Credit: Nickelodeon Movies / Paramount PicturesAs 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the pizza-munching half-shell heroes, who made their debut in Mirage’s grungy comic books in 1984, several new TMNT comic books, video games, TV shows, and movies are either being churned out as we speak or are in the works.
But what has really caught the attention of fans is the fact that two of those installments will be adapted from the incredibly popular IDW Publishing comic book series “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin” (2020), which is getting a video game and a live-action film.
However, while The Last Ronin movie and The Last Ronin game will likely prove to be huge successes within their respective mediums, it’s the Mutant Mayhem side of things — which is aimed towards younger fans — that’s currently getting a huge slice of the action.
The TMNT Mutant Mayhem Cinematic Universe
The Mutant Mayhem cinematic universe started with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023), the 3D-animated movie reboot that grossed $180.5M on a $70M budget. It was also a hit with many OG fans and critics, while appealing to a new generation.
So popular, in fact, that there are a number of official follow-ups in development. A movie sequel tentatively titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 (2026) has been given the green light, while this year will see the arrival of two sequels on the small screen.
First, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2024), an animated television series set after the events of the 2023 film but which abandons the 3D animation in favor of 2D (although it carries over the same designs), is heading for Paramount+.
Watch the official trailer below, per Paramount+:
Related: Goodbye, ‘Mutant Mayhem’: R-Rated ‘Last Ronin’ Movie Teaser Arrives Online
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sees the return of several actors from the Mutant Mayhem movie, including Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo), Brady Noon (Raphael), Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Micah Abbey (Donatello), and Ayo Edebiri (April O’Neil).
Picking up after the film, it follows the four brothers as they navigate life in high school while dealing with a brand-new mutant enemy. Now, the trailer for another Mutant Mayhem sequel just dropped: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed” (2024).
“Mutants Unleashed” is an upcoming, third-person beat-’em-up platform game that also follows the 2023 film. Similar to the new television series, it finds the Turtles in high school as they deal with a new wave of mutant-related attacks on their home, New York City.
Watch the official trailer below, per IGN:
While the game looks like a lot of fun, it’s a little disappointing to see that the graphics have suffered a huge drop in quality compared to the movie.
The 2D-animated Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will prepare us for that drop in quality, but there’s just something a bit off-looking about “Mutants Unleashed”.
Compared with many recent TMNT video games — 2022’s “Shredder’s Revenge”, for instance, while based on old arcade-style beat-’em-ups, is gorgeous — sadly, the upcoming beat-’em-up “Mutants Unleashed” just looks quite rushed, which shows in the trailer.
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Hopefully, though, the graphics don’t affect the gameplay. But let’s face it — OG TMNT fans spent their childhoods playing highly pixelated games in which the half-shell heroes took on mutants throughout New York. Of course this game looks better than some of those entries.
Either way, the Mutant Mayhem cinematic universe — and with it, the wider TMNT franchise — continues to grow.
Mutants Unleashed will be released on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows on October 18.
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles begins streaming on Paramount+ on August 9, and Mutant Mayhem 2 is scheduled for release in theaters on October 9, 2026.
Are you a fan of Mutant Mayhem? Or are you more excited about The Last Ronin? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!