Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog are two of the most popular IPs residing at Paramount Pictures, with the studio owning the former and licensing the movie rights for the latter from Sega. Before today, there was already plenty for fans to look forward to from both these franchises on the film front. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is slated for a March 2027 release, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 is on track to follow in September of the same year.
Now Paramount has set plans for both these film series in 2028 as well. The new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie that was reported on last month is now officially slotted for November 17, 2028, and an untitled “Sonic Universe Event Film” will follow on December 22. Producer Neal H. Moritz is working on both projects, but otherwise details are being kept secret. That said, I do have one big hope each for these new Ninja Turtles and Sonic movies that I’ll hold onto until specific information starts coming in.
What I Want From The Sonic The Hedgehog Spinoff
I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about Sonic the Hedgehog franchise beyond what I’ve seen in the moves and what little I gleaned from occasionally playing the games as a kid. What I do know is that Keanu Reeves’ Shadow the Hedgehog was one of Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s biggest highlights for me when I streamed the flick with my Paramount+ subscription. Thankfully, though it initially looked like Shadow died alongside Dr. Robotnik, Sonic 3’s post-credits scene revealed he was still alive.
Given that the threequel’s mid-credits scene introduced Amy Rose, who saved our blue speedster from Metal Sonic robots, I feel like Sonic the Hedgehog 4 already has enough going for it without Shadow the Hedgehog’s involvement being absolutely necessary. That’s not to say I’ll be disappointed if he appears in Sonic 4, but I think Shadow is a compelling enough character that he’s worthy leading this spinoff movie. If Knuckles can get his own Paramount+ limited series, why can’t Shadow get 90-120 minutes of time to himself standing in the cinematic spotlight?
What I Want From The Next Live-Action Ninja Turtles Movie
Five live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies have been released since 1990, the last one being 2016’s Out of the Shadows. While there is nostalgic love for the very first of these movies, the fact of the matter is that none of them have exactly been critical darlings. I hope this latest reboot can buck that trend and perhaps even come close to the acclaim that Mutant Mayhem received in 2023. Whether or not that happens, I think this next Ninja Turtles movie could at least do a solid job standing out from its predecessors by not using Shredder… at all.
Shredder is the Turtles’ arch-nemesis, so I understand why he’s been used so often in their movies. However, we’ve definitely hit an over saturation point with him. Even Mutant Mayhem couldn’t resist having him cameo at the end to tease the sequel. I would prefer that the live-action reboot not feature or even reference the man once known as Oroku Saki. That’s not to say I wouldn’t mind him being utilized in a later sequel depending on how long this particular continuity lasts, but this particular TMNT movie would benefit from using a villain who’s popular with the fans, but hasn’t had nearly as much exposure with the general public.
It’s still the early stages for both these movies, but hopefully 2026 will bring some updates giving us a better idea of what we can expect from them. Until then, head over to Paramount+ to get your fill of the existing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog movies, or look through our 2026 movies schedule to learn what’s coming out next year.