Ninja Turtles coming to Vancouver?

Word in casting and pre-production circles around town is that the big-screen reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is heading to Vancouver for a late summer or early fall filming start.

The reboot will be called simply Ninja Turtles because - sacrilege! - the new version will have the hard-shell warriors as aliens, not as mutated teenage turtles as in the original comic book, films and cartoons.

The biggest name behind the reboot is director Michael Bay (Transformers) who will produce the film, handing over directing duties to Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans).

Also behind the scenes on the movie are the writers behind the Tom Cruise hit Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

Internet chatter says the new turtle movie will be a more grounded, gritty take on the characters, which probably means the turtles' pizza fetish is history.

The movie is scheduled to hit theatres December 2013. Here's the imdb one-liner on plot: "Aliens invade Earth and inadvertently spawn a quartet of mutated reptile warriors, the Ninja Turtles, who rise up against them to defend the world."

Sounds like the Transformers template, with the odd "cowabunga" thrown in. Or maybe they'll ditch the 1990s surfer lingo too, given the whole grounded, gritty thing.

And don't expect actors in turtle suits to be doing the high-kicking. The makers will likely go the motion-capture route that worked so well in the Vancouver-filmed Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

http://www.theprovince.com/entertain...688/story.html

Michael Bay's Ninja Turtles Reboot Delayed

Paramount Pictures has postponed the planned release of the upcoming Platinum Dunes reboot, Ninja Turtles. Originally set for release on Christmas Day, 2013, the project's start has been pushed back by 10 weeks and is now targeting a May 16, 2014 release. This is the same date as Marvel Studios' untitled film.

Michael Bay is producing with Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans) directing from a screenplay by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol). The turtles are expected to be motion capture CGI, much like what we saw in last year's Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

The franchise, which began as a black and white comic book series in 1984, rose to tremendous popularity when it became an animated series in 1987. Following the first live-action film in 1990, the series spawned two live-action sequels, a live-action television series, a second animated series and a CGI feature film.

SuperHeroHype recently posted a list of who they'd like to see in the movie which you can read here.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=91574

21:55 - What inspired TMNT

30:00 - Star Wars influence on the backstory

47:25 - Discusses Nickelodeon's new animated show

51:15 - Describes his involvement with Michael Bay's Ninja Turtles

52:15 - Comments on fan's negative reaction to Bay's Alien race remarks, and defends Michael Bay as a filmmaker

1:01:30 - April O'Neil will NOT be a sixteen year old in Bay's Ninja Turtles

1:05:00 - The original live-action film bridged the gap of the black and white comic books and the cartoon show

1:07:55 - Kevin Eastman thinks Ken Watanabe would make a great Shredder

1:08:25 - He'd like to bring Ernie Reyes, Jr. (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II) back for Bay's Ninja Turles as a Foot lieutenant.

1:31:00 - Possibility of motion capture Turtles like Rise of the Planet of the Apes

1:32:55 - Martial arts wise they are looking at Fist of Legend & The Raid: Redemption

Reports this morning from The Guardian suggest that Michael Bay‘s controversial Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot is likely to be shelved.

Bay, the record-breaking Hollywood director behind money-spinning projects like the The Rock, Bad Boys 1 & 2, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and the Transformers franchise, had previously spoken at length about his plans for a modern retelling of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird‘s iconic tale of anthropomorphic superhero turtles skilled in the art of ninjutsu.

Initially inhabiting the world of comics, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were so well-received they soon became some of the most recognisable fictional characters of popular culture with their very own animated television series and live-action movie franchises, making heroes, celebrities and legends of Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and their sensei, the sagely Splinter.

TMNT‘s enduring popularity has kept the pizza-loving, anchovy-hating sewer dwellers alive in the hearts and souls of all comic book, super hero and cartoon lovers. The green ninjas have been brought back to life over the years with Nickelodeon’s animated TV series, and a 2007 computer-animated action film. The success of these projects has all but guaranteed Hollywood’s sustained interest in the crime-fighting reptiles, particularly with the excellent performances of the original TMNT film adaptations of the early ’90s.

Eager to tap into the rich world of Leo, Raphael and co., Bay had previously announced his intentions to initiate an all-new TMNT franchise, putting plans into motion with his production company, Platinum Dunes.

However, following a vitriolic backlash from Turtles fans, Bay’s reboot has come to a halt. The director has been derided for his explosive blockbuster films, criticised for their reliance on stunts, pyrotechnics and special effects. Regarded as being more concerned with style than substance, Bay is often portrayed as more box-office director than skilled or nuanced filmmaker. News of Bay’s involvement with the daring turtles was met with outrage.

The complaints of fans grew even louder when Bay revealed he would be revamping the Turtles’ backstory, portraying the heroes as aliens rather than mutants. Irritated by criticisms of his plans, Bay encouraged fans to ”take a breath, and chill.”

“They have not read the script. Our team is working closely with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles to help expand and give a more complex back story,” he said. “Relax, we are including everything that made you become fans in the first place. We are just building a richer world.”

The Guardian reports the project has been shut down due to issues with the script. Initially set for a December 2013 release, the film has now been pushed back to May 2014. Preproduction staff, however, have been informed that the film has been shelved for an “indefinite” period.

We’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out.