Everyone's favorite band of misfit, sewer-dwelling heroes are set to make their return to the big screen later this summer in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and now a new set of posters have been released ahead of the film's trailer drop. This comes after a recent announcement by Paramount Pictures that the movie would be released two days earlier than initially planned, hitting screens on August 2. The film will be the franchise's first theatrical outing since the Dave Green-directed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016).
Mutant Mayhem will see Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michaelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu) and Raphael (Brady Noon) venture out from the sewers in order to make their way in the world as normal teenagers. However, when they meet their new friend April O'Neill (Ayo Edebiri), they will find themselves overridden by an army of mutants in a quest against a mysterious crime syndicate. The new film was directed by Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears and is written by Seth Rogen — or "perpetual teenager", as he is named in the film's teaser trailer. Rogan also appears in the film alongside John Cena, as they star as fan-favorite characters Bebop and Rocksteady. Joining them in the cast is Natasia Demetriou, Maya Rudolph, Ice Cube, Post Malone, and Hannibal Buress.
Mutant Mayhem will usher in a fresh beginning for the long-running franchise, set in an entirely new continuity from its predecessors. The film will see its heroes aged down (even going so far as to have its titular cast of teenage turtles played by actual teenagers) while donning a striking new art style. While the animation style makes little effort to hide its influences (the Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse comparison is apparent) it stands as a far cry and fresh of breath air from the series' last, Michael Bay produced, cinematic efforts, which drew criticism for the uncanny depiction of its half-shelled heroes, who felt more like aliens than they did teenagers.
The Long Road to Mutant Mayhem
The upcoming film is the latest in a long line of iterations of the franchise, which first debuted as a comic all the way back in 1984. Originally conceived as a joke, the idea began as a parody of edgy, self-serious superhero comic books, however quickly found fame in its first on-screen adaption in 1987. It wasn't long before the Turtles made their first big screen outing, as 1990 saw the release of the franchise's first live-action film. Now, 33 years later, the turtles return to the big screen in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which will be released in theaters on August 2. You can check out the new posters for the film above, as well as the teaser trailer, below.