Tales of the TMNT Confirms Return of Beloved Mutants While Revealing Opening for First Time | SDCC 2024

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the next chapter in the TMNT saga, but it also brings back a few deep-cut characters that fans may remember.

The cast and crew of the animated spinoff show attended San Diego Comic-Con 2024 to talk more about how the series bridges the gap between last year’s reboot, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and its eventual sequel. We attended the panel, too, and learned more about how Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles not only looks ahead but calls back to the franchise’s past, too.

In addition to the four half-shelled heroes is a list of classic faces, some of which date back as much as 20 years ago. That includes Metalhead, a robot turtle who’s been given a more pleasant appearance this time around. Then there’s Bishop, a character who first appeared in the 2003 series. Executive producer Christ Yost says Bishop makes more sense in the world of Tales, specifically when it comes to a connection to Donatello.

Another returning character is Pigeon Pete. Played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Kick-Ass), the humanoid pigeon character first made an appearance in the 2012 iteration of TMNT, with Yost teasing that Mintz-Plasse “really came to play” when recording his lines. With a solid selection of familiar faces comes new characters, too, including the East River Three, a trio of mutants – Goldfin, Lee the Eel, and Mustang Sally – played by Timothy Olyphant, Jillian Bell, and Danny Trejo.

The Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles panel also brought a lot of first-look clips from the show itself, including a selection of videos personally chosen by the cast behind the turtles. Each clip highlights Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo’s strengths while also showing off the show’s 2D art style. The real highlight might be the show’s opening title sequence, though, as it encapsulates the energy of Mutant Mayhem with upbeat rock music set to snappy visuals that look as if they were sketched in a high school notebook.

Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premieres on Paramount+ on August 9, 2024. The 12-episode show is only a few weeks away, so be sure to check out its initial reveal trailer here. You can also learn more about the Mutant Mayhem sequel, which is currently primed to arrive in 2026.

Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.

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