Cowabunga, dudes! In advance of the Paramount Pictures release of the brand-new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem theatrical film, exclusively in theaters on August 2nd, Nickelodeon is expanding the beloved franchise again with the acquisition of the original 1987 animated Fred Wolf TMNT series.
Under the deal, Nickelodeon has acquired global rights to all 193 episodes of the hit series, which follows the adventures of the beloved characters—Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo—as they battle the Shredder, Krang and other villains and criminals. The series is slated to debut digitally later this month in the U.S., followed by Nickelodeon branded channels and digital platforms internationally.
The news was revealed today during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2023. The Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon movie follows the Turtle brothers as they set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts after years of being sheltered from the human world. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Considered one of the most popular kids’ franchises, TMNT is a classic, global property created in 1984 by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. It first debuted as a successful comic book series and then became a hit animated TV show, a live-action television series and later spawned numerous blockbuster theatrical releases. The property is a global consumer products powerhouse, winning in every category that has hit shelves to date—with toys, apparel, video games, DVDs and more—and generating billions of dollars at retail.
Nickelodeon brought the franchise to life again in 2012 with the CG-animated series TMNT and then reimagined the Heroes in a Half-Shell with the 2D-animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2019.
Don’t forget to check out the trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
Directed by Jeff Rowe, the film stars Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown, Jr., Hannibal Buress, Rose Byrne, Nicolas Cantu, John Cena, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Natasia Demetriou, Ayo Edebiri, Giancarlo Esposito, Post Malone, Brady Noon, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Maya Rudolph.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem arrives in UK cinemas on July 31st, 2023.
