Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 Moves Up to August 13, 2027

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 now arrives in theaters on August 13, 2027. Paramount and Point Grey moved the sequel up from its earlier September 17, 2027 date, according to 3DVF.

Jeff Rowe, who directed the 2023 original, is attached to the sequel. Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu and Brady Noon are listed as returning voices for the four brothers, and Ayo Edebiri is expected back as April O’Neil. Rowe has described the follow-up as a villain-forward film, per Screen Rant.

Paramount has also dated a separate, untitled live-action/CG hybrid Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film for November 17, 2028. Variety reports that Neal H. Moritz, the producer behind the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, is producing it, and that it would be the first live-action Turtles film since 2016’s Out of the Shadows.

Plot details for both films have not been announced. Paramount has not said how the animated sequel and the live-action reboot will relate to each other.

A Third Release Date for the Sequel

The August 13 slot is the sequel’s third date. Variety’s coverage was published on February 20, 2026, and the announcement came from Paramount. The film was first slated for October 9, 2026, then moved to September 17, 2027 in May 2025, before the latest change, according to Wikipedia’s production history. Gizmodo noted that the repeated shifts left the film on its third date, with the possibility of more changes in either direction.

Several outlets explained the reasoning behind the new date. JoBlo said the earlier slot gives the film more time with families because children are still out of school in mid-August, and Superhero Hype made the same point about a stronger date for the target audience. Ground News summarized the change as a late-summer showdown, with the film landing near a Warner Bros. film from Tim Miller starring Keanu Reeves and a Universal and Blumhouse title.

The Filmmakers Returning

Variety reports that Rowe directs with co-directors Kyler Spears and Yashar Kassai. Rowe and Spears worked on the first film, and its producers and writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg also return. Point Grey Pictures, co-founded by Rogen, is again the producing studio, and Chris Yost and Alan Wan are listed as executive producers. Mikros Animation announced in a December 2024 press release that it is returning to work on the sequel.

The first Mutant Mayhem opened on August 2, 2023, according to a summary carried by Ground News, and it grossed $181 million worldwide, per Variety. Ground News adds that the film and its licensing helped generate $1 billion in retail sales.

Shredder as the New Threat

Wikipedia describes the premise as the Turtles facing a new and deadly foe, the Shredder, and Atom Tickets lists the same villain, saying Donnie, Raph, Leo and Mikey return alongside Master Splinter, the mutants and April. MovieGuide noted that some observers had speculated about a Shredder showdown as audiences became reacquainted with the series. Paramount has not published a full synopsis, so the villain’s role in the story remains based on those listings.

Paramount’s Wider Turtles Push

The release date change arrived alongside a broader franchise expansion. According to Variety and Tribune, Paramount announced a major toy licensing deal with Mattel beginning in 2027, an illustrated middle-grade book called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splinter’s Dojo, and a novel for adults based on the graphic novel The Last Ronin. The plans also include a preschool-targeted digital series for YouTube titled Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles and themed pizzerias in Santa Monica and Monterrey, Mexico.

The franchise began in 1984, when Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created the characters, and the comic books were first published by Mirage Studios, according to TheWrap. The Turtles are named after Italian Renaissance artists. For fans waiting for the sequel, Gizmodo points to the original film and to the short film Chrome Alone 2: Lost in New Jersey, which is available on Paramount+ as a special feature for the first movie.

The 2028 Live-Action Hybrid

The untitled live-action and CG hybrid film remains separate from the animated sequel. Variety says Paramount added it to the calendar for November 17, 2028, and that Moritz is producing. With the animated sequel opening in August 2027, the studio will have two Turtles theatrical releases in a little over a year.