A beloved and (usually) family-friendly 80s franchise is getting abloody and brutal R-rated adaptation. While their comic book origins were far more violent, theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleshave since become a beloved icon for kids. However, this new take, which is now confirmed to be moving forward, will take the mutant teenagers back to their roots.
Created by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz and Andy Kuhn with art from Kuhn and Ben Bates, the comic book arc “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin” began back in 2020 and ran for five issues. Announced back in April last year,the live-action adaptation of the more adult-oriented story, which will drop audiences into a post-apocalyptic world and follow a lone Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle as he attempts to come to grips with the loss of his beloved father and brothers, it has now been confirmed byDeadlinethat the R-rated take on theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesis going ahead.
While few further details have been provided, it is likely thatThe Last Roninmovie will follow a similar path to the source material. Whichshould provide a very different take on the franchisethan audiences are used to. You can check out the official synopsis for the comic below.
“Who is the Last Ronin? In a future, battle-ravaged New York City, a lone surviving Turtle embarks on a seemingly hopeless mission seeking justice for the family he lost. From legendary TMNT co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, get ready for the final story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles three decades in the making!”
‘The Last Ronin’ Is a ‘Dark Knight Returns’-Esque Story for the Turtles
The live-action adaptation of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin” is produced by Walter Hamada for Paramount Pictures, withBoy Kills WorldandChild’s Play’sTyler Burton Smith reportedly writing the script. No director or cast members have yet been announced, thoughTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleswriter Tom Waltz, whose contributions to the franchise include various video games and comics and “The Last Ronin” comic book sequel “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution,” wants to see theoriginal star of the 1990 live-actionTMNTouting, Judith Hoag, to return as April O’Neil in the upcoming R-rated outing.
The Last Roninmovie promises something starkly different to anything that’s come before, with creator Kevin Eastman having previously described the arc as “like a Dark Knight Returns sort of final Turtles story.”
“When Tom Waltz and I worked through the first 100 issues at IDW, the incredible turtle universe we built over there, we were looking like, ‘Well, where do we go from here? I pulled out this story that Pete and I wrote, and I said, ‘How about we do this? This is kind of like a Dark Knight Returns sort of final Turtles story, but the door’s open to go other places depending on if people don’t hate us after they see the ending.”
AlongsideTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, the beloved foursome will also return in animated form, with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2set for release on June 22, 2025.
