The live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies produced by Michael Bay were moderate box office successes. However, a noteworthy decline in takings for the second instalment made it clear the Transformers director's approach to the franchise wasn't resonating with longtime fans or younger viewers.
Turned into Hulk-like superheroes and played by adults, much of the awesome foursome's charm was lost, and Paramount Pictures decided to go back to the drawing board.
Now, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg is right around the corner. Between the unique Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse-inspired animation style and all-star voice cast, it's hard to escape the feeling this reboot will be anything other than a hit.
In a profile on Brian Robbins, the CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, Variety (via Toonado.com) reveals just how far-reaching the studio's plans are for the new Heroes in a Half-Shell.
"Robbins is so bullish on what Rogen and Goldberg have delivered that he’s developing a sequel," confirms the trade. "In a sign of how much the entertainment business is changing, Paramount and Nickelodeon will also produce two seasons of a streaming series with the voice cast from the movies that will serve as a 'bridge' between the films."
A second movie and two seasons of TV? Needless to say, TMNT fans just got a very good reason to be excited about where the reboot will take them, and the property is one Paramount is clearly serious about. We'd hazard a guess that another live-action movie is likely off the table, though.
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.
Directed by Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is set to be released in theaters on August 4, 2023.