Yep, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the next franchise to get a big budget Hollywood reboot. After Michael Bay‘s last blockbuster, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, grossed over $1 billion at the box office, his next big project is underway. Filming is reported to have started a few days ago in New York, where a massive set has been built in Jones Beach in Long Island (the East Coast’s most visited beach and home to year round music concerts).
The main cast has been set with Pete Ploszek, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, and Alan Ritchson playing Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael, respectively. For star power, the role of reporter April O’Niel will be played by Megan Fox, who was recently spotted with dyed red hair for the role!
It’s also been announced that Will Arnett (of 30 Rock fame) has joined the cast, but his role has not been disclosed.
Michael Bay has already gotten into trouble with the hard core fans over some leaks of new plot twists. Apparently, one working script had the turtles as full-on aliens, as opposed to the original story line of regular turtles becoming mutant from exposure to radioactive ooze (yeah… I was a pretty big fan as a kid, especially of Michaelangelo).
This reboot comes off the heels of the last film, TMNT, in 2007 which received mostly negative reviews due to a random story line and its computer animation. Prior to that, of course, were the original film adaptations from the early 90’s. And so for your viewing pleasure, here’s a look back at all the awesomeness of the franchise.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cartoon Series 1987
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – The Arcade Game for NES 1990
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1990 – Full Film
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze – Ninja Rap music video by Vanilla Ice! (comon…you know you love this song)