The acquisition was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 during Paramount's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Hall H panel
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| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 | Credit: Everett Collection |
Cowabunga! The original 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series is coming to Nickelodeon.
Update - Read the official press release below for details:
In advance of the Paramount Pictures release of the brand-new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem theatrical film, exclusively in theaters on August 2, Nickelodeon is expanding the beloved franchise again with the acquisition of the original 1987 animated Fred Wolf TMNT series (193 x 22-min episodes, 1987-1996).Under the deal, Nickelodeon has acquired global rights to the storied 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.Nickelodeon Movies and award-winning Point Grey Productions’ Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver are producing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The film marks Nickelodeon’s first-ever CG-animated theatrical production, in partnership with Ramsey Naito and Jason McConnell, who are overseeing production for Nickelodeon. For Point Grey, Lukas Williams is co-producing and Josh Fagen is overseeing as an Executive Producer. Paramount Pictures will handle worldwide distribution of the film, which is slated to hit theaters August 2, 2023. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is directed by Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines, “Gravity Falls”, “Disenchantment”).Considered one of the most popular kids’ franchises, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 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 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and then reimagined the Heroes in a Half-Shell with the 2D-animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2019.
Ahead of the theatrical release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Nickelodeon has acquired global rights to the storied Fred Wolf series, which follows the adventures of the heroes in a half-shell — Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo.
Under the deal, all 193 episodes of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — which ran from 1987-1996 — are slated to debut digitally on Nickelodeon later this month in the U.S., followed by Nickelodeon-branded channels and digital platforms internationally.
The acquisition was announced Thursday (July 20) at San Diego Comic-Con during Paramount Pictures’ Hall H presentation for Mutant Mayhem. The iconic franchise’s latest installment hits theaters on Aug. 2. Mutant Mayhem director Jeff Rowe and franchise co-creator Kevin Eastman were on hand to preview the new movie, repping for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle crew at the slimmed-down Comic-Con in the wake of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which prevented writers and actors from attending the convention.
Eastman — who made a surprise appearance on the panel — announced the news to the Hall H crowd.
The comic book legend (who was celebrating his 38th convention appearance) also shared his praise for Rowe’s take on the turtles in the new movie. “I’m so proud of what you guys have done. This movie is brilliant,” Eastman said, recounting the first time he saw footage of the movie. “15 minutes in and I go, ‘When are you starting the sequel?'”
Produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Point Grey Productions’ Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver, Mutant Mayhem marks Nickelodeon Animation’s first-ever CG-animated theatrical production. The film follows the Turtle brothers — Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Raphael (Brady Noon) and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) — who, after years of being sheltered from the human world, set out to “win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts.” With the help of their new friend April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), the Turtles take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Mutant Mayhem also features a star-studded supporting cast, including Rogen, Hannibal Buress, Rose Byrne, John Cena, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Post Malone, Paul Rudd and Maya Rudolph.
Created in 1984 by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuted as a comic book series and then became a global mega-hit with the animated 1987 Fred Wolf series. A live-action TV series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation followed, as well as numerous film adaptations, including 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, its two sequels and the 2007 CGI movie TMNT. Nickelodeon brought new life to the franchise in 2012 with the CG-animated series followed by the 2D-animated series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2018, while Paramount rebooted the project on the big screen in 2014 with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its 2016 sequel Out of the Shadows.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Point Grey, in partnership with Ramsey Naito and Jason McConnell, who are overseeing production for Nickelodeon. For Point Grey, Lukas Williams is co-producing and Josh Fagen is overseeing as an executive producer.
Catch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, only in theatres August 2, 2023!
Stream Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!
Stream Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie on Netflix!
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Originally published: July 20, 2023 at 20:57 BST.
