The next Ninja Turtles movie could be about to shake things up like never before.
Paramount Pictures has confirmed that Krang will appear in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 (2027), adding one of the franchise’s most recognizable villains to the sequel's lineup. Per ScreenRant, the reveal came during the studio’s CinemaCon presentation, where details about the follow-up to Mutant Mayhem (2023) were shared with attendees.
Krang, the alien warlord from Dimension X, has long been associated with The Shredder, who was confirmed to appear in the sequel in the closing moments of Mutant Mayhem.
Directed by Jeff Rowe, who helmed the first film, the upcoming sequel will once again follow Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), and Raphael (Brady Noon). The first film introduced a younger version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, focusing on their desire to be accepted in the human world while facing off against Superfly (Ice Cube) and a group of mutant outcasts.
While plot details for Mutant Mayhem 2 remain under wraps, the addition of Krang and Shredder points toward a more villain-focused story, which is something Rowe talked about in an interview with Collider back in 2023, saying:
“Shredder is just a great character. He’s an iconic, classic, loved character. He’s like the Joker. You know who he is, even if you’re not a fan of the source material. I think we definitely wanna do a villain-forward film. We’re currently trying to make decisions about that, but those decisions for us as filmmakers will always come from the place of what tells the best story, specifically about our main characters, the Turtles.”
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But while Rowe refers to The Shredder using He/Him pronouns, the character may be portrayed as female in the new film, an entirely plausible development when you look at the first Mutant Mayhem, which made figures like the mutant alligator Leatherhead (Rose Byrne), the mutant cockroach Scumbug (Alex Hirsch), and the mutant bat-like creature Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou) female, despite them all originally being male.
Many fans referred to the film as “woke” and used the Internet term “gender-swapping” to describe how the filmmakers had made drastic changes to longstanding characters.
The same might apply to Krang, who will likely be connected to the 2023 film's villainous character Cynthia Utrom (Maya Rudolph), whose surname is the name given to Krang's wider species in certain TMNT media.
The sequel continues Paramount’s push to build on the success of Mutant Mayhem, which grossed over $180 million worldwide against its $70 million budget. The film’s distinct animation style and comedic tone helped reintroduce the characters to a new generation.
Mutant Mayhem 2 is currently scheduled to be released on August 13, 2027, as the franchise continues to expand with new films and projects in development, including a video game based on IDW Publishing's The Last Ronin comic series. However, the live-action film version was canceled by the studio last year to make way for a family-friendly reboot that mixes CG with live action. That film is set for release in November 2028.
Do you think the TMNT franchise should make these changes to The Shredder and Krang? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
