One of the cool things about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is that, over their many years of existence across multiple forms of media, they have been presented in just about every way. From the all-ages comics, cartoons, and video games, to extremely dark, mature-themed stories of vengeance. But we’ve never had the dark version of the TMNT on the big screen. Paramount, hot on the heels of the success of Mutant Mayhem, has decided it’s time to change that.
Paramount announced at CinemaCon a live-action adaptation of IDW Comics’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin. The R-rated feature will have a script by Tyler Burton Smith, writer of the uber-violent revenge movie Boy Kills World starring Bill Skarsgard.
The Last Ronin takes place in a totalitarian future NYC, where most of the TMNT, Splinter, and even Casey Jones are all dead. The town is being ruled with an iron fist by the grandson of Shredder, who is responsible for their deaths. One turtle survived the assault, however, and after a period in exile, returns to the city to seek vengeance for his fallen brothers, using all of their weapons.
TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman wrote the original comic series with Tom Waltz. They returned for a prequel comic in 2022, and a sequel in 2023. [THR]