In the latest of “thing from your childhood turned dark, gritty, and violent” news, a new live-action, R-rated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is in development, as The Hollywood Reporter details.
Adapting the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin storyline, the film is set to be quite a pivot from last year’s successful animated feature Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Tyler Burton Smith — co-writer of the upcoming Boy Kills World and 2019’s Child’s Play — is set to helm the script, while Paramount Pictures will oversee.
Despite its cartoony connotation, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has surprising precedent for more adult-oriented stories. The original 1984 series launched as a black and white independent comic and was both inspired by and poking fun at the work of Frank Miller, Chris Claremont, and ’80s Marvel. Subsequent toy deals, televised cartoons, and the 1990s films helped to foster a more child-friendly, colorful reputation.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin contrasts such a reputation. The story takes place in a totalitarian future and features descendants of Shredder killing the main cast one at a time. The comic run was a massive hit and led to a sequel series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution.
The yet-to-be-titled R-rated film isn’t the only Turtles project in the works. An animated squeal to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is currently in development. Additionally, another live-action interpretation (distinct from the R-rated one) was announced in 2021, with Collin and Casey Jost set to pen the script.