Paramount Pictures is expanding two of its core franchises with live-action Sonic the Hedgehog and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films, staking out major holiday release dates in 2028 for new entries.The studio has set a live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Film for release on November 17, 2028, followed by an Untitled Sonic Universe Event Film movie set for release on December 22, 2028.The most recent film in the Sonic franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, was released on December 20, 2024, and featured the debut of Shadow the Hedgehog. For the Turtles, the last major theatrical release was the animated hit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which came out on August 2, 2023.Paramount sets new 2028 holiday releases with the new Sonic spin-off and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action rebootWhile not much is known about the two films, both the Untitled Sonic Universe Event Film and the Untitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action Hybrid are currently in the pre-production phase. Neal H. Moritz is confirmed as a producer for both, aiming to replicate the successful blend of live-action and CGI from the Sonic movies for the new Turtles reboot.The delayed development of a live-action Ninja Turtles franchise is often traced back to the poor commercial performance of 2016’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:Out of the Shadows. Despite a substantial budget, the film underperformed, leading Paramount to halt any further development of live-action sequels within that particular continuity.The franchise, which originated as a comic book in the 1980s before evolving into a pop-culture phenomenon through a popular animated series and iconic toy line, shifted its focus entirely to the animated feature with 2023’s Mutant Mayhem, before Paramount announced this new hybrid Ninja Turtles live-action reboot for 2028.Additionally, the animated sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2, was significantly delayed, shifting from its original 2026 release date to September 17, 2027.The Ninja Turtles film series began with the live-action movie on March 30, 1990, at the height of the franchise's popularity. This first film, which used Jim Henson's Creature Shop puppetry, was a gritty, comic-accurate commercial success, leading to two direct sequels in 1991 and 1993.After the original trilogy concluded, the franchise was later revived by the 2014 film with the same name. It served as a major live-action reboot of the series, modernizing the characters with a new origin and CGI-enhanced designs under producer Michael Bay.Whereas the Sonic film series began in 2020 with a high-budget, star-powered cinematic take on the character, based directly on the hugely successful Sega video game franchise that originated in 1991.The films maintain the core premise of the games: the speedy Blue Blur, Sonic, is a super-speedy anthropomorphic hedgehog who must use his special abilities to defeat his nemesis, the evil genius Dr. Robotnik (or Dr. Eggman).Ultimately, Paramount Pictures' aggressive scheduling of the Untitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action hybrid (November 17, 2028) and the Untitled Sonic Universe Event Film (December 22, 2028) signals a strong, two-pronged strategy to dominate the 2028 holiday box office.Stay tuned for more updates.