Netflix and Nickelodeon team up for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie
James R | On 08, Feb 2019
Netflix and Nickelodeon are teaming up for a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
The heroes in a half shell have had a somewhat rocky ride on the big screen, with their outings ranging from the live action adventures of the 1990s to more recent CGI fare. The franchise and characters, though, have never really been out of fashion, recently returning on Nickelodeon in the form of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The 2D cartoon follows the quartet of brothers – Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo – along with their ally April O’Neil, as they unlock the secrets of New York City. The show boasts the vocal talents of Ben Schwartz, Brandon Mychal Smith, Omar Benson Miller, and Josh Brener as Leo, Mikey, Ralph, and Donnie, and everyone from Lena Headey to Rhys Darby as its villains. The series will give its name to Netflix’s new feature film, which will produced by Nickelodeon Studios.
The film will not, however, currently be based on the series directly, and there is no word yet on whether there will be any crossover in terms of vocal talent or creative talent.
The movie is part of a two-picture deal with Nickelodeon that also includes animation The Loud House. The pact was announced by Viacom during its first-quarter earnings call with Wall Street this week.
“This partnership with Netflix is part of Nickelodeon and Viacom’s broader efforts to tap into Nickelodeon’s library of culturally resonant properties and produce new content for third-party digital and linear platforms,” Viacom CEO Bob Bakish said.
This deal follows Nickelodeon’s deal with Netflix to release Pinky Malinky worldwide, as well as a new take on Avatar: The Last Airbender, which will begin production later this year.
Viacom also owns Paramount Pictures, which recently inked an overall deal with the streaming giant, born out of Netflix’s acquisition of The Cloverfield Paradox. That feature film agreement will kick off with To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before 2.