FIRST LOOK: Set Photos From TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Reveal Updated Lair

Megan Fox And Will Arnett On The Set Of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, Plus Official Movie Logo

Danny Woodburn Cast As Master Splinter In TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, Does This Mean Splinter Will Be A New Yorker Not Japanese?

Deadline reports that actor Danny Woodburn (Watchmen, Seinfeld) has been cast as Master Splinter in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle reboot. I'm curious if this means that Splinter's Japanese origin will be changed to a gruff New Yorker. Yet another possible element of the mythology being systematically changed for zero reason.

FIRST LOOK: Megan Fox Spotted With April O'Neil's Signature Red Hair As Production On NINJA TURTLES Gears Up

Will Arnett Joins TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

THR reports that comedian Will Arnett has joined the cast of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot. His part isn't named but the site rules out Casey Jones but leave the roles of Master Splinter and villain Shredder as possibilities. Will joins Megan Fox who plays April along with newcomers Alan Ritchson, Pete Ploszek, Jeremy Howard and Noel Fisher playing the turtles via motion capture.

Unknowns Cast As Leo, Don And Mikey In TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TUTRLES, Master Splinter And Shredder Still To Be Announced

Deadline reports that casting for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot is clearly almost complete as Paramount announces three unknowns have been cast as the rest of the turtles. They include Jeremy Howard (Accepted, Galaxy Quest) as Donatello, Pete Ploszek (Parks & Rec, Shameless) as Leonardo and Noel Fisher (Twilight Saga) as Michaelangelo. Megan Fox has been placed in the human role of reporter April O'Neil while Alan Ritchson (Smallville, Hunger Games: Catchingfire) will play Ralphael. The actors playing the turtles will be doing motion capture performances for the characters. Shredder and Master Splinter are still to be announced. No word if Krang or Casey Jones will still be apart of the film after the recent rewrites. Production will begin in April with a slated release date of June 6th 2014.

Alan Ritchson Will Play Raphael In TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

Deadline reports that Paramount and Jonathan Liebesman have found their first Ninja Turtle. Actor Alan Ritchson has landed the role of Raphael which will involve motion capture techniques that were used in Avatar. Instead of having stuntmen in suits the studio have opted to go with advanced performance capture. Ritchson is best known for playing Aquaman on Smallville but has a supporting role in Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Megan Fox was previously announced as taking the female lead of April O'Neil.

Megan Fox Will Play April In NINJA TURTLES, Beating Out Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Olsen And Jane Levy For The Role

Michael Bay has announced via his site that Megan Fox (Transformers 1-2) will be involved with Ninja Turtles. A role isn't named but it might be safe to assume Fox will be playing reporter April O'Neil. There had been a rumored falling out of sorts between Bay and Fox, over some comments she made to press about the set. Elizabeth Olsen was recently revealed to be in the mix for the film before landing the female lead in Godzilla. There had been rumors that Krang could be the villain of the film.

In addition to Olsen, Variety adds that actresses Anna Kendrick (End of Watch, Scott Pilgrim, Up In The Air, 50/50) and Jane Levy (Evil Dead Reboot) were also in the mix. They also name the role to be that of April O'Neil. After discovering this gif (below) of April from the cartoon series I can see why Fox got the role.

Elizabeth Olsen Also Being Looked At For TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, Possibly For April O'Neil?

Along with Elizabeth Olsen in Variety's original story about Elizabeth Olsen in the mix for Godzilla. Olsen had also been looked for Paramount's Ninja Turtles reboot, likely for April O'Neil. Before Emily VanCamp was locked-in for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Elizabeth was in the mix too. The production on Turtles will being sometime in April on in New York while Godzilla will begin in March in Vancouver. Sounds like it's one or the other kind of option.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Shooting In April

Production delays and fan criticism be damned! ProductionWeekly confirms that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remake will begin it's shoot in New York sometime in April. There was a large outcry from fans when the Bay retitled the project strictly Ninja Turtles and an alleged leaked script pointed out how awful it was going to be. It sounds like the delays were to at least try to amened the script. Casting should begin soon and it will be interesting to see what actors are willing to commit career suicide. The film has a release date of May 16th 2014.

'NINJA TURTLES' Pushed To 2014 And Budget Slashed

Paramount isn't so pumped about the Michael Bay produced Ninja Turtles as the production has been put on pause. The film which will be directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of The Titans) had been aimed for a Christmas 2013 release date but has been pushed back till May 16th 2014. Apparently this is allow more time for script fixes along with possible re-tooling of it's direction. There's also reports that the budget is being cut down $10-20 million for a budget total of $125 million. Rumors had been circling that Krang would be the villain which might be the reason for the rewrites.

SOURCES: Deadline THR

TMNT UPDATES: Jonathan Liebesman Talks, Rumors And Casting Ideas

TMNT creator Kevin Eastman is officially on board the reboot, giving the project more creditability. Kevin is contributing creatively while attending the development meetings with everyone involved with the film. Hopefully this means Kevin is also able to talk down terrible ideas and isn't just collecting a paycheck/producer credit for agreeing to everything others come up with. CBM was able to find this statement from Eastman speaking on the project. Besides Michael Bay, the rest of the creative team is decent enough which includes director Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles, Wrath of The Titans) along with writers Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol).

"Hey Guys, Sorry to have been away for so long--completely swamped with work--but it is some pretty exciting stuff. I had been invited to check out the TMNT film development by my friend Scott Mednick over the years, and a while back had a full look behind the curtian at what writers Appelbaum and Nemec, director Liebesman, and producer Bay are doing--and trust me--it IS AWESOME. I'm officially on board, and will share more as I'm allowed... thanks all!"

Director Jonathan Liebesman has also come out to defend the project as he gives a few statements to Collider during some press for his upcoming film Wrath of The Titans. He touches on the alien angle correcting fans that in the comics the ooze itself has an alien origin. Jonathan also hints that the turtles could have a motion capture process similar to The Rise of The Planet of The Apes. He also confirmed the film is expected to start shooting this September. Paramount has set the reboot with a release date of December 25th 2013.

“Whatever mythology we’re building on or expanding is coming from that guy, Kevin Eastman’s head, who created the Turtles in the first place. And so everything will tie in with the mythology; fans will be extremely excited with what we’re coming up with. A lot of it is stuff he’s wanted to do for a long time, but just hasn’t had the opportunity because now we have the budget and things on this film to expand it in the right way. And so, I’m happy that everyone is extremely passionate, and they will not be disappointed. It’s all coming from the best possible place for this franchise.”


“All I’ll say is that I love how they did [The Rise of the Planet of the Apes]. That was exceptional.”


“We’re definitely into the action, but for me what’s more important than that is that it’s a story about brotherhood and friendship and responsibility. Right now, I’m with the characters because those are what attracted me to the movie. They’re the best characters I’ll have had a chance to deal with.”

News of shorter working title for the reboot is being reported by BleedingCool which is likely to adhere to the recent development of the turtles being aliens. The site says that new title could end up being just NINJA TURTLES. They also speculate the title change might lead to the teenage angle of the turtles being axed as well.


A few other tidbits have been circling the interwebs lately as well. One rumor previous to the quotes posted by the director, points to the use of motion capture. Adding onto that is we might be seeing well known actors taking on the roles of the turtles, voicing and doing the mo-cap themselves. The biggest issue with the original films were that the turtles were played by stuntmen in costumes while voice actors dubbed the lines later on. The performances were sort of buggy and never really connected the way April or Casey did.



CASTING THOUGHTS

THE TURTLES: It sounds like the casting of the turtles may end up being a motion capture performance meaning that we won't be seeing the actors' faces on screen. With this in mind I believe actors that should be looked at include John Boyega (Attack The Block), Evan Peters (Kick-Ass, American Horror Story), Kyle Gallner (Jennifer's Body, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Red State) and Jamie Campbell Bower (Deathly Hollows 1-2, Sweeney Todd, Twilight Series). This is of course is still with the understanding the characters are going be teenagers. With the title changed to Ninja Turtles it's unknown for sure they'll be looking at younger actors for the roles.

ADRIANNE PALICKI AS APRIL O'NEIL: Adrianne (Friday Night Lights) has taken more action roles lately with films like the Red Dawn remake and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Her connection with Paramount could lead to her at least testing for the part. Considering Michael Bay's terrible history of hiring actresses based on looks rather than talent, Palicki would be a compromise. As April is really the only main human character in the franchise she needs an actual actress playing her. With Palicki in the role if she has action scenes she'll at least look she can handle herself. It's unknown if they'll go with April being a reporter or a computer programmer but the important thing is they need to include her.

JARED PADALECKI AS CASEY JONES: Casey Jones might be a fan favorite but he doesn't get too much screentime in the franchise. It's unknown if he'll even be in the reboot as the vigilante might be saved for latter films as it's rumored Shredder and the foot might not be in this first installment. He's been used as the love interest of April along with being a sidekick for the Turtles. Jared Palicki looks the part and has a connection with Platinum Dunes starring in their remake of Friday The 13th. He has enough of a female fanbase from Supernatural that leans him towards the heartthrob category.

LANCE REDDICK AS DR. BAXTER STOCKMAN: Dr. Baxter Stockman is another side character but one of the most notable human characters in the franchise before his own mutation. In the comics he created the Mousers with the help of April O'Neil who was his computer programmer. Leading to her first encounter with the turtles. If the reboot is meant to tell the origins of April as well I expect to at least see a cameo from Baxter. Lance Reddick of the Wire and Fringe hasn't made a giant splash on the big screen yet. While his Wire co-stars Dominic West and Idris Elba have already dipped their toes in the blockbuster genre. Baxter seems like a complex enough character that could attract Reddick to the franchise.

TMNT UPDATES: Turtles Will Be Aliens And Krang The Villain?

Looks like the development on Jonathan Liebesman's (Wrath of The Titans) reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is in full swing. As two updates on the project have been circling over the last couple of days. First is a direct quote from producer Michael Bay from the 2012 Nickelodeon Upfront stating the turtles are going to be an "alien race".

“These turtles are from an alien race, and they’re going to be tough, edgy, funny, and completely lovable. Kids will believe one day that these turtles do exist when we’re done with this movie.”

This has a lot of fans of the material including myself questioning this new origin as the title of the series has not been Teenage Alien Ninja Turtles. I'm not sure how this will factor into the origin but how can remove the mutant aspect of the mythology when it's right in the fucking title? Bay's production company Platinum Dunes is mostly known for horror reboots which for the most part are equally homages to the original source material as much as remakes. So it's hard to understand where they are going with the drastic change to the origins of the turtles. However, time travel was the plot device of the third film so this isn't the weird move.

The second part which is less aggravating is a rumor revealing the film's villain. FirstShowing says that Krang best known from the 80's television series is the rumored antagonist of the reboot. It's an interesting move since Krang has never been used in the previous films. It sort of makes sense considering the mentioning by Bay of another dimension. After he was exiled from his home (Dimension X) with his precious mobile headquarters called the Technodrome, Krang traveled to Earth and allied himself with Shredder. The site also states that turtles themselves will be inter-dimensional beings which could connect them to Krang somehow.

Jonathan Liebesman Could Direct New Ninja Turtles Film

Looks like Paramount is really hedging their bets when it comes to their genre films. We've already heard news that they're planning a reboot of sorts with the next Transformers film. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one project the studio seems to want to make sooner rather than later. It was previously reported that Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol writers Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec were working on a script. Now, Variety reports that director Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of The Titans) is in talks to helm the live-action reboot.


Michael Bay's production company Platinum Dunes is involved which is known for horror remakes such as Friday The 13th, Nightmare On Elm Street and Texas Chainsaw Masacre. One of the good things about Dunes is that their movies are highly artistic visually and somewhat faithful to the original source material. It's unknown how graphic the project will be considering how violent the comic book was compared to the Saturday morning cartoon series from the 80's. I would assume that Paramount wants a PG-13 rating.

Edgar Ramirez And Toby Kebbell In Wrath Of The Titans

Wrath of The Titans Poster

Warner Bros. Moving Forward With Clash Of The Titans 3

HeatVision reports that Warner Bros. is asking writers Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson (Wrath of The Tiants) to start development on Clash of The Titans 3.  It's expected the third installment would continue to focus on the adventures of Perseus (Worthington) and his new side-kick Agenor (Tobey Kebbell). While a deal hasn't been made Wrath of The Titans director Jonathan Liebesman is likely to return for the sequel. Wrath will be hitting theaters on March 30th 2012.

Actors Confirmed For Wrath of The Titans

ComingSoon received the Wrath of The Titans press release which again confirms returning cast members Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Queen Andromeda now played by Rosamund Pike. Not previously mentioned is Danny Huston who is reprising the role of Poseidon. Along with new additions Edgar Ramirez as Ares, Tobey Kebbell as Argenor and Bill Nighy as Hephaestus the blacksmith to the gods. Oddly enough Gemma Arterton who ended up the love interest in the first film doesn't appear as in the cast. Her role could possibly be cut or even in the process of being re-cast.

Rosamund Pike To Play Andromeda In Wrath of The Titans

Deadline reports that Rosamund Pike (An Education, Die Another Day) has been recast as Princess Andromeda in Jonathan Liebesman's (Battle Los Angeles) Wrath of The Titans. Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Liam Nesson and Ralph Fiennes are reprising their roles. Pike had recently been linked to both X-Men First Class and Superman.

TheWrap previously reported that Hayley Atwell (Captain America), Clemence Poesy (In Bruges, 127 Hours), Dominique McElligott (Moon) and Georgina Haig (Wasted On The Youth) had been candidates to replace Alexa Davalos. The same report linked Edgar Rameriz (Carlos) as being in final talks to take the role of Ares, Tobey Kebbell (RockNRolla) for the role of Agenor and Bill Nighy as Hephaestus the blacksmith to the gods. 

Ramirez, Kebbell, Nighy & Atwell In Talks For Wrath of The Titans

TheWrap is reporting on some new casting information for sequel to Clash of The Titans which is titled Wrath of The Titans. We already know that Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Liam Nesson and Ralph Fiennes are reprising their roles.

Edgar Ramirez (Domino, Carlos) is in final negations to play God of War Ares which had previously been rumored for Javier Bardem. Tobey Kebbell (RockNRolla, Dead Man Shoes, Prince of Persia) is also in talks for the role of Agenor who might be the son of Poseidon a half god similar to Perseus. James Franco had been rumored for the role of Agenor previously. Bill Nighy has been offered the role of Hephaestus the immortal blacksmith of the Gods but isn't as solid as the previous offers.

In an odd twist Warner Bros. and director Jonathan Liebesman are looking to recast the role of Princess Andromeda which had been portayed by Alexa Davalos in the original film. The site lists Captain American actress Hayley Atwell as one of the many actresses testing for role. Others include French actress Clemence Poesy who is best known from In Bruges, 127 Hours and Deathly Hollows. Also Dominique McElligott (Moon) and Georgina Haig (Wasted On The Youth) who both tested for Gwen Stacy in the Spider-Man which went to Emma Stone. Black Swan supporting actress Janet Montgomery is also in the mix. I expect the role to be more than just the girl in distress considering the involvement of Atwell and Poesy.