Credit: Paramount PicturesWhile other mega franchises like Marvel and DC are suffering, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have had a great few years. In 2020, TMNT: The Last Ronin (2020) arrived, a dark comic series that offers a fresh take on everyone’s favorite pizza-munching reptiles.
And this year, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) took the box office by storm, bringing in an entirely new generation of fans who’ll likely remember this time later in life with as much fondness as we do the original ’87 cartoon series.
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A sequel to the 3D-animated film has already been greenlit, and there’s a 2D animated follow-up series titled Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2024) heading for Paramount+ in 2024. Fortunately, The Last Ronin shows no signs of stopping, either.
While TMNT: The Last Ronin is a dark and dystopian comic book series that finds Michelangelo grieving the loss of his three brothers, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael, and his father, Master Splinter, the future is looking just as bright on this side of the franchise.
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There’s a “Triple-A” video game currently in development, and there’s a new follow-up titled TMNT: The Last Ronin II — Re-Evolution (2024) hitting shelves next year, which follows The Last Ronin, Lost Years (2023), and Lost Day (2023).
While the focus is on Michelangelo, the comics also introduce four new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Odyn, Yi, Moja, and Uno, two of whom are female.
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Now, a brand-new TMNT: The Last Ronin trailer has arrived online, and it sees the hot-headed Raphael going toe to toe with Karai, the formidable daughter of The Shredder and General of the Foot Clan.
But this is no ordinary trailer — it’s an ad showcasing the NECA toy line inspired by the The Last Ronin comics, which uses impressive stop-motion animation featuring the figures themselves. Check it out below, courtesy of the official NECA YouTube channel:
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The sequence is lifted directly from The Last Ronin, which reveals how Raphael meets his maker, but not without putting Karai into a decades-long coma. The two battle it out on the docks before plunging into the river, where Raphael sustains a fatal wound by Karai’s blade.
The action figures on display are the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (The Last Ronin) – 7″ Scale Action Figure – Ultimate Karai” and the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (The Last Ronin) – 7″ Scale Action Figure – Ultimate Raphael,” as depicted in The Last Ronin comics.
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We also see the Splinter and Leonardo action figures in the trailer. An unverified Reddit leak from earlier this year also teases Donatello and the “Synjabots” figures from The Last Ronin. Two versions of Michelangelo (The Last Ronin) are already available for purchase.
This trailer feels somewhat bittersweet, though. The idea of a film adaptation of The Last Ronin excites fans, and though we’re happy enough with the fact that there’s a video game currently in the works, it’s disappointing to learn that a film isn’t on the cards.
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Earlier this year, TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman confirmed that Nickelodeon has no plans for a film based on the hugely popular comic book series, instead opting for the video game route. It seems Nickelodeon is focusing its efforts on a Mutant Mayhem shared universe.
In the meantime, it’s still fun to imagine what The Last Ronin film might look like.
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We recently fan-cast a number of actors into the role of Michelangelo and April O’Neil, and we considered which directors would be best suited to helm the film, following a call from fans for The Dark Knight trilogy director Christopher Nolan to take on the project.
There’s also an impressive CG-animated short film on YouTube from creator Speedokaggen.
Check out the trailer for TMNT: The Last Ronin (The Game) below, courtesy of PlayStation:
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Check out the trailer for Mutant Mayhem below:
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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 is now available to watch at home.
Would you like to see The Last Ronin adapted into a film or a television series? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!