Credit: New Line CinemaTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans were left shell-shocked when Paramount said it had canceled the planned film adaptation of IDW Publishing’s The Last Ronin. The live-action film, which had former head of DC Films Walter Hamada and writer Tyler Burton (2019’s Child’s Play reboot) attached, would have been the first R-rated project for the franchise.
Collider later reported that actress Judith Hoag, who played April O’Neil in the original 1990 film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, was expected to reprise her role as the character in The Last Ronin, suggesting the film would have doubled as a sequel to the beloved ’90s classic.
But this news only rubbed salt in the wound for many fans.
The Last Ronin follows a lone surviving Ninja Turtle in a dystopian and futuristic New York, where he sets out to avenge the deaths of his three brothers, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello.
The story has been a runaway success for the franchise since it was first published in 2020. Co-written by Tom Waltz and franchise co-creator Kevin Eastman, with artwork by Esau and Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, and Eastman, The Last Ronin began as a five-issue run that was released between October 2020 and April 2022, before evolving into multiple follow-ups that include The Last Ronin – Lost Years and The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution.
In fact, The Last Ronin became so popular that a a video game adaptation was announced in addition to the now-canceled R-rated film.
Related: New ‘TMNT’ Movie Could Introduce Franchise’s First LGBTQ+ Ninja Turtle
Now, a brand-new trailer has been revealed at Summer Fest. Developed by Platinum Games and published by Paramount Games Studio, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is an AAA action-adventure game.
Watch the trailer below:
There’s no release date for the game. However, a novelization of the original five-issue comic run is now available.
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.
The book is now available, but if you’re yet to get your hands on a copy, Polygon has shared an excerpt, which you can check out here.
As for the film, while there’s still hope that might happen, especially after Kevin Eastman told Entertainment Weekly in February that he thinks the project has only been temporarily shelved, for now, the “Roninverse” is at least continuing across other media.
There’s also an upcoming comic series titled Training Day releasing soon.
Will you be reading The Last Ronin? Are you disappointed the film has been shelved for now? Let us know in the comments!
