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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: "Villain-Forward" Sequel

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem sequel will reportedly be "villain-forward" with a focus on the icon and well-loved, Shredder.

Published Sat, 04 Nov 2023 14:17:06 -0500

by Kaitlyn Booth

Last updated Sat, 04 Nov 2023 23:54:07 -0500

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Article Summary

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" sequel will feature a focus on villain Shredder.
Director Jeff Rowe compares Shredder's iconic status to the Joker's.
Rowe plans to focus on the villains in the second movie, following the heroes' origin story in the first.
Hopefully, the Turtles aren't overshadowed by the focus on villains in the sequel.

This has been such a great year for animation, from the fantastic box office run that The Super Mario Bros. Movie had to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse blowing everyone's minds; if you're a fan, you've been a happy camper. One of the films that didn't get nearly enough love at the box office despite being one of the best animation films of the year, and that is impressive considering it's going against Across the Spider-Verse, was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The film got a bit lost in the Barbenheimer insanity, but Paramount and Nickelodeon have faith in the project. Even with the movie underperforming a bit, the planned sequel and TV series that were announced ahead of time are still moving forward. Collider recently spoke to screenwriter and director Jeff Rowe about the upcoming sequel and bringing in the iconic Shredder.

"That is exactly what I am trying to figure out and what my next meeting will be about. That is what we are in the thick of now. Shredder is just a great character. He's an iconic, classic, loved character. He's like the Joker. You know who he is, even if you're not a fan of the source material. I think we definitely wanna do a villain-forward film. We're currently trying to make decisions about that, but those decisions for us as filmmakers are always going to come from the place of what tells the best story, specifically about our main characters, the Turtles."

Point of order, let's not compare every villain in the world to the Joker; there are other well-known villains in popular culture, I promise you. It's also interesting to hear that Rowe plans to go the route many people do, focusing on the heroes and their origins in the first film and then shifting the focus to the villains in the second. However, Shredder has never been the best part of the Turtles, and the Turtles were the highlight of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Let's hope they aren't pushed to the side in the sequel.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – Summary, Release Date, Cast List

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, after years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. 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.

Starring Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Sharon Brown Jr. (Mikey), Micah Abbey (Donnie), Brady Noon (Raph), Jackie Chan (Splinter), Ayo Edebiri (April), Ice Cube (Superfly), Seth Rogen (Bebop), John Cena (Rocksteady), Paul Rudd (Mondo Gecko), Rose Byrne (Leatherhead), Post Malone (Ray Fillet), Hannibal Buress (Genghis Frog), Natasia Demetriou (Wing Nut), Maya Rudolph (Cynthia Utrom), and Giancarlo Esposito (Baxter Stockman)! It was released in theaters on August 2nd.