The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise has been around since 1983 and has been around media of all kinds. From comic books to TV shows, this franchise has been modernized so that even children know who they are. The most recent and best example is the newest addition to the franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, directed by Seth Rogan.
This movie is a revamp to this generation of kids and teenagers so they can relate to the characters. It even went as far as using current slang words like “rizz” and “hype” as well as having social media influencers like Mr. Beast who make a small guest appearance. It also has a unique artstyle similar to Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse, another movie modernized so that children know who Spider-Man is. With some of the highest review scores from reviewers and audiences alike, this movie has the possibility of being the best animated and up to date film of the year.
Another big form of media that the TMNT franchise is involved in are video games. The newest addition to be added is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin. Even though TMNT is mainly targeted to kids, this game takes the turtles on a much darker route than most forms of media, but it will still modernize the franchise so more kids and teens know who they are. Unfortunately, they only showed a teaser trailer for the game and no gameplay or story, so we have to go to the comics to get a sense of what will be happening in the game. The Last Ronin is originally a comic book by Kevin Eastman and Peter Lair, the original creators of TMNT, where there is only one turtle left to avenge the rest of his family. It is also the final story of the TMNT that the original creators have been making for over 30 years.
This can bring up a lot of questions, like what will happen with the franchise after the game is released? Is this the last TMNT movie that we will see? To be honest, it’s probably not the end of the TMNT franchise. There was a post-credit scene with the Shredder, the main antagonist, making an appearance. With Mutant Mayhem doing really well in the first week of release, we can probably assume that there will be a sequel to the movie. As for the franchise itself, it will most likely be given to someone else and receive a reboot to the franchise. TMNT is a valuable series and will continuously be modernized to fit in the media for years to come.
