Paramount Animation has announced that it has entered into an exclusive, multi-year development deal with writer, director and producer Jeff Rowe. Rowe co-directed “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” for Sony and Netflix, and directed “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” for Paramount.
This new agreement covers Rowe’s development and directing services, as well as his producing and executive producing services, on both animated and live-action projects.
The sequel to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which Rowe will direct, is a part of this deal. It is scheduled to be released in 2026.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” introduced both a fresh look and, more importantly, a fresh feeling to the 40-year-old franchise. It inspired a spin-off animated series, coming this summer, and according to Paramount, helped fuel more than $1 billion in retail sales for the brand. It also grossed more than $181 million worldwide, in addition to being one of the most critically acclaimed animated features of last year.
“Jeff has been an instrumental creative force and excellent partner in breathing new life into our iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise,” Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation & Nickelodeon Animation, said in an official statement. “I am so proud of the work we’ve done together and I can’t wait for audiences to experience the next evolution of our incredible collaboration.”
“Working with Paramount and having the opportunity to reinvent the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle characters has been a dream come true,” Rowe added. “I’m grateful to Ramsey and the entire team for this opportunity. It’s also my understanding that this deal will pay me in money instead of pizza, and I think that’s gonna be a real game-changer.”
Rowe was also one of the key collaborators on Disney’s beloved animated series “Gravity Falls” and wrote on the Matt Groening fantasy series “Disenchantment” for Netflix.
