Credit: New Line CinemaLast year, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans were disappointed when Paramount announced it had shelved the planned film adaptation of IDW Publishing’s hugely popular comic book series, The Last Ronin, despite the project already being in development.
What Is The Last Ronin?
Co-written by Tom Waltz and TMNT franchise co-creator Kevin Eastman, with artwork by Esau and Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, and Eastman, the story of The Last Ronin was originally conceived by Eastman and Peter Laird (the other creator behind the franchise) back in 1987. The original five-issue run was released between October 2020 and April 2022.
It focuses on the lone surviving Ninja Turtle, Michelangelo, in a dystopian and futuristic New York City, where he sets out to avenge the deaths of his brothers, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello. While the timeline remains separate to IDW’s ongoing TMNT series, it takes place in its own universe (the “Roninverse”), and has since been followed by The Last Ronin – Lost Years, the one-shot comic Lost Day, and The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution.
The Last Ronin Remains Popular
While there’s been no word for some time, there’s also a video game adaptation in development with Black Forest Games, with THQ Nordic set to publish it for major platforms. Unfortunately, though, the film version, which would have been R-rated and live action, was canceled last August following the merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media. Former head of DC Films, Walter Hamada was on board as producer and Tyler Burton (2019’s Child’s Play reboot) was said to be penning the script.
When it was confirmed the project had been shelved, it also came to light that Ilya Naishuller (Nobody) had been in talks to direct. At the same time, Paramount confirmed it was instead moving forward with a more family-friendly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, which will blend CG with live action. Producer Neal H. Moritz has been appointed to oversee the project following his work on the studio’s hugely successful Sonic the Hedgehog film trilogy.
To make matters worse, Collider reported earlier this year that Judith Hoag, who played April O’Neil in the original 1990 film, was expected to reprise her role in The Last Ronin.
The TMNT Franchise Is Expanding
Fortunately, a new Last Ronin comic series is also coming later this year. It’s set between issues #3 and #4 of the first run of The Last Ronin, focusing on Michelangelo during a 24-hour period as he trains Casey Marie Jones, the daughter of April O’Neil and Casey Jones.
Clearly, The Last Ronin isn’t going anywhere, even as the wider TMNT franchise continues to expand.
In addition to the untitled reboot, 2023’s Mutant Mayhem is getting a sequel. A YouTube series aimed at preschoolers, titled Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles, releases this year. And themed pizzerias are set to open in Santa Monica, Monterrey, Mexico, and São Paulo, Brazil.
The Last Ronin Gets New Adaptation
As for the Last Ronin film, Kevin Eastman told Entertainment Weekly in February that he thinks the project has only been temporarily shelved. For now, we’re being treated to an official novelization of the original comic run, releasing today, June 2.
Per Abrams Books, The Last Ronin novel “reimagines the bestselling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles graphic novel in an action-packed noir novel, perfect for fans who grew up with the Turtles.” Written by Erik Burnham (IDW’s Ghostbusters), it includes original black-and-white illustrations from the Escorza Brothers.
For many fans, The Last Ronin is a loose continuation of the original 1990 film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While Eastman and Waltz have said that, in terms of canon, their story is more closely linked to the original Mirage Comics, they also said it could serve as a sequel to any TMNT story, citing Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns as an example.
“The Dark Knight Returns, for me, works so well, because if somebody really wants to say, ‘It’s Adam West’s future,’ it could be Adam West’s future, because all the basic elements are there for a Batman story,” Waltz told IGN. “I think it [The Last Ronin] works so well in a generic sense, because there’s just certain elements of Turtles that you have to hit, and everybody knows those things by now. Most people know what those things are, where they come from, that you can write this kind of story and let people fill in the blanks as they want.”
It’s also worth noting that Hoag’s involvement with the now-canceled big-screen adaptation strongly suggests it would have doubled as a sequel to the original 1990 film.
Will you be reading The Last Ronin? Are you disappointed the film has been shelved for now? Let us know in the comments!
