
We’ve already fan-cast Elizabeth Olsen as April O’Neil, and you could say that making it onto yet another list makes her the most ideal candidate to pic up the mic and don the yellow jumpsuit. While we last saw Olsen play the nefarious Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), we’re still used to seeing her play one of the good guys, and who better than April O’Neil? Just look at those red locks!
Related: What’s the ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Ninja Turtles’ Crossover About?
Donald Glover — Donatello
Donald Glover “oozes” charm, especially as Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), although we don’t get to see much of him as Aaron Davis/Prowler in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). However, the reason we’ve picked him as our Donatello (in motion-capture and voice only, of course) is due to his role as Rich Purnell in sci-fi flick The Martian (2015), who’s a socially-awkward physicist, all perfect traits for this Ninja Turtle.
Related: ‘TMNT’ Prequel Follows ‘Ghostbusters’ Reboot, Replaces Beloved Heroes With Female Turtles
Frank Grillo — Casey Jones
Frank Grillo is the most rough-around-the-edges actor we can think of, and he’s certainly no stranger to kicking butt, whether it’s as Leo Barnes in The Purge: Anarchy (2014) and The Purge: Election Year (2014), or as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016). As such, he’d make a great Casey Jones in a Ninja Turtles reboot — the hockey stick-wielding vigilante.
Related: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Gets R-Rated Prequel
Tom Holland — Michelangelo
We can’t think of any other Marvel actor who’d be more suited to playing Michelangelo than Tom Holland, who is, of course, best known for portraying Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When it comes to the Ninja Turtles, Michelangelo is often considered the “baby of the group”, and though Tom Holland is anything but a baby, he does have that vulnerable, wide-eyed, and playful nature to him.
Related: What Is the New Female ‘Ninja Turtles’ Sequel About?
Anthony Mackie — Raphael
Anthony Mackie has spent his entire MCU career as Sam Wilson/the Falcon, soaring high through the skies as he heads into battle alongside his fellow Avengers. But now, we think it’s time he spent his crime-fighting days down in the sewers and on the New York City streets, as we think he’d make a perfect Raphael — the hot-headed Ninja Turtle who likes to kick butt first and ask questions later!
Related: R-Rated, ‘Logan’-Inspired ‘Ninja Turtles’ Installment Confirmed
Robert Pattinson — Leonardo
Now it’s time for a DC Universe superhero to enter the fold, and Robert Pattinson, who plays Bruce Wayne/Batman in Matt Reeves’ blockbuster hit The Batman (2022), definitely has the leadership quality required to play the Ninja Turtle Leonardo. He also has the perfect-sounding voice to pull off a Turtle who speaks with a lot of command, and perhaps he could even adopt the other voice while in crime-fighting mode!
Related: First, Female Ninja Turtles, Now ‘TMNT’ Eyed For R-Rated Horror Reboot
Liam Neeson — Master Splinter
There is no other actor more perfectly suited to the role of Master Splinter than Liam Neeson. Not only has the Irish A-lister already played several similar leader-like roles, such as Ra’s al Ghul/Henri Ducard in Batman Begins (2005) and Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999), but his voice also carries both a soothing and serious sound, perfect traits for the Ninja Turtles’ oftentimes “zen” and spiritual sensei.
Related: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Gets an R-Rated Reboot
Jeffrey Wright — Baxter Stockman
As you can see, we’re not done with Batman movies just yet, and The Batman‘s Jeffrey Wright, who plays Commissioner Jim Gordon, is our Baxter Stockman, the scientist responsible for creating mutant warriors in the TMNT universe. Wright is great at playing both good guys and bad guys (check out 2011’s Source Code), so having him play someone who has a dual-persona like Baxter Stockman (he turns into a fly) makes a lot of sense.
Related: ‘TMNT’ Sequel Kills Off Original Heroes, Officially Replaces Them With Female Turtles
Hiroyuki Sanada — The Shredder
Hiroyuki Sanada is a phenomenal actor who deserves his big break as a major villain. While he did play Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion in Mortal Kombat (2021), he doesn’t get anywhere near enough screentime, which is why we think he’d make the best Oroku Saki/The Shredder yet. Oddly enough, while not a Ninja Turtle, Sanada has already battled a “Ronin” in Avengers: Endgame (2019), in the form of Hawkeye’s dark alias!
Related: All the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Movies Ranked Worst to Best
Vin Diesel — Rocksteady
We know that a certain Fast and Furious star will be voicing mutant rhinoceros Rocksteady in the upcoming CG-animated film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, however, there’s another star from the same franchise we think would make a perfect Rocksteady! Yep, Dominic Toretto himself, more formerly known as Vin Diesel, but also known as Groot in the MCU, has both the size and the sound to pull off the mutant rhino!
Related: ‘Ninja Turtles’ Reboot Teaser Revealed, A-List Cast Seemingly Gender-Swaps Two Characters
Dave Bautista — Bebop
While it would seem that Drax actor Dave Bautista will now be taking on more serious roles following his departure from the MCU (after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, of course), his physique and comedic style would make him a perfect Bebop — the mutant warthog and Rocksteady’s partner in crime. But deep down, maybe it’s just a way of us seeing Drax and Groot back together on the big screen again!
Related: ‘Ninja Turtles’ Reboot Gets Official Title and Release Date, Potentially R-Rated
Will any of these Marvel and DC actors ever get to play a Ninja Turtles character? Never say never, but for now, at least we have Mutant Mayhem to look forward to, which does feature Paul Rudd! Check out the brand-new trailer for Mutant Mayhem below:
Related: Which ‘Ninja Turtles’ Characters Have Been Gender-Swapped In the Reboot?
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.
Related: Is the New ‘Ninja Turtles’ Film Canon With Any of the Previous Installments?
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
What do you think of this fan-casting? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!