Fans looking forward to the sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem will have to wait a little longer, as the film has been delayed nearly a year. 2023’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was the relaunch the 40-year-old franchise needed, giving a new animated spin on the heroes in a half-shell that emphasized the teenage aspects of the characters. It was easily the best-reviewed entry in the franchise, garnering 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and bringing in $181 million at the worldwide box office, which, combined with merchandise revenue, made it one of the most successful entries in the franchise.
Variety reports that Paramount Pictures has delayed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem sequel from its announced 2026 release date to Sept. 17, 2027. Its original release date, Oct. 9, 2026, has since been taken by another Paramount and Nickelodeon animated production, The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender. This delay now means the sequel will arrive over four years from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which opened on Aug. 2, 2023.
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The Future of the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’
As of this moment, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the only film currently set for release in September 2027. While it avoided the potential animated box office showdown between titles like Toy Story 5, Shrek 5, Minions 3, Super Mario World, and Ice Age 6, the Ninja Turtles sequel will open in the same year as the highly anticipated and long-delayed Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. 2027 is already shaping up to be a big year with Avengers: Doomsday, Star Wars: Starfighter, Frozen III, The Legend of Zelda, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and The Batman Part II all set for release.
The delay for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel is certainly disappointing, given that Mutant Mayhem ended with the tease of The Shredder as the upcoming villain. Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a 2D animated series that fills the gap between the first and second Mutant Mayhem films, debuted on Paramount+ on Aug. 12, 2024. A second season was ordered before Season 1 aired and will likely air before the sequel hits theaters.
This delay to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem‘s sequel now raises concerns about the potential returning voice actors. Part of what was so refreshing about Mutant Mayhem was that the characters truly sounded like teenagers, as the young cast gave the titular heroes a youthful energy missing from many adaptations. However, with a four-year gap between sequels, the sequel now runs into the same issue plaguing the upcoming season of Stranger Things, in that the cast will age and eventually grow out of their roles. The young voice actors for the Ninja Turtles could record their lines in advance. Yet if this franchise continues past the second film, they might need to recast, which could risk losing some of the magic that made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem so successful.
Source: Variety