Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Reboot Movie in the Works

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles last week added a new member to their family. Now they’re returning to CG animation for a cinematic reboot. Nickelodeon is giving the film series a fresh start with a new animated feature from Point Grey Pictures, with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver Producer. Jeff Rowe, known for his work on Gravity Falls and Connected, is directing. Brendan O’Brian (Neighbors: Sorority Rising, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates) is writing the animated film’s script. Paramount Pictures will distribute the new movie internationally. The will be Nickelodeon Animation Studio’s first-ever CG theatrical production. Ramsey Naito, executive vice president of animation production and development, is overseeing production for Nickelodeon. Josh Fagen is overseeing for Point Grey Pictures.

“Adding Seth, Evan and James’ genius to the humor and action that’s already an integral part of TMNT is going to make this a next-level reinvention of the property,” said Brian Robbins, president of kids & family entertainment for ViacomCBS, in a press release. “I’m looking forward to see what they do, and I know that Ramsey Naito and her team are excited to take the Nick Animation Studio into another great direction with their first-ever CG-animated theatrical.”

Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1984 as a comic book series. It then became a hit animated television show, spawning a live-action television series and several blockbuster theatrical releases. This film will be the Turtles’ second CG-animated feature film after 2007’s TMNT.

Nickelodeon rebooted the franchise for television in 2012 with the CG-animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It then launched another reimagining fo the property with the 2D-animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2019. The new film is part of a separate deal from the original animated 2D film based on the current Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series that is in the works at Netflix.

The Turtles last appeared on the big screen in 2016’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, the sequel to the Michael Bay-produced 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action movie reboot. Prior to that, the Turtles had a trilogy of live-action films in the early 1990s. Another live-action reboot is also in development, with Bay’s team returning as producers.

TMNT is the Turtles’ only animated featured film to date, though they have had two other non-theatrical animated films. In 2009, Turtles Forever saw three different iterations of the franchise meet for the first time. In 2019, the Turtles met the Dark Knight in Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.