Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was the best-reviewed Turtles film ever made and one of 2023's genuine surprises, a hand-drawn-looking animation with teenage voices in the teenage roles. Its sequel has now been dated three times, has confirmed two villains without casting either, and has not shown a frame of footage. Here is where it stands.
When is Mutant Mayhem 2 coming out?
13 August 2027 in the United States, according to Paramount's February announcement. That is the third date the film has had. It was originally set for October 2026, moved to September 2027 in May of last year, then pulled forward a month to August. Paramount says the summer slot gives it a clearer run at family audiences, which is a reasonable reading; the less charitable one is that the studio's merger with Skydance has reshuffled everything on its slate. No UK date has been confirmed.
Who are the villains?
Shredder and Krang. Both were confirmed on 16 April at CinemaCon, not with footage but with a video message from producers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver. Director Jeff Rowe has described the film as villain-forward and built around Shredder, who was teased in the first film's final scene and never seen. Krang is the more interesting choice: the brain in the robot body has not been in a Turtles film since Out of the Shadows in 2016, and a version drawn in Mutant Mayhem's sketchbook style is a promising thought. Neither villain has a voice actor announced.
Who is returning?
Rowe directs again, with Yashar Kassai and Kyle Spears co-directing. The four turtles are the same four teenagers: Micah Abbey as Donatello, Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo, Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo and Brady Noon as Raphael, with Ayo Edebiri back as April O'Neil. Jackie Chan's Splinter and Maya Rudolph's Cynthia Utrom are listed as returning in most coverage, though Paramount has not restated either.
What happened to Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
It was cancelled. The Paramount+ series that bridged the two films was ended after its second season in November, one of a number of casualties of the post-merger restructuring, and that final season has been airing weekly on Nickelodeon since July. Paramount is reported to be exploring licensing the series elsewhere. For the film, the practical effect is that the audience will arrive in August 2027 with the first film four years behind them and no series in between.
Why does it matter?
Because the first film worked in a way Turtles films generally do not. It was funny, it looked like nothing else in the multiplex, and it took the idea of four teenage brothers seriously enough that the jokes landed. A sequel that puts Shredder at the centre is the obvious next step, and the delays, so far, look like scheduling rather than trouble. The absence of footage after eighteen months is the thing to watch.
Halidom's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles editions are open now.