Although San Diego Comic-Con has been greatly watered down this year due to the ongoing writers and actors strikes, there have still been some exciting announcements to come out of the event. During the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Hall H panel, TMNT franchise creator Kevin Eastman made a surprise appearance, revealing that the original 1987 animated series has been acquired by Nickelodeon and Paramount.
“We just found out today — this is breaking news — Nickelodeon and Paramount have secured the rights to broadcast the original cartoon series,” Eastman announced. “[It was] the beginning. The first time those characters came to life with voices and movement, and Chuck Lorre wrote an amazing theme song for us back in the day before he was Chuck Lorre. It’s so fantastic. We’re so excited to announce this, so congratulations to all of us. We get to see it again!”
All 193 episodes of the original animated series will air digitally on Nickelodeon's channels later this month, including YouTube and Pluto TV.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series ran from 1987 to 1996 was based on the comic book series created by Eastman and Peter Laird. It adopted a more family-friendly tone but still followed the titular turtles — Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael — across New York City as they battled Shredder, Krang, and other villains.
The arrival of the animated series later this month comes just before the latest TMNT movie hits theaters. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is slated to arrive on August 2. Written and directed by Jeff Rowe, who is making his feature directorial debut, and co-directed by Kyler Spears, the film follows the four Turtle brothers in a uniquely CG-animated adventure.
The synopsis reads:
In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, 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.
Fans in attendance at the Hall H panel this week were treated to an extensive first look at the upcoming movie, while those of us online received a very brief teaser showing the brothers as young turtle tots.