Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Director Jeff Rowe Signs Paramount Deal

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem filmmaker Jeff Rowe is continuing his collaboration with Paramount Animation.

The studio announced Tuesday that Rowe has signed a multi-year first-look development deal, covering his pursuits in directing, development, producing and executive producing on animated and live-action titles. He is currently at work for the studio on directing the sequel to Mutant Mayhem, set for release on Oct. 9, 2026.

Rowe directed and co-wrote Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which hit theaters in August and pulled in $180 million worldwide. The film helped the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brand — first launched with a comic book series in 1984 — collect approximately $1 billion in retail sales last year.

His other work includes co-writing the acclaimed 2021 Netflix animated feature The Mitchells vs. the Machines, which was nominated for the Oscar for best animated feature.

“Jeff has been an instrumental creative force and excellent partner in breathing new life into our iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise,” president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation Ramsey Naito said in a 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.”

Rowe added, “Working with Paramount and having the opportunity to reinvent the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle characters has been a dream come true. 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.”