There are few franchises that can change as much as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and somehow always remain unmistakably Turtles.
For one generation, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo might immediately bring back memories of the 1987 animated series. Someone else grew up with a completely different animated team, discovered them through comics or met the brothers through one of their many big-screen adventures. And now, even preschoolers are getting their own introduction to the heroes in a half shell.
Paramount doesn’t see those different versions as something that needs to be separated.
Instead, it wants to build an entire world around them.
Ahead of Brand Licensing Europe, Paramount Vice President, Products and Experiences, EMEA Ruth Henriquez spoke with Toy World about the company’s plans for the franchise, revealing that 2027 is expected to be only the beginning of a much larger period of TMNT activity stretching through 2028 and into 2029.
At the center of those plans is something Paramount is calling the “World of TMNT,” a unified visual identity designed to bring together the franchise’s history across television, movies, comics, games, products and experiences. Rather than choosing one definitive version of the Turtles, the concept celebrates the fact that different generations have their own Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey.
That might be one of the smartest things Paramount can do with a franchise that has been reinventing itself for more than four decades.
As Henriquez explained, one person’s version of TMNT might be completely different from another’s, but that individual connection is precisely what makes the property genuinely multigenerational. Nostalgia certainly matters, but Paramount isn’t interested in allowing the Turtles to exist solely as something parents remember from childhood.
There are still new fans to make.
That is already happening with “Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles,” which uses YouTube-first content to introduce the characters to preschool audiences. Instead of waiting until kids are old enough for another version of TMNT, Paramount now has an entry point specifically designed to let some of its youngest viewers meet the brothers.
Meanwhile, older kids and longtime fans continue to have their own parts of the franchise through publishing, gaming and screen projects. It creates an interesting ecosystem where TMNT doesn’t necessarily have to age toward one audience at the expense of another. Different versions can meet fans wherever they happen to be.
And 2027 is going to put that idea to the test in a major way.
The year will include the next “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” movie as well as the 40th anniversary of the beloved 1987 animated series. One represents the continuing future of the franchise, while the other celebrates one of the versions that helped turn the Turtles into a cultural phenomenon in the first place.
Then comes 2028, when Paramount is planning a live-action/CG hybrid TMNT movie.
Yet even that apparently isn’t the end of the current roadmap.
Henriquez revealed that Paramount is already discussing late 2028 and early 2029 with some partners, explaining that the company continually looks at where the franchise will be three years into the future. In her words, 2027 is really the “kick-off” for everything planned for the Turtles over the following three years.
So, yes. Turtle Power is about to get considerably busier.
Consumer products will naturally be a major part of that expansion, with Paramount exploring toys, fashion, accessories and other categories while looking for additional ways fans can interact with TMNT. Retail conversations are already underway, and the franchise has plenty of history to build upon after collaborations spanning apparel, collectibles, footwear and even partnerships with brands including Lush, McDonald’s and Burger King.
But Paramount’s approach isn’t simply about putting four familiar turtles onto as many products as possible.
The characters themselves provide a surprising amount of room to play. There is the comedy, the action and the music, but underneath all of it sits something that has remained remarkably consistent through TMNT’s many reinventions: four brothers and the relationship between them.
That allows one collaboration to look completely different from another without losing what makes the Turtles recognizable.
It also helps explain why the “World of TMNT” idea could be particularly important going forward. Paramount doesn’t have to ask fans to leave their favorite version behind every time another interpretation arrives. The 1987 cartoon can celebrate 40 years while “Mutant Mayhem” continues its own story, preschoolers discover “Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles” and another interpretation prepares to arrive on the big screen in 2028.
They can all be Turtles.
For a franchise that has spent decades being rebooted, redesigned and reintroduced, that feels like a particularly fitting way to approach its future. Every generation gets an entrance into the sewer, while the characters, brotherhood and unmistakable Turtle Power connect everything together.
And if Paramount considers 2027 merely the beginning?
It sounds like Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo have a very busy few years ahead of them.
Cowabunga.