Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem director Jeff Rowe wasn’t sold on returning to the sequel until he saw the mid-credits scene.
Per Uproxx, the filmmaker spoke about his love for the franchise and noted that even though he enjoyed working on Mutant Mayhem, he questioned whether he was cut out to make a follow-up film. “I wasn’t sure if I could do another Ninja Turtles movie. I’m like, I don’t know. I feel like you never do a sequel. Get in, get out, never do it,” Rowe explained. Despite his hesitation, he ultimately hopped aboard the next movie once he realized where the story could go.
“Then our production designer, Yashar Kassai, did this painting for that Shredder moment in the mid-credits,” the director continued. “And I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s so cool-looking.’ Well, that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. What am I going to not do in that movie? Oh, man. So that tipped me over the edge.” Rowe also elaborated that while Shredder may be the most iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villain, the creative team struggled to originally fit him into the story.
A New Generation of Turtles
Hailing from producer Seth Rogen, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the latest reboot of the franchise, taking the titular crime fighters back to their roots. Featuring a unique animation style, the film has earned plenty of praise from fans and critics alike, many of whom have lauded its unique voice and vision of the beloved characters. The story sees the turtles rising up to protect the human race that spurned and defend New York City against the villain Superfly, a mutant fly who has machinations to exact vengeance on mankind.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is now in theaters.
