Today, there was a big shocker from Paramount Pictures as THR reports that the studio is looking to make an R-rated live-action movie set within the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise by adapting the mature storyline “The Last Ronin” as a live-action feature film. A puzzling pursuit since “The Last Ronin” is set in an alternative future where only one of the Turtles is alive while the other three have been killed, making it certainly a strange project from a branding standpoint.

Tyler Burton Smith is set to pen the adaptation after working on films such as “Boy Kills World” and 2019’s “Child’s Play.” The former project from the screenwriter co-wrote with director Moritz Mohr and looks to be an action-packed satirical experience led by Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård as a highly-skilled fighter looking for revenge. A seemingly perfect fit for another revenge-fuelled action story like “The Last Ronin.”

Paramount just last year released “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which is officially getting a follow-up installment seemingly focused on the Shredder becoming the main antagonist. So, it’s a little odd the studio is going all-in on an R-rated film that will likely be set in an entirely different universe from these animated movies that have already successfully rebooted the Ninja Turtles for a new generation.

Then again, the original comics had graphic violence, and the movies mostly came about because of the toyline and cartoon series being massively popular with children. A similar demographic continues to support the franchise, and I’m sure having an R-rated movie alongside one for kids might become a bit confusing to audiences, potentially more so to parents.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER