The Adult TMNT Movie Fans Were Waiting For Is ‘Put On Hold’

I'm sure there are bigger Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans than me. But, I'm willing to bet there's not many. I've been obsessed with the Turtles since the very first time I saw the original movie as a kid in 1990. The toys, the movies, the cartoons, the posters, the comics...when it comes to 'nerdy stuff', they've been as big a part of my life as Spider-Man or Batman.

And arguably, one of the best comic book stories of the last decade or so is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin. The original 5 issue mini-series was released between October 2020 & April 2022. The story, written by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz, follows the last living Turtle as he tries to avenge the death of his brothers.

It's like Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns for the Turtles - a little darker, a little more mature, not cannon, but absolutely phenomenal. Can't recommend it enough.

In fact it was SO GOOD that a few sequels have been released, and there were talks about a video game and movie adaptation were in the works. However, and it breaks my heart to say this, at least one of those projects have been shelved.

The Last Ronin Movie Has Been "Put on Hold"

According to several reports yesterday, it appears that the Last Ronin movie adaptation is no longer happening. According to Variety, Paramount wants a family friendly version of the Turtles right now and not a dark, adult oriented film. In fact, in all the reports, Paramount allegedly wants to put the 'Sonic the Hedgehog' touch to the franchise.

For all of us adult TMNT fans, this news is pretty heartbreaking. I know I'm personally bummed that this is the direction Paramount is deciding to move towards. However, there is a bit of a silver lining.

According to all the reports that came out yesterday, The Last Ronin project isn't dead. They're just pumping the breaks a bit. Allegedly, the film will remain in development and they still see the project as viable and worth revisiting in the future. Just don't expect any forward momentum any time soon.

There's Still Plenty Of Turtles to Enjoy

If you're a TMNT fan, this news is a bit of a bummer. However, it's not all bad news. Allegedly, the Last Ronin game is still in development - which is good. Plus, the comics are on a pretty darn good run. Jason Aaron, who in my humble opinion is one of the best comic writers in the industry, just finished a fantastic 12 issue run on the Turtles. There's a new creative team set to takeover that shows some promise.

So, young or old, there's plenty of REALLY cool TMNT stuff to enjoy. We'll just have to wait a while longer for a proper Last Ronin movie. Who knows, maybe when they relaunch the franchise, the response will force them to create more Turtles content.