Credit: New Line CinemaThere’s a lot happening in the world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the franchise celebrates its 40th anniversary.
2024 marks the 40th anniversary of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which started life as a grungy underground (no pun intended) comic book and quickly rose to popularity under Mirage Comics in 1984. Soon after, the half-shell heroes exploded onto the pop culture scene with toys, cartoons, concerts, Disneyland appearances, live-action movies, and video games.
Four decades on, TMNT continues to delight new generations of fans, with the most recent theatrical reboot, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023), having been a huge critical and financial hit, so much so that a sequel is already underway.
Related: ‘Mutant Mayhem 2’ Could Feature Four Brand-New Ninja Turtles
Now, with its future on the silver screen secure, the franchise’s 40-year comic book streak will also continue. Per The Hollywood Reporter, IDW Publishing, which has held the rights to publish TMNT comics since 2011, has renewed its licensing deal with Paramount.
And, to celebrate the franchise’s 40th anniversary, IDW Publishing will release multiple TMNT titles throughout 2024, including the upcoming TMNT: The Last Ronin II — Re-Evolution (2024), which follows on from The New York Times bestseller.
Related: All 5 ‘Ninja Turtles’ TV Shows Ranked
Lourdes Arocho, Senior Vice President, Paramount Pictures Licensing and Publishing, said of the renewal, “We are delighted to continue our relationship with IDW Publishing for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and graphic novels. After 40 years, there are still so many more stories to be told, and we can’t wait for everyone to see what’s next.”
“The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are iconic,” IDW Co-Publisher Mark Doyle said. “They are part of the tapestry of comic book history and I’m honored to be publishing their continuing adventures during this milestone year. Our editor-in-chief Jamie S. Rich and the editorial team have put together an incredible publishing plan that will thrill long-time fans, excite new readers and show why the Turtles stand shoulder to shoulder with the biggest heroes in comic shops all over the world. It’s a great time to be a fan of TMNT!”
Doyle is absolutely right — it is a great time to be a fan of TMNT because there’s a lot happening outside the world of comic books, too.
Here’s what we can expect from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles over the next few years.
The Future of TMNT Explained
TMNT: The Last Ronin — Re-Evolution
TMNT: The Last Ronin II — Re-Evolution is the third installment in the “Roninverse” (think of the second installment Lost Years as “The Last Ronin 1.5″). It will see the return of the four new characters Odyn, Yi, Moja, and Uno, as they become New York City’s next generation of Ninja Turtles under the mentorship of April O’Neil’s daughter, Casey Marie.
Re-Evolution #1 will be released on February 28, 2024.
Related: Upcoming ‘TMNT’ Sequel Reveals Diverse New Ninja Turtles in Action
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2024) is an upcoming 2D animated series set in the Mutant Mayhem universe. The two-season series will will stream on Paramount+ later this year, and will follow on from the film to find the Ninja Turtles at Eastman High.
Last year, @TheOldTurtleDen shared the logo for the series. Check it out below:
First look at the Tales of The #TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles series logo Coming 2024!
First look at the Tales of The #TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles series logo 📺
Coming 2024! pic.twitter.com/3zIGqWiKWU
— 🐢 The Old Turtle Den 🍕 (@TheOldTurtleDen) September 19, 2023
Related: ‘Mutant Mayhem 2’ May Introduce the ‘TMNT’ Multiverse
TMNT: The Last Ronin Video Game
Last August, The Last Ronin fans were in their element when the first teaser for the video game adaptation dropped. Though it doesn’t feature any gameplay footage (or cutscene footage, for that matter), knowing the game is in development is good enough for us.
Check out the official teaser below, courtesy of PlayStation YouTube:
There’s no release date for the game.
Mutant Mayhem Video Game
It’s full steam ahead for the Mutant Mayhem universe. Along with the Paramount+ 2D animated series, a video game tie-in is currently being developed. Outright Games will publish the title but there’s no word on what kind of game it is yet.
Related: Will One of These Actresses Play April O’Neil In the Live-Action ‘Ninja Turtles’ Reboot?!
Untitled Mutant Mayhem Sequel
Unsurprisingly, Mutant Mayhem 2 is already in development. Jeff Rowe is back on board as director, and though no other cast or crew members have been confirmed, it’s highly likely everyone will return. Rowe has already revealed numerous times that the sequel will feature The Shredder, the Turtles’ iconic arch nemesis who was teased at the end of the first film.
Mutant Mayhem is now available to watch at home.
Related: All the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Movies Ranked Worst to Best
Untitled Live-Action TMNT Reboot
The untitled live-action Ninja Turtles reboot is the only uncertain entry on this list.
The film has been in talks since the sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) failed to impress at the box office (despite being much better than its 2014 predecessor), and though Saturday Night Live writers/brothers Colin and Casey Jost have been confirmed to be rewriting the script, there have been no other updates for some time.
This may have something to do with the success of Mutant Mayhem, with Nickelodeon and Paramount likely choosing to focus their efforts on an already-confirmed shared universe.
Related: Will the Live-Action ‘Ninja Turtles’ Reboot Be All-Female?!
More From IDW Publishing
Unsurprisingly, there will be much more TMNT from IDW Publishing this year in addition to The Last Ronin II — Re-Evolution. Expect more from the main run of comics and titles created specifically for the franchise’s 40th birthday.
IDW Publishing’s TMNT comic book run also reaches a milestone this year with the 150th issue of its main series hitting shelves soon.
What are you most excited about from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!