The idea of a Seth Rogen-produced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie seems like one of those situations where it’s too good to be true. Rogen, who has contributed to comedy both on camera and behind the scenes over the past 20-plus years, producing a new movie about the "heroes in a halfshell" is a match made in heaven, but also something you think would never happen. Well, luckily for everyone who grew up watching those totally tubular turtles before falling in love with movies like Superbad and Pineapple Express, this is actually happening.
This year Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem will land in theaters and offer a new and totally unique spin on the beloved movie and TV show franchise. If this is the first you’re hearing of it, don’t worry because we’re about to break down some truly righteous information on one of Rogen's exciting upcoming projects.
What Is The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Release Date?
It seems like it was just last week we were talking about the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cast, and now we’re going on about another movie from the TMNT franchise that will be coming out on August 4, 2023. But unlike the 2022 Netflix movie based on the Nickelodeon series of the same name, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem won’t be on a streaming service (not at first, anyway) but instead on the silver screen.
We will get to see what Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and their Point Grey Pictures have in store when the animated movie opens in theaters during a jam-packed summer blockbuster season..
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Cast Includes Jackie Chan, John Cena, Seth Rogen And More
When Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem opens in theaters this August, it will feature a cast of relative newcomers taking on the titular roles, in addition to some serious star power behind some of the property’s biggest supporting characters and villains. During the 2023 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards (via Variety), Seth Rogen revealed that Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu and Brady Noon will be taking on the roles of Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael, respectively. And though those names may be new to most audiences, the rest of the cast is anything but.
It has also been revealed that Jackie Chan will be taking on the role of Master Splinter, Seth Rogen will play Bebop, and John Cena will voice Rocksteady (the second time a former WWE Champ has played the character). Other members of the voice cast include Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil, Hannibal Buress as Genghis Frog, Rose Byrne as Leatherhead, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, Ice Cube as Suplefly, Post Malone as Ray Fillet, Maya Rudloph as Cynthia Utrom, Natasha Demetriou as Wingnut, and Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman.
However, there is no word on who will be playing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ sworn enemy, Shredder, in Mutant Mayhem.
The Movie Will Follow The ‘Heroes In A Half-Shell’ As They Set Out To Protect New York City
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem will follow the “Heroes in a Half-Shell” as they attempt to make their mark on the world by becoming the sworn protectors of New York City. According to the movie’s official website, Mutant Mayhem will follow the young heroes as they set out to prove their merit – and be accepted as normal teenagers – through various acts. Luckily they have April O’Neil on their side, as Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo will need all the help they can get to take down a mysterious gang as well as an army of mutants hellbent on destruction.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teaser Introduces The Titular Heroes And Other Iconic Characters
The world finally got a proper look at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem in March 2023 with the release of the movie’s first teaser trailer. In addition to featuring one of the best A Tribe Called Quest songs (Can I Kick It?), the trailer did a masterful job of showing off the movie’s core group of half-shelled heroes, their struggles, and that incredible hand-drawn animation style that has become all the rage as of late. Check it out below
Again, this is just a teaser, meaning not too much about the upcoming comic book and cartoon adaptation is revealed in its sub-two-minute runtime. But be on the lookout for more footage from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem to debut in the coming weeks and months as we get closer to its August release.
The Mitchells Vs. The Machines Director Jeff Rowe Is Helming Mutant Mayhem
Back in June 2021 when the then-untitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated movie was in the early stages, Deadline reported that Jeff Rowe, one of the directors behind the sensational The Mitchells vs. the Machines, was brought on to helm the project written by Neighbors scribe Brendan O’Brien.
One of the best animated movies of 2021, the Netflix original movie did a tremendous job of tapping into the imagination of a teenage girl, which should be a good sign for Rowe’s work on Mutant Mayhem. If Rowe, who also served as a writer on Gravity Falls, is able to capture that magic again with the August 2023 movie, the franchise could go in a really cool direction, especially if we get to see more awesome movie references.
Seth Rogen Has Said Mutant Mayhem Will Hone In On The Teenage Element Of The Ninja Turtles
One aspect of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that Seth Rogen has not forgotten when it comes to Mutant Mayhem is that the titular heroes in a half-shell are supposed to be young, immature, and growing as they fall into their their roles as crime-fighters on the streets, and in the sewers, of New York City. When speaking with Collider about the project in 2022, Rogen had this to say about the element the movie will hone in on:
As a lifelong fan of Ninja Turtles, weirdly the 'Teenage' part of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was always the part that stuck out to me the most. And as someone who loves teenage movies, and who’s made a lot of teenage movies, and who literally got their start in their entire profession by writing a teenage movie, the idea of kind of honing in on that element was really exciting to us. I mean, not disregarding the rest, but really using that as kind of a jumping off point for the film.
Rogen doubled down on this idea in June 2021 when he responded to Twitter users who presented him with a potential cast that included Steven Yeun, Donald Glover, Aaron Paul, and Danny Pudi as the fearless, pizza-loving warrior by saying he was “casting teenagers.”
In an extensive interview with Variety in June 2022, Paramount chief Brian Robbins explained that Rogen and his producing partner Evan Goldberg were “brilliant choices” to reboot the property and because “no one can tell stories about teenagers better” than them. Robbins also called the pair “passionate” and “super nerdy” when it comes to the Ninja Turtles.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem's Look Was Said To Be Inspired By Notebook Sketches
During the 2022 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, SlashFilm reported that director Jeff Rowe revealed that the look of the upcoming animated movie was inspired by the types of sketches he would make in his notebook back in school, which is more crude than what you'd normally expect from a fully 3D-CG production. This description also sounds a lot like the image Seth Rogen teased on Twitter in June 2021 that featured random doodles, scribblings, and text.
The movie, which is being made with the help of Mikros Animation and Cinesite, per Animation Magazine, features an art style that gives off vibes of 2019’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which was also used in 2022 movies like The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
Well, that is everything we know about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem at this point. Expect to hear more about the animated feature and the other exciting 2023 movies in the coming months.
