A live-action, R-rated adaptation of a fan-favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book, The Last Ronin was hotly anticipated by fans before its development was shut down last year. Now, it's been revealed that an original TMNT movie star was set to star before the hammer came down.
The franchise's first live-action April O'Neil, Judith Hoag, recently appeared at Big Lick Comic-Con in Roanoke, VA, where she shared some interesting news about the now-cancelled movie. During a panel moderated by Collider's Maggie Lovitt, Hoag revealed that she had been approached to appear in The Last Ronin film adaptation before it was shelved.
Hoag revealed her involvement in the film during a panel with fellow TMNT star Ernie Reyes Jr., who portrayed Keno in its sequel, Secret of the Ooze. She expressed hope that the project might eventually be revived, as well:
"Yes, I've been approached, and I'd be happy. It would be a great bookend for me. And maybe that happens and maybe it doesn't. We'll see."
Hoag was emphatic in her praise of the comics series, calling it "a wonderful story," and suggested that the Paramount executives who cancelled the project didn't understand the fans of the property: "Maybe you need to go to a comic con and spend some time with the fans."
What Is 'The Last Ronin'?
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| Image via IDW |
Based on a story treatment written back in 1987 by original TMNT creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, The Last Ronin was expanded into a full comic book miniseries in 2020 with Eastman on scripting duties with Tom Waltz; it was drawn by Esau and Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop, and Eastman. It tells the tale of a future New York City ruled by Oroku Hiroto, the grandson of the Shredder, and his synthetic Foot Clan ninjas. Splinter, Casey Jones, and three of the Ninja Turtles are all dead, leaving only one Turtle to oppose the Foot; it is eventually revealed which Turtle brother became a grim warrior. He eventually joins forces with an aged April O'Neil and her daughter, Casey Marie Jones, who are part of a resistance movement, to avenge his family and liberate the city.
Following its success, a prequel/sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin - Lost Years was released in 2023, and follows Michelangelo's training leading up to his confrontation with Hiroto interspliced with Casey Marie Jones mentoring the next generation of Turtles (Odyn, Moja, Uno, and Yi).
In July 2023, a sequel was announced, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution, which follows the events of The Last Ronin and The Lost Years as Odyn, Moja, Uno, and Yi protect the streets of New York with their sensei, Casey Marie Jones. The series ended with the tragic death of another beloved character.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin III has been speculated, but has yet to be formally announced. The Last Ronin series has been officially dubbed the Roninverse.
A video game adaptation of the first The Last Ronin series is also in development at THQ Nordic.
The live-action Last Ronin film was first announced to be in development in 2024, and Ilya Naishuller (Nobody) was in talks to direct. However, following the Paramount-Skydance merger in 2025, The Last Ronin was quietly shut down in favor of a new, more family-friendly Ninja Turtles film. It will be produced by Neal H. Moritz and is said to be more in line with his successful Sonic the Hedgehog films.
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