Paramount wants to “Sonic-fy” their “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise.
THR reports that the studio has big plans to reboot its live-action film franchise based on the popular ’80s comic book, and they involve “Sonic The Hedgehog” producer Neal H. Moritz. Paramount is in talks with Moritz and Toby Ascher‘s Original Films banner for the pair to make a new film that blends live-action with CG animation, similar to the three recent ultra-lucrative “Sonic” movies. If Moritz and Ascher sign on, their film will be the first live-action “TMNT” picture since “Out Of The Shadows” in 2016, which, fans will remember, bombed hard at the box office. But Paramount sees a winning formula with the “Sonic” films, and thinks Moritz’s touch could revive the IP. “If you want “Sonic,” you go to the guy who did “Sonic,”” one insider told the outlet.
Paramount’s new plans for “TMNT” do upend some other previously scheduled projects, however. TV show “Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is officially canned, with the studio shutting down the animated series in the middle of production this Fall. Showrunner Christopher Yost confirmed the news on Threads last week, stating that “the upcoming episodes of “Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” will sadly be the last. Luckily, they’re our best episodes yet.” And “The Last Ronin,” a hard-R-rated live-action/CGI “TMNT” project from “Nobody” director Ilya Naishuller, will also be scrapped, at least for now. An insider tells THR the studio may leave the door open to revisit the project later, but they don’t want their first live-action “TMNT” film in a decade to be a bloody, adult-minded affair.
The new plans at Paramount for “TMNT” aren’t a complete overhaul, however. A sequel to the 2023 animated film, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” a film that did very well critically and in theaters, is still on the way from producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and director Jeff Rowe. That movie bows on September 17, 2027. However, Paramount thinks “TMNT” has more potential beyond animated films, and that Moritz will tap it. On paper, it’s a savvy move for the Skydanced-owned studio: Moritz’s three “Sonic” films have made over $1 billion at the global box office; not bad for franchise based on a popular Sega video game whose heyday was over three decades ago.
It’s entirely possible that Moritz may have the magic touch for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” As far as live-action/CG hybrid films go, the “Sonic” franchise is family-friendly and appeals to all age demographics (save for initial CG model of Sonic itself). This move makes sense for Paramount, but let’s wait and see if this plan indeed prints money like the studio expects.
