Critics loathed the last movie iterations of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise from 2014 and 2016, respectively: a live-action revamp seven years after the previous 2007 animated film. Now after another seven years, Paramount reboots “TMNT” by going back to animation with “Teenage Mutant Ninja Nurtles: Mutant Mayhem,” in theaters next month.
So what does this rendition of the cult ’80s media franchise have going for it? Well, this take on “TMNT” sees Paramount team up with Nickelodeon and Point Grey Pictures (aka the production hub for Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Jeff Weaver), with “The Mitchells Vs. The Machines” director Jeff Rowe at the helm. Sound intriguing to anyone else?
Here’s an official synopsis for “Mutant Mayhem,” courtesy of Paramount:
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
A new animated “TMNT” movie wouldn’t be complete without a new voice cast ensemble to headline it. And that’s what fans get here, with Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Hannibal Buress, Rose Byrne, and Nicolas Cantu leading the way. Other voice cast includes John Cena, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Natasia Demetriou, Ayo Edebiri, Giancarlo Esposito, Post Malone, Brady Noon, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and Maya Rudolph.
As noted earlier, Rogen, Goldberg, and Weaver co-produce “Mutant Mayhem” through Point Grey. Executive producers on the film include Ramsay McBean and Josh Fagen. Kyler Spears co-directs with Rowe. Rogen, Goldberg, and Rowe also team up to pen the screenplay with Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, from a story by Rogen, Goldberg and Rowe & Brendan O’Brien.
So how will “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” fare with critics and audiences next weekend; better than 2007’s “TMNT“? With the major success of “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse,” another CGI animated film, earlier this summer, maybe the latest rendition of the ’80s cult franchise fares better than the past three installments. “Mutant Mayhem” hits theaters everywhere on August 2. Watch a new trailer for the film below.
