Michael Bay and the new live action TMNT

[PandoraFox]

There's a few sentences in there that do  make me feel he doesn't care much fort he idea
"It's possible that with enough truly creative brainpower applied to this idea, it might actually work. I'm not saying it's probable, or even somewhat likely… but it IS possible."
Sound to me like he certainly isn't expecting it to work, even  if he says it theoretically could.

But in the end, there's not really much he can do about the script, since they sold the rights, and heck, at least now they can have as many turtles as some people seemed to want. He's certainly staying polite, but by openly sounding hostile himself, it would just ruin his image more then Bay's. Especially since by selling the rights, he gave away his right to complain about anything.

That aside,

I liked the fact that it was a small group fighting against huge odds.  If there is a Turtle Planet, why couldn't they just call for reinforcements down the line when they get in trouble?

I can't agree more. I really, really, hope there's not a turtle planet.

[Bee-chan]

Is he [Peter] just trying to be diplomatic? I honestly don't see how "it's a way of justifying more turtles" justifies making them aliens. Why do there have to be more turtles? Why is more "always" better? Really, it sounds like a weak way of saying "I don't dare stomp on the toes of a famous movie director so I'm going to be as noncommittal as possible." Seen it before with creators of works that get made into movies that are HORRIBLY made. (Avatar: TLA, anyone?)

I agree with you about not needing an entire planet of turtles.  I liked the fact that it was a small group fighting against huge odds.  If there is a Turtle Planet, why couldn't they just call for reinforcements down the line when they get in trouble?

Perhaps Peter will be getting royalties, so he is trying to calm the fears of fans so they will buy tickets to it?  Either that or, like you said, he is being polite.

I don't THINK he is, considering that he sold ALL rights to the turtles  to Viacom. But I could be wrong.

To be honest, I think he just doesn't give a major dang. He even admited some time ago that he was beyond tired of doing ANYTHING related to TMNT, that even though it's what made Mirage Studios, he's done with it and wants to move on. He got tired of companies he gave show rights to effing the story up so badly, I think at this point he just doesn't care any more.

I'm not defending what he says, I think he SHOULD care more. I mean, the turtles were his and Kevins' baby, one would think they'd want to protect their baby. One would think the parent of the baby would be peeved beyond recognition is someone else basically said, "I'm taking your already established and beautiful baby, and re-birthing it because I say the way you did it stinks.".

I know I would be ROYALLY teeved if someone did that to my works.

I haven't seen anything from Kevin about this. I know he has a DA account, as well as a blog, and Steve Lavigne hasn't said anything either, publicly. Wondering if they're allowed, considering that they both still work for Mirage.

[Cool.Breeze]

as of this moment, I officially hate re-makes more than EVER (and I thought I hated them before!). I hope they all die at the end. BAH. I'm die-hard TMNT fan, comics, toys and toons, so this really rubs me the wrong way >:C aliens? Really? REALLY? Yeah.... okay. Thanks alot, Michael Bay.

[StarDapple]

Is he [Peter] just trying to be diplomatic? I honestly don't see how "it's a way of justifying more turtles" justifies making them aliens. Why do there have to be more turtles? Why is more "always" better? Really, it sounds like a weak way of saying "I don't dare stomp on the toes of a famous movie director so I'm going to be as noncommittal as possible." Seen it before with creators of works that get made into movies that are HORRIBLY made. (Avatar: TLA, anyone?)

I agree with you about not needing an entire planet of turtles.  I liked the fact that it was a small group fighting against huge odds.  If there is a Turtle Planet, why couldn't they just call for reinforcements down the line when they get in trouble?


Perhaps Peter will be getting royalties, so he is trying to calm the fears of fans so they will buy tickets to it?  Either that or, like you said, he is being polite.

I don't THINK he is, considering that he sold ALL rights to the turtles  to Viacom. But I could be wrong.


To be honest, I think he just doesn't give a major dang. He even admited some time ago that he was beyond tired of doing ANYTHING related to TMNT, that even though it's what made Mirage Studios, he's done with it and wants to move on. He got tired of companies he gave show rights to effing the story up so badly, I think at this point he just doesn't care any more.


I'm not defending what he says, I think he SHOULD care more. I mean, the turtles were his and Kevins' baby, one would think they'd want to protect their baby. One would think the parent of the baby would be peeved beyond recognition is someone else basically said, "I'm taking your already established and beautiful baby, and re-birthing it because I say the way you did it stinks.".


I know I would be ROYALLY teeved if someone did that to my works.


I haven't seen anything from Kevin about this. I know he has a DA account, as well as a blog, and Steve Lavigne hasn't said anything either, publicly. Wondering if they're allowed, considering that they both still work for Mirage.

Yea, I think he really should care more, since it was such an important series for him.  But if he has given up, that, to me, is sadder than him thinking the movie has a shot or just being polite.  That would mean that this brain child he worked so hard and long for is completely worthless to him now.   

[TokiBear]

I have been a TMNT fan girl my entire life.  I don't remember a time when I didn't love the turtles.  I never missed an episode of the cartoon on Saturday mornings... I got to see the second and third live actions in theaters and the first live action was made before I could really go see them... but it is still my favorite.  Heck, I love the 2k3 reincarnation of the turtles... but this?  Michael Bay is not going to get my money for this... If I had children, they would not be going to see this either.

In my opinion, listening to the fans on something this big would be a smart move... without the fans, he won't have anyone to watch his movie.  As an aunt, I love sharing my childhood memories with my nieces and nephews...  Being able to enjoy a new incarnation of my childhood is something that I would love to do with them but if Bay takes this movie in the direction he is, I won't be sharing this with them.  It is us, adult fans, that have the money to take the younger generation to see this movie... if you can't get the adults on your side, how do you expect to make money?

[SailorEarth]

This makes me sad. I'm tired of movie remakes- they were fine to begin with, they don't need to be remade!

I never read the comics but I loved the movies and animated show as a kid. I saw the second movie in the theater 5 times. Not once did I think "gosh, this'd be so much better with aliens!" Why the systematic destruction of everything that was awesome about the 80's-90's?

[Alrak]

why not make something new? i was about to insert hollywood here but it happen to all the cinema industry.
And when they just have to copy something, like a famous, awesome series of books, they twist everything because they are so "creative" Blergh. And they surprise when the movie/tv series fails.

[Wardah]

why not make something new? i was about to insert hollywood here but it happen to all the cinema industry.
And when they just have to copy something, like a famous, awesome series of books, they twist everything because they are so "creative" Blergh. And they surprise when the movie/tv series fails.

Because the studio owners are afraid something will not be successful if there isn't a well known name attached to it. Look at FIM. Lauren Faust wanted to produce a series based on her own characters but Hasbro had no interest in investing in an original idea. However luckily they liked her MLP artwork and she loved MLP so FIM came to be. FIM is awesome but it would have been awesome even if the characters were not based on MLP.

It doesn't even make sense to me why I am so bothered by this change with TMNT so much while I accepted the drastic change FIM was but I can't help it. Maybe it is because no matter how much the franchise has changed MLP is still about ponies while if Bay turns the Turtles into aliens they won't be Teenage MUTANT Ninja Turtles unless they are somehow aliens that have mutated somehow with turtle DNA.

[PandoraFox]

why not make something new? i was about to insert hollywood here but it happen to all the cinema industry.
And when they just have to copy something, like a famous, awesome series of books, they twist everything because they are so "creative" Blergh. And they surprise when the movie/tv series fails.

Because the studio owners are afraid something will not be successful if there isn't a well known name attached to it. Look at FIM. Lauren Faust wanted to produce a series based on her own characters but Hasbro had no interest in investing in an original idea. However luckily they liked her MLP artwork and she loved MLP so FIM came to be. FIM is awesome but it would have been awesome even if the characters were not based on MLP.

It doesn't even make sense to me why I am so bothered by this change with TMNT so much while I accepted the drastic change FIM was but I can't help it. Maybe it is because no matter how much the franchise has changed MLP is still about ponies while if Bay turns the Turtles into aliens they won't be Teenage MUTANT Ninja Turtles unless they are somehow aliens that have mutated somehow with turtle DNA.

What bothers me so much about it personally is the fact that it changes the core setting the series tended to run on, and what gave TMNT it's particular feel. It does more then just change the word mutant in their name to alien.
While in quite a few incarnations, the turtles came to be what they are due to an accident involving a substance made by aliens, they never truly belonged to that race, nor do they belong with the humans. They're a tiny group of beings, the only ones of their kind.
It gives the series a kind of us against the world feel, that to me, is a big part of the story and setting, and I fear that will be mostly lost if there's suddenly an entire planet of turtles out there.

Yes, it will still be 4 turtle like beings with masks and ninja skills against a horde of evil ninja I'm sure, but there is more to a re-imagining then getting the characters to look alike. Just like having transforming robots doesn't automatically make something into Transformers, yes it's a very large part of the core concept, but by far not all of it.

[Echo_Shell]

In my opinion, listening to the fans on something this big would be a smart move... without the fans, he won't have anyone to watch his movie.  As an aunt, I love sharing my childhood memories with my nieces and nephews...  Being able to enjoy a new incarnation of my childhood is something that I would love to do with them but if Bay takes this movie in the direction he is, I won't be sharing this with them.  It is us, adult fans, that have the money to take the younger generation to see this movie... if you can't get the adults on your side, how do you expect to make money?

Unfortunately for us all (Bay included) this director has a history of open disrespect for his fans.  I'm still sore over the Arcee incident in TF2.  If he didn't like her character, he shouldn't have used her.  The fact that he abused a beloved character and laughed in our faces about it was enough to ruin the movie for me before I ever saw it.  I expect the same in this case.  He'll mock the fans who ask for Splinter or Shredder or Casey and then whine when it sucks, proceeding then to to complain about how the movie wasn't really what he wanted it to be, blaming everybody but himself.  And of course he'll promise to make up for it in the sequel.  So be sure to watch the sequel!!  Well if there was anything more embarrassing to Transformer fans than Revenge of the Fallen, it was the patchwork monstrosity that was Dark of the Moon.  So enjoy Turtle fans and watch him cast Keira Knightley as Casey Jones.  *marches back to the Angry Dome*

[kittybethy]

What a mess!

[Beachball]

Are the Turtles and their fellow alien turtles going to be called "turtleoids"?  In the 80's cartoon, the Turtles were taken to a planet of alien turtles in an episode called "Planet of the Turtleoids". Here's part of the episode showing the turtleloids and their city:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvctYlCRvfc

[Ren-Ren]

This is blasphemy. Though I do have to admit that for the past 20 years or so I've had a running story in my head about Donatello being transported to another planet populated by turtle "people" eerily similar to the TMNTs... ;  Maybe in the movie they'll come from that planet LOL

[Vesperline]

Why does Michael Bay hate my child hood?  Did he come from a family that refused to buy him the same toys?  Well joke's on him this time!  The original movie we got back in 1990 is still awesome.

[shabbychicdee]

im sorry but i hate that man.
where is an assassin when you need one.
i loved old 80s tranformers and he ruined it all and i loved old TMNT, so sad to hear that