80’s and 90’s babies have grown accustomed to the presence of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their continued stronghold over the world of cartoons, toys, TV shows and more. Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello have run rampant over the years doing three things – kicking shell, eating pizza and gaining more fans along the way.
We’ve sat through all the action-packed trailers and gotten a sense of what their new film is trying to accomplish. Old school fans and new ones alike are ready to accept a new generation of TMNT fandom, which is why we hope this film becomes a surprise critical darling. Before you go see it, make sure you’re up on everything surrounding this upcoming summer release.
Here’s every important tidbit of info regarding the 2014 reboot film for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
1. The Movie Came to Fruition After Nickelodeon Acquired the Rights to the TMNT Property
Around October 2009, it was announced that Nickelodeon purchased the rights for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property from the co-creator Peter Laird and Mirage Studios. This news was followed up the reveal of Nickelodeon producing a new feature-length film for their newly acquired property alongside Paramount Pictures. This film turned into the rebooted blockbuster release that’s finally hitting theaters on August 8, 2014.
2. Michael Bay and Several Other Hollywood Producers Have Been Hired to Handle the Movie’s Production Duties
In May 2011, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon decided to hand the production duties of the film over to Michael Bay, Bradley Fuller and Andrew Form. Also announced as producers for the film included Galen Walker and Scott Mednick. Ian Bryce joined the project’s production staff at a later date. As for who directed the film, that distinction goes to Jonathan Liebesman.
3. The Script Duties Changed Hands Several Times
Paramount Pictures originally hired Matt Holloway and Art Marcum to write the original script for the film. Later on, TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman stated that Paramount Pictures passed on using another screenwriter’s (John Fusco) script because they deemed it “too edgy.” Then, the movie’s script duties were handed over to Josh Applebaum and André Nemec.
4. The Turtles Were Almost Depicted in This New Film as Alien Warriors
Fans were none too pleased with the leaked early version of the script written by Applebaum and Nemec. The turtles were described as being aliens who hailed from another dimension that were home to turtle warriors. Master Splinter was also deemed as being an alien who came from the same dimension as the turtles. And the most ridiculous character change of them all circled around Shredder, a ninja clan leader who was renamed “Colonel Schrader.” This Colonel was cast as a government agent who had the ability to grow blades from his body.
The Foot Clan was simply renamed “The Foot,” Raphael was planned to take Michelangelo’s place as as the turtles’ comic relief and Michelangelo was givena love interest from his home planet. Thankfully, this version of the script was rejected by Paramount Pictures.
In 2013, Evan Daugherty was brought on board as an extra writer for the film. The film’s final script features the familiar conflict that fans have seen unfold between the turtles and Shredder’s Foot Clan in New York City.
5. The Turtles Body Work is Being Handled by 4 Separate Actors
As for who is responsible for the onscreen movements of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, check out full list below to find out:
• Pete Ploszek as Leonardo
• Alan Ritchson as Raphael
• Noel Fisher as Michelangelo
• Jeremy Howard as Donatello
6. Leonardo’s Voice is Being Handled By a Member of the Jackass Crew
The main leader of the TMNT has always been Leonardo. As far as who’s handling the voice for Leo, it will be none other than Jackass favorite Johnny Knoxville. The actors performing the body work for Raphael, Michelaneglo and Donatello are also voicing their respective turtles.
Tony Shalhoub is responsible for voicing the part of Splinter, while Danny Woodburn has been tapped to do the character’s body work. William Fichtner will play the overall role for Shredder.
7. The Rest of TMNT’s Recurring Characters are Being Played by Some Big Name Actors
Megan Fox plays the part of that familiar news reporter in the yellow jumpsuit, April O’Neil. Minae Noji plays the role of a high-ranking member of the Foot Clan, Karai. Whoopi Goldberg plays Bernadette Thompson, the female-African-American version of Burne Thompson.
8. This is the 4th Overall Film in the TMNT Franchise
This 2014 reboot counts as the 4th official movie in the TMNT film series. The films that came before it include:
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
• TMNT (2007)
9. The Feature Soundtrack Song Features Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa, Ty Dolla $ign, Kill The Noise and Madsonik
The lead tune from the movie’s soundtrack features a who’s who of rappers, R&B singers and EDM producers. Give a complete listen to the track in the video above.
10. There May Be More TMNT Films On The Way
William Fichtner (who’s also playing the part of Eric Sacks) recently revealed some big news that may spell the future of the TMNT rebooted movies – he’s signed on to star in three more TMNT movies.
