2023 Will Bring The TMNT Franchise Into A New Era

In a year where we are being blessed with anticipated animated films such as Super Mario Bros. and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, there stands one film that is staying under the radar, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. TMNT: Mutant Mayhem has quietly been in production since 2020 and as small bits of information now make their way from out of the sewers, fans are starting to get curious.

What We Know So Far

Back in 2020 Nickelodeon Animation Studios announced that a new TMNT film was in production in association with Paramount Pictures. The surprising aspect of this announcement was that Point Grey Pictures would be producing. Point Grey is the production company is under the leadership of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, not particularly known for family friendly types of films.

In the directors chair is Jeff Rowe, best known for his writing on the Netflix Original Disenchantment and co-directing The Mitchells Vs. The Machines. Writing the script is Brendan O’Brien, who has has previously written comedies for Point Grey Pictures such as Neighbors, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and The House.

The Cast (or lack thereof)

There are rumors and unconfirmed cast lists on various sites. Even a Google search turns up the likes of Dylan O’Brien, James Marsden, and Shamon Brown Jr. The problem is that none of those have been confirmed.

The only information we have is that the production, Seth Rogen in particular, is looking to have all 4 turtles voiced by actual teenagers (or at least very authentic teenager voices). Since there only rumors swirling at this moment, can we collectively manifest a role for Keno?!

What To Expect?

First off, Seth Rogen has been adamant about his focus on the “teenage” aspect of the turtles franchise. It’s something he feels is rarely focused on and happens to be one of his specialties (think Freaks and Geeks, Superbad, and Drillbit Taylor). Secondly, a lot of comparisons of this films animation style has been to that of Into The Spider-Verse.

That would make a lot of sense coming from director Jeff Rowe as well considering the same style was used in his film The Mitchells Vs. The Machines. Lastly, the films name seems like a slight hint at the plot. “Mutant Mayhem” would indicate that there will be a large number of mutants causing a ton of trouble all over the city. If that does end up being the case, I think it’s only logical that we can expect an appearance from the Krang.

And Finally, My Thoughts

With everything I’ve found I can’t help but think that the movie will be a big success. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are big fans of the franchise. I do feel that most fans will focus too much on the aspect of Seth Rogen’s previous work and his style of mature comedy, but his talent for storytelling is undeniable.

I believe that he will be able to adapt in a way that will be fun and engaging for kids and adults alike. Nickelodeon wouldn’t have trusted him otherwise. Director Jeff Rowe’s involvement with The Mitchells Vs. The Machines is also a bright spot in my high hopes for this film. That movie ended up being Netflix’s most viewed animated work. It was also lauded by critics and was even nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Animated Feature category. In my opinion, there is reason to believe that this could end up being a surprise box office and critical hit much like Spiderman: Into The Spider-Verse did in 2018.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem in scheduled to open in theaters August 4th, 2023. The website for the film is live https://www.teenagemutantninjaturtlesmovie.com/ but there is nothing more than a logo available to interact with at the time of this post.