Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin (film)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is an upcoming American superhero film directed by Adam Wingard. Based on the IDW Publishing miniseries of the same name, the story sees the surviving member of the Ninja Turtles seek vengeance in a city run by Shredder II. Dane DeHaan provides both the motion capture and voice of the Last Ronin. The film will be released on October 1, 2025, by Paramount Pictures.
== Premise==
In the near future, the Ninja Turtles were ambushed by Shredder II, grandson of the original, and his Sakura Clan. All but one of the turtles, and their Master Splinter, were assassinated, and their home was left to ruins. Now, the remaining member, going only by the Last Ronin, and battles through the now Sakura-enforced city, rebranded as Aratana, to take vengeance on his family's murderer. Meanwhile, old friends offer a helping hand to the Ronin, but he is reluctant to accept in favor of keeping them safe.
==Cast==
*Dane DeHaan as the Last Ronin: The mysterious surviving member of the (formerly Teenage) Mutant Ninja Turtles.
*Milla Jovovich as April O'Neill-Jones: A news reporter and an old friend of the Turtles.
*Jenna Ortega as Casey "Cass" O'Neill-Jones Jr.: Daughter of April and Casey O'Neill Jones Sr.
*Gael Garcia Benal as Casey O'Neill-Jones Sr.: Private detective who is the father of Cass and husband of April.
*Aoi Takeya as Oroku Hiroto / Shredder II: Shogun of the Sakura Clan, new incarnate of the Foot Clan.
*Rinko Kikuchi as Oroku Karai: Hiroto's mother, and Empereor of Aratana.
* Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Oroku Saki / Shredder I: Former shogun of the Foot Clan, father of Karai, and grandfather of Hiroto.
*Brian Tee as Oroku Daich: Karai's husband (who took her family name), and father of Hiroto.
==Production==
In August 2023, following the release of the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Paramount Pictures Corporation announced that a live-action film adaptation of the comic miniseries Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin was in active development for their Paramount Players and Nickelodeon Movies banners. Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller's Platinum Dunes returning to produce after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016) and were joined by frequent Bay collaborator Ian Bryce, David Leitch and Kelly McCormick's 87North Productions, as well as executive producers and Mutant Mayhem collaborators Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver's Point Grey Pictures, with Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Scott Rosenberg, and Jeff Pinkner's Midnight Radio following the former two's involment in the Platinum Dunes-produced films
===Writing===
Wingard enlisted Terry Rossio and Simon Barrett, who wrote the story for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), to help make a story treatment. Wingard insisted on deviating in some aspects to distance from the video game adaptation of The Last Ronin which was also in development at the time. These changes included some name changes, and the original Casey Jones remaining alive. Screenwriter Doug Jung was hired later on to help Barrett scribe the screenplay.
Rogen, who emphasized on the teenage aspects on Mutant Mayhem, gave his approval on the more adult-take on the Ninja Turtles. Wingard explained:"Seth [Rogen] and company did a fantastic job making the turtles feel like actual teenagers in Mutant Mayhem. It was a bit hard to have to go against that so soon with our film, but the reality is that the Turtles, or just Turtle, in this film is not a teen anymore. In that way, I felt a little relieved that we don't have the pressure to emulate the same feeling again... I didn't want to complete shy away from it though, so we wanted our interpretation of the [Last] Ronin to have a sort-of "arrested development" piece to him.
==Release==
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin will be released theatrically on October 1, 2025, by Paramount Pictures. The release date commemorates the 5th anniversary of the comic's first issue.
==Trivia ==
*When director Adam Wingard asked Paramount Chairman/CEO Brian Robbins if they aim for an R-rating, the latter replied "you know we can't have a Nickelodeon property be R-rated, right?"