JUNE 20, 2018 11:59am PT by Borys Kit
New 'Ninja Turtles' Movie in the Works With 'Bad Words' Writer (Exclusive)
Paramount is ready to say 'Cowabunga' once again.

The heroes in a half shell are coming back for more pizza.

Paramount is developing a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and has hired Andrew Dodge, the writer behind the Jason Bateman comedy Bad Words, to pen the script.

Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller will produce the feature via their Platinum Dunes banner. The company was behind the studio’s horror hit A Quiet Place.

Paramount has made two Ninja Turtles movies based on the 1980s cult comic by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird that spawned a pop cultural phenomenon in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first movie, released in 2014, grossed $493 million worldwide while 2016’s installment, subtitled Out of the Shadows, showed the limits of the franchise with $245 million. Neither were hits with critics.

However, both were made before the arrival of chairman Jim Gianopulos, who has made it a priority to clean up the studio’s slate and refocus its franchises. Insiders are hoping to bring a patina of quality as they relaunch the franchise.

It’s all in the name: Ninja Turtles tell the adventures of four mutated turtles, named after Renaissance artists and in their teens, who protect New York City using ninja skills acquired from a humanoid rat.

Dodge made a splash with Bad Words, a script that made the Hollywood Black List of praised screenplays and was turned into a directing and starring vehicle for Bateman. Since then, the writer has worked on projects such as Space Jam 2 and O’ Lucky Day, the latter which has Peter Dinklage attached to star.

He is repped by CAA, Grandview and Gang Tyre.

Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies and Point Grey Productions have set an all-star voice cast for their upcoming CG-animated theatrical feature Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Seth Rogen revealed on Saturday.

The Point Grey principal, who voices mutant warthog Bebop, made the announcement at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday night in an appearance alongside lead cast members Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu and Brady Noon. Abbey will voice Ninja Turtle Donatello, with Brown Jr. as Michelangelo, Cantu as Leonardo and Noon as Raphael.

Others lending their voices to the film heading to theaters on August 4 include Hannibal Buress as Genghis Frog; Rose Byrne as Leatherhead; John Cena as Rocksteady; Jackie Chan as Splinter; Ice Cube as Superfly; Natasia Demetriou as Wingnut; Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil; Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman; Post Malone as Ray Fillet; Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko; and Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom.

The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film is an original story following the crime-fighting Ninja Turtles as they protect the sewers and streets of New York City. 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 (Edibiri) 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.

Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines) directed the pic marking Nickelodeon’s first-ever CG-animated theatrical production. Point Grey Productions’ Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver produced, with the company’s Lukas Williams co-producing and its own Josh Fagen overseeing the project. Nickelodeon Animation and Paramount Animation President Ramsey Naito and Jason McConnell have overseen production for Nickelodeon, with Paramount to handle the film’s worldwide distribution.

“We are beyond thrilled by this world-class cast we’ve assembled to bring these iconic, beloved characters to life in a new chapter of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe,” said Naito in a statement. “This really sets a new bar for this globally celebrated franchise, and we can’t wait to show audiences this film.”

An enduring kids’ franchise created in 1984 by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began its life as a comic book series which spurred a hit animated TV show, a live-action series and numerous blockbuster theatrical releases. The property is a global consumer products powerhouse that has generated billions by way of toys, apparel, video games, DVDs and more. Nickelodeon most recently revitalized it with the CG-animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2012, with a 2D animated series titled Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles following in 2019.

The first teaser for Mutant Mayhem is set for release on Monday.

Only in theatres August 4, 2023.

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.