TMNT Cinematic Universe
 

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find a topic for it so I figured I should make one. Sorry for double posting if there actually is one.

Anyway, on the back of the current craze in Hollywood where every movie needs to exist in a cinematic universe for all the dumb reasons, I couldn't resist thinking about what that would mean for TMNT.

If there were to exist a "TMNTCU", how would we do it? There would obviously be core movies focusing on the TMNT as a team, but what other movies and/or TV shows would exist in that universe to expand the story and catalog of characters?

Solo movies for each turtle? A Casey Jones TV show? A Splinter/Shredder-focused prequel? A Mighty Mutanimals movie? A Neutrinos mini-series?

Would be interesting to hear your thoughts. Let the rants begin!

I want a Mutanimals film set in Brazil.

They can't even get TMNT movies right, and you want spinoffs or a universe?

At least wait till we get a good new TMNT movie first.

The problem with doing a bunch of movie spin-offs is that I don't think a TMNT spin-off has ever been all that successful. Keep in mind, Marvel's attempt is pretty much the only successful one yet, and aside from DC they're the only ones with a basic framework build on. The mere fact that Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, etc were already successful and (more importantly) connected through crossovers long before anyone thought about putting them into movies. There are decades of material to work from, I (and they) already know how it works, it's right there to read.

With TMNT, what do you honestly have? A few spin-offy micros and minis about relatively few characters? At least that Venom movie makes sense to work from when you remember there are 150+ issues of solo series to work from, here you'd pretty much have to improvise. Not that you can't it like that, it's just not a surefire method.

May it never be.

I love what the Marvel films have been able to do, but just stop and think how well it's worked out for copy-cat DCEU, Universal's "Dark Universe," and the King Arthur-verse. I'll admit I'm curious to see what happens with the Hasbro G.I. Joe/Transformers plan, though I have no love for the Bay-films.
https://www.geek.com/movies/why-your...-fail-1701695/

TMNT can only make it work in comics, and IDW has been doing a great job with it.

Besides the Turtles, I personally don't see any need for anything beyond maybe a cinematic version of the Casey Jones fan movie or a Rise of Shredder type movie and even then that'd be a niche project.

Forget not the X-universe.

Cinematic universes don't work. EXCEPT for Marvel and, to a lesser extent, X-Men. But X-Men is sloppier than a kindergartner's coloring book on acid.

Problem is the X-Universe should be part of the Marvel Universe.

There is no TMNT universe, it's all TMNT. Unless they make fugitoid, cerebrus and maybe usagi movies, idk

“The craze of Hollywood cinematic universes.”

What craze? There are only three universes right now (Marvel, DC, Monster) four I guess if you include X-men now with the inclusion of the Deadpool film.

Spin-offs and sequels don’t constitute towards a “cinematic universe” of that was the case several series would be counted as one before now. It seems like with things like ghost Corp they put Cu on anything

Not every franchise needs to have a shared universe and not every single character needs to have their own spin off adventure. I mean, seriously, if I'm not terribly excited to see a Han Solo spinoff film, I'm definitely not going to care about a Casey Jones sans Turtles adventure. It's the Ninja Turtles' franchise, it needs to be about the Ninja Turtles.

I would love to see some things outside of the turtles perspective, personally. Especially when a lot of factors are "our way or the highway" for them. Like Leo vs Karai, for instance.

(I'm quite looking forward to that Han Solo movie, myself...)

To be fair, the reason I'm keeping my expectations in check is not what the film is, but what happened behind the scenes. When another director, even a good one, has to come in to reshoot/retool someone else's film, it hardly ever works. Although, I've not heard of an instance where an entire film was 80% reshot, so maybe it'll make for a better experience than Justice League.

But, also, the idea of spinoffs are kinda boring to me. The reason it works for Marvel is because the franchise is a series of standalone films that build up to a team-up film. It also works because the majority of the characters are bigger than the team-up. They could still make good, standalone films without references, cameos, and connections to other characters. I honestly can't say that about most of the sideline characters from TMNT.

This kinda thing isn't what we need right now. It's been 27 years since the last definitively good TMNT film was made and 10 years since the last just-okay one was made. We need a hands-down good TMNT film first and then we can talk spinoffs and Battle Nexus films.

to keep on the OPs idea - which I do like


With the Platinum Dune Properties, I was really hoping for a
TMNT/Transformers/GI Joe .. and maybe Ghostbusters (but since not same studio). That'd be an interesting crossover universe. Power rangers?


For Actual Universe Building:

Mighty Mutanimals - they function more as an X-Men team, as all the members are in the same universe, even though they have standalone stories... not very well known.



Battle Nexus Universe Crossover
This is where I feel like if they were building a universe. This is what I'd like to see. However, to stray away from what the Battle Nexus in the TMNT 2003 Series, I would imagine the following:

Miyamoto Usagi movies would be a no-brainer.

Savage Dragon

Cerebrus the Aardvark

Other teams:
Street Sharks

Battle Toads

Wild West C.O.W. - Boys of Moo Mesa


Yes an licensing this would be an absolute nightmare.

I don't think a Splinter/Shredder prequel could hold today's audience's attention. It would just be sort of an 80's-90's period karate movie about two ninja masters (if we go with Yoshi being Splinter). While I do think that could make a really cool short or a one shot comic. Better yet it could be the first 15 minutes of a new Turtles movie if they wanted to reboot it while staying truer to the comics.

Yeah ... sadly this.

I think if a really awesome set of films sets the course for an expansion of what the universe of the TMNT might look like in live action ... that would be fantastic, but we really need to get a movie that brings the character moments, heart, action, genuine humor and well written stories that these guys deserve first.

That being said, is there someone you'd choose to direct these films? My go to will always be Guillermo del Toro.

Don't most fans agree the 1990 one is good? After that, opinions differ.

Oh completely ... the 1990 is still the top tier of anything that's been released so far. You're totally right. I think people are moreso just suggesting for newer movies.

Maybe an Archie-based future storyline?

Given that TMNT has already established how its multiverse works after turtles forever, then surely the simplest means to do this would be to follow a reboot movie series - perhaps not platinum dunes but another in the future, and then at a later sequel introduce turtles from other iterations as guest characters?


So essentially a live action film equivalent to the crossover episodes that Nick did, or Turtles forever?

I mean a lot of us may not have enjoyed the PD version much, but I'd think it'd be cool to see that version of the turtles (or one or two of them) meet up with another iteration? It could certainly be very different to crossover event movies like say Infinity war.

Theoretically you could even bring into animated versions into a live action movie - similar to the say Who framed Roger Rabbit or even the Virgin TV advert.

I wouldn't be against, say, a Casey Jones & Raphael spinoff.