Potential Kevin Eastman Movie Concept Art Surfaces

Tweet

Yesterday, Scott Mescudi posted a curious piece of Kevin Eastman art to his Tumblr account (and, likewise, to Twitter). He states that it was a gift given to him by Andrew Form and Brad Fuller of Platinum Dunes, the company producing the new movie.

The piece, which appears to be a print, is dated 2012 and depicts a Turtle in what could be Casey Jones-like gear. (Or, dare I say it - Alien gear?)

Thanks to the one and only Ernie Reyes, Jr. for bringing this to attention on Facebook!

TMNT TV Preview to Air After Kids' Choice Awards?

Tweet

Ever since showing up on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Wikipedia page, the rumor has persisted that we may see a preview of the new TMNT CGI series from Nickelodeon connected to the Kids' Choice Awards, which airs this Saturday, March 31, 2012.

Despite the lack of any official confirmation that this may be happening, there is indication that there could be some truth to the rumor. However, it would not be in the form of a complete episode. If we do see anything, expect it to only be a short clip - probably the same clip that was shown at Toy Fair. It's also likely that the preview won't be during the awards show itself, but directly after it.

Keep in mind that all of this is still just speculation, but if there's any truth to it we will probably hear about it within the next day or so via @TMNTMaster on Twitter and/or the official TMNT Facebook page. Even if we don't hear anything, it might be worth it to schedule your DVRs.

UPDATE:
A Tweet from Kenny Byerly, a writer for the series, indicates that there will not be a preview attached to the Kids' Choice Awards this weekend.

IDW TMNT #8 Variant Cover Guide

Tweet

It's new comic book day! Beware lingering Nerd Rage when you go out today; it was in full force last week. And something else for you to ponder: Do the Turtles in the IDW series actually qualify as teenagers? Hmmmm?

Here's your traditional pre-fight preview!

Cover A

Cover B

Cover A: Dan Duncan.
Regular cover; distributed in a 4:1 ratio with cover B.

Cover B: Kevin Eastman.
Regular cover; distributed in a 1:4 ratio with cover A.

Cover C

Cover C: Simon Gane.
Retailer incentive cover; 1 copy sent to retailers for every 10 copies ordered.

New Movie to be Called "Ninja Turtles" - Michael Bay Clarifies Why

Tweet

Still worked up about Michael Bay's "alien" comments from a couple weeks ago, another wave of Internet rage seems to have emerged with the revelation that the working title of the film is simply "Ninja Turtles." People seem to be interpreting this as a way to delete both the mutant and teenage aspects of the characters from the film. However, in another statement made on his official message boards, Bay clarifies that the title change was made by Paramount (not Bay) to simplify the title. In his full statement, he also reiterates that great care is going into the movie to make it something the fans are going to love.

Paramount marketing changed the name. They made the title simple. The characters you all remember are exactly the same, and yes they still act like teenagers. Everything you remember, why you liked the characters, is in the movie. This script is being developed by two very smart writers, with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles. They care VERY MUCH about making this film for the fans. Everyone on this team cares about the fans. Just give them a chance. Jonathan the director, is a major fan of the whole franchise. HE'S NOT GOING TO LET YOU DOWN.
MICHAEL

Of course, saying "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" repeatedly gets tiring quite fast, and pretty much everyone has simplified it to "Ninja Turtles" anyways. Considering that there are also already three movies that start with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," differentiating this new movie from the old ones is a no-brainer.

Guinness World Record for Largest Gathering of Ninja Turtles

Tweet

On Saturday, March 17, 2012, a new Guinness World Record was set for the largest gathering of people dressed as Ninja Turtles! The event marked the grand opening of the new ride at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shell Shock.

A crowd begins to gather around the new ride.

Check out video of the event below! Some of the audio is a little hard to hear, but this is essentially the entirety of event, with the 10 minutes of waiting cut out. The final number of people dressed as Ninja Turtles was 836! Cowabunga!


Some of my favorite fan shots from the event! Check out all my pictures on Flickr!

The youngest Turtle?

Best. Hair. EVER!

Director Jonathan Liebesman Comments on New TMNT Movie

Tweet

While doing press for the upcoming Wrath of the Titans, Jonathan Liebesman finally had a chance to have his own say about the recent "alien" controversy in an interview with Collider.com. And in doing so, he pretty much confirms that the Turtles themselves aren't going to be aliens. He actually said all the right things that should make any TMNT fan ready to embrace and be excited for this movie.

"Look, it's so funny—if everyone was such a die-hard fan, they would know that the TCRI canisters where the ooze comes from. That is alien ooze. Now I'm not saying what Michael said is exactly what the movie is, because we're sitting in a room now figuring everything out. So we don't know, but we are like Michael said: we're expanding it, and the expansion will be true to the mythology. I promise you: fans will love it."

He also commented that this isn't just going to be an action movie.

"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."

These comments alone should be enough to satisfy fans that this movie is going in the right direction and that, for now at least, there's no need for nerd rage.

Further details speak to Kevin Eastman's involvement in the film:

"A lot of it is stuff he’s wanted to do for a long time, but just hasn’t had the opportunity [before, but] now we have the budget ... on this film to expand it in the right way."

Finally, Liebesman mentions that the film could be filming in Canada sometime around September, and that they're looking at rendering the Turtles with motion capture suits, similar to Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

TMNT Creators Weigh-In On Bay's Turtles

Tweet

Kevin Eastman drawing secret stuff.
Photo by: Jonathan Liebesman

When Michael Bay posted a comment to his official message boards responding to the outrage over the revelation of "alien" Turtles, he mentioned that he was working with one of the original creators on the project. It was easy to speculate that that person was Kevin Eastman, but Kevin has now confirmed that with a brief update to his Facebook page.

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 curtain 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!

So, it looks like Kevin is behind the project 100%. And that's good enough assurance for me.

Meanwhile, Peter Laird has posted some of his own musings on the topic on his blog, although he has no personal involvement in the project and knows only as much as the rest of us do. He also drew a cute little alien Turtle.