Netflix is about to drop the next chapter in the Turtles-verse. The most recent series starring the adolescent reptiles was Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which ran for two seasons from 2018 to 2020 on the streaming platform. After a sizeable delay, fans are now being treated to a return to that iteration of the franchise with Rise of the TMNT: The Movie, set to crawl out of the sewers and onto screens next month. For a taste of what’s in store, check out the new trailer above.
Raising the stakes suitably high for a feature-length outing, The Movie sees Leonardo (Sonic the Hedgehog‘s Ben Schwartz), Ralphael (Omar Benson Miller), Michelangelo (Brandon Mychal Smith), and Josh Brener (Donatello) facing their greatest threat yet. When Casey Jones (Haley Joel Osmont, a new addition to the cast) travels back from the future, the Turtles discover that alien nasties the Krang are about to invade New York City. What’s worse, they’ll have to fight them without their powers.
If any Turtles fans haven’t checked out Rise before, they’ve got a few weeks to put that right as, while the stylized animation style and frenetic pacing rubbed some up the wrong way, it’s a welcome fresh take on the saga that offers an original twist on the mythos. As for the thrill of the film specifically, it looks set to reintroduce several classic elements that should please diehards, like the aforementioned Krang and frequent Turtles ally Casey. Kat Graham is also back as April O’Neill, with Eric Bauza voicing Master Splinter.
If you’re wondering, this is a completely separate project from the other animated Turtles movie that’s in the works. That one will be a CG-animated effort from The Mitchells vs. the Machines director Jeff Rowe, with Seth Rogen producing. Not much is known about that to date, but it’s on course to enter theaters in summer 2023.
Meanwhile, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie is streaming on Netflix from Aug. 5.