Paramount Hired a Writer for a New TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Movie

The heroes in a half shell are one step closer to coming back to the silver screen with The Hollywood Reporter breaking the news that a new writer has been hired to write a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie – Andrew Dodge.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of the most successful franchises from the 1980s. Starting as a comic book series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird which took aim at ‘dark and gritty’ comic books of the era the Turtles evolved into kid-friendly series who all know and love. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been adapted into numerous animated shows, five live-action movies, an animated movie and a live-action TV series – there was even a crossover with the Power Rangers.

Paramount Pictures chairman Jim Gianopulos is prioritizing the studio focus on its franchises. Michael Bay’s production company Platinum Dunes is set to produce, having already made the previous two films in the franchise: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. It is unclear if the new film would be a continuation or a reboot.

Platinum Dunes has a negative reputation of Michael Bay’s involvement and the companies early slate of horror remakes. However, to be fair to the company they have had a better output of horror films like The Purge series and A Quiet Place and have a fine catalog of TV shows.


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Andrew Dodge only has one film credit to his name, Bad Words, a fouled mouthed comedy that was met with solid if unspectacular reviews. He is also attached to write Space Jam 2. It is far from a reassuring sign that an unknown writer is hired for a franchise film, but we do not know what he has in his portfolio. Considering Dodge’s credits the news TMNT film could either be a family-friendly movie or be a slightly darker entry.

Kieran Freemantle
Kieran Freemantle
I am a film critic/writer based in the UK, writing for Entertainment Fuse, Rock n Reel Reviews, UK Film Review and Meniscus Sunrise. I have worked on film shoots. I support West Ham and Bath Rugby. Follow me on Twitter @FreemantleUK.