The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are gearing up for an enormous return to theaters over the subsequent few years, with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 touchdown in fall 2027 and a brand new live-action reboot scheduled for 2028.
Whereas we wait to see what Paramount has cooking, a fan-made undertaking simply dropped that hits more durable than something formally introduced to date. It’s uncooked, badass, and targeted on the Turtle who’s all the time carried probably the most hearth… Raphael.
YouTuber John Likens lately launched a brief fan movie TMNT: Raphael: Take a look at Footage, and it completely rips! The movie throws the sai-wielding Ninja Turtle right into a brutal subway showdown towards the Foot Clan, delivering a gritty, grounded tackle the character that leans absolutely into his rage and interior battle.
This model of Raphael exists in a “world the place brotherhood is examined, violence has penalties, and Raphael’s rage is each his biggest weapon and his biggest flaw.”
The motion is intense and bodily, however it by no means drifts into overly bloody violent territory. It’s tough, visceral, and sharp with out going full R-rated carnage just like the deserted The Final Ronin adaptation might need.
When you preferred the lighter tone of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem however nonetheless crave one thing darker for longtime followers, this scratches that itch in an enormous manner.
Likens could be very clear concerning the model of the franchise he desires to see delivered to life, and he mentioned:
“That is Raphael Unleashed. The model of the Ninja Turtles I’ve all the time wished to see on the massive display. Enter into the darker aspect of the TMNT universe. A world the place brotherhood is examined, violence has penalties, and Raphael’s rage is each his biggest weapon and his biggest flaw.
“It’s TMNT pushed to its limits: visceral, dramatic, and a hell of numerous enjoyable to observe.
“Let’s honor the long-lasting roots of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles whereas viewing it by a darker, cinematic lens. A grounded motion thriller full of chaos, battle, and brutal martial arts, whereas carrying the emotional depth and high-stakes drama of a status collection.
“A protracted standing purpose of mine is to create a TMNT movie or episodic collection. Paramount Photos, should you’re listening… Let’s Speak.”
That imaginative and prescient feels proper on course. There’s no cause the Turtles can’t crack jokes, devour pizza, and nonetheless be thrown into one thing harmful and emotionally heavy. If the Mutant Mayhem movies are constructed primarily for youthful audiences, why can’t the subsequent live-action take goal on the followers who grew up with the franchise and wish to see the stakes pushed larger?
As for the official way forward for the franchise, the subsequent live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film is presently set for November 17, 2028, with Mutant Mayhem 2 arriving earlier on September 17, 2027.
The reboot is being produced by Neal H. Mortiz, whose credit embrace Quick & Livid and Sonic the Hedgehog. Following Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount Photos, the studio is reportedly aiming to totally unlock the franchise’s potential.
This can mark the primary live-action TMNT movie since Out of the Shadows hit theaters again in 2016, and Moritz was introduced on with the concept of “Sonic-fying” the Turtles for a brand new period.
Whether or not or not Paramount ever reaches out to Likens, this fan movie proves there’s a severe urge for food for a darker, extra grounded tackle the heroes in a half shell. It’s badass, emotionally charged, and precisely what followers would like to see in a film!
