Paramount is moving ahead with yet another new iteration of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” film franchise. But this time, instead of relying on Michael Bay and his production company, the studio has done a complete reversal and decided to enlist the help of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to make an animated version of the classic action franchise.
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According to Deadline, Paramount has teamed with Rogen, Goldberg, and their Point Grey production company to reboot ‘TMNT’ for the big screen. And instead of live-action, like the previous two films, the studio is using CGI to create an animated version of the franchise. The new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” will be directed by Jeff Rowe and written by Brendan O’Brien (“Neighbors 2”).
“Adding Seth, Evan, and James’ genius to the humor and action that’s already an integral part of ‘TMNT’ is going to make this a next-level reinvention of the property,” said Brian Robbins, President, Kids & Family for ViacomCBS. “I’m looking forward to see what they do, and I know that Ramsey Naito and her team are excited to take the Nick Animation Studio into another great direction with their first-ever CG-animated theatrical.”
Rowe is probably best known as a writer of the animated series “Gravity Falls” and Netflix’s “Disenchantment.” He’s also the co-director of the upcoming animated feature film, “Connected,” which is expected to finally arrive in theaters on October 23.
As mentioned, this new ‘TMNT’ is the latest attempt from Paramount to revive the film franchise. Previously, Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes production company handled the 2014 live-action reboot and its 2016 sequel. Both were moderately popular when they hit theaters but didn’t necessarily live up to the massive budgets. Before that, there was actually another CG version of the heroes in the 2007 film, ‘TMNT.’ But again, that film failed to revive the franchise on the big screen. Clearly, Paramount is willing to try anything to get the ‘Turtles’ back to relevance on the big screen.
There’s no release date set for the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” but if you’re wanting to get your franchise fix, Nickelodeon and Netflix are teaming up for a 2D animated film version of the franchise, which should be arriving soon.