T M N T [Archive] - Kung Fu Magazine Forums

Zenshiite

03-25-2007, 06:40 PM

I certainly remember G-FORCE. I have a great G-Force Tshirt and silkscreen poster of the characters. Would be neat if they made a really decent film of it.

As for the TMNT. i dont know why they are ressurecting this cartoon. Not a fan of it at all. I preferred Cartoons like HE-MAN and THundercats, why the hell didnt they make a feature of Thundercats? I mean the HE-MAn movie was cr@p. The thread i started that showed one artists view of the He-man characters was way cool i thought. i will link the forum board here, you have to scroll down a 1/4th of the way and see the artwork. ...................EDIT,,cr@p they took the sketch photos down, sorry about that guys. thought they would stay up. Anyway they were pretty cool, a very dark aspect to the HE-man series that gets rid of the 1980's gay bodybuilder look in the cartoons(hey when you are a KID you dont think of those things)
CHeers, TWS

Here's the thing... they aren't really resurrecting this. There's been a cartoon series and toy franchise running quite successfully for about 4 years, and with the cartoon then went a little different by depicting the turtles in a manner more akin to their Mirage base with proper sashes and the brown elbow and knee pads. Thus continuing the look from the live action flicks. This past year they even took them 100 years into the future or something, which sucks. But the previous four years were great. Something like 3 or 4 video games and all types of other merch... it's no surprise they have a new movie. Still got the kid appeal, but it's far more gritty than the original cartoon series ever was or TMNT III.

I don't think a Thundercats live action feature would work out very well without it being turned into a goof like some other cartoons being turned into movies. Besides, I recently rented Thundercats season one... sucks way more than I remember it. Way more. I'd rather see a Voltron movie. Better yet, Voltron vs Power Rangers... I want to see the Voltron Force own the imitators.

I think Mirage Studios currently has a TMNT series going on by the way.

MasterKiller

03-26-2007, 06:28 AM

Speaking of oldschool cartoons, who remembers Battle of the Planet featuring G-Force?

Turns out the studio (http://www.imagi.com.hk/web/main.php) behind the latest TMNT is working on a CGI version of GACHAMAN as the cartoon as originally titled in Japan. check out their selection on the "OUR FILMS" menue.. .

HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T

I am a HOOOOOOGE G-Force fan.

I would also love to see a Shogun Warriors movie.

Or even StarBlazers!!!

Oso

03-26-2007, 07:26 PM

infants...

I'm still waiting for Land of the Lost, Shazam, Isis and Sigmund to get CGI'd

holy crap...I just realized where I got my fetish for glasses from

http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/isis/images/pr10.jpg

http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/isis/images/pr8.jpg

Hishaam

03-27-2007, 08:32 AM

HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T HOLY SH!T

I am a HOOOOOOGE G-Force fan.

I would also love to see a Shogun Warriors movie.

Or even StarBlazers!!!

I second that.

@PLUGO

03-27-2007, 09:48 AM

infants...

I'm still waiting for Land of the Lost, Shazam, Isis and Sigmund to get CGI'd

holy crap...I just realized where I got my fetish for glasses from

broken links

So.... More likely you'll see a SHAZAM live action film . . . sometime in 2008-2009.

Sigmund the Sea Monster would be pretty fun. But Isis is unlikely... the Wonder Woman movie would probably happen fist and that's rather slow going.

But as for TMNT... a Black & White cartoon done to match the original comic series would make a great direct to DVD piece IMO. But you can't fault Eastman and Laird for grabing the money with the kids angle... or at least, I can't.

PangQuan

03-27-2007, 11:12 AM

im still waiting for them to re do some of the old greek mythology stories.

Clash of the Titans with modern CGI.....omg can we say bad ass?

Zenshiite

03-27-2007, 03:42 PM

im still waiting for them to re do some of the old greek mythology stories.

Clash of the Titans with modern CGI.....omg can we say bad ass?

That's a Sci-Fi Channel mini-series if I ever heard of one...

PangQuan

03-27-2007, 04:38 PM

lol

no fair, i dont have cable!!!!!:mad:

Bagua8

03-28-2007, 04:26 PM

I personally beleive that the idea of swift moving martialarts turtles is hilarious. THEY'RE TURTLES!!!. example of what i mean: " Hey guys, we gotta save rafael, quick. (running from rooftop to rooftop at about 1mph.) hehehe. If i was a turtle in danger, i'd hide in my shell all day.

Radhnoti

03-29-2007, 07:58 AM

My son came home from school today with a flyer/card from one of the local franchise martial art schools.

____ invites you to a special FREE
TMNT Children Beginner's Martial Arts Workshop
Kids 5-12 are welcome to come as they will
learn cool Ninja Turtle Martial Arts Techniques.

Kids you will even learn to break a real board
and receive a FREE Ninja Turtle Weapon and
learn how to use it!

This FREE community event will be held on Fridays at 6:30 PM
Parents, Call now to reserve your Ninja Turtle's space at the exciting event

FREE TMNT Movie Tickets to the first 25 callers!"

This is followed by contact info and Raphael is posing all over the card along with the letters TMNT.

I've checked this place out before. The instructors came up in a TKD environment, but now get their orders on how to decorate and how to present themselves from the franchise headquarters. So, this franchise feels it's a good idea to try to hop on the TMNT bandwagon.

BruceSteveRoy

03-29-2007, 12:24 PM

i wonder what they had to pay in royalties to be able to rip off the tmnt characters and logo for the promotion of their school.

anyway, i saw the movie the day after it came out and i have to tell you it was awesome. i was very entertained. go see it. but the nintendo wii game tmnt that just came out is pretty weak. i rented it for 5 days and beat it in 4. and i didnt even spend much time playing it. it was like they just slapped something together as quick as they could with the expectation that the game would sell just bc of the movie. and i think they are right. sure am glad i didnt buy it.

brothernumber9

04-05-2007, 07:45 AM

I see some people actually admit they used to watch the Kroft stuff. I always thought Sigmunds family were funny as crap. I would even answer the house phone sometime and say "shello".

Anyone remember Doctor Shrinker, or Electro Woman and Dyna Girl?

Oso

05-12-2007, 06:23 PM

yea, I know, I'm way late.

i don't get out much.

just saw this at the local brew and view, with pizza ("Funky Chicken": chicken, bacon and red onions w/ bbq sauce) and beer ("Ninja Porter" [no sh!t]...used to be called the 'Rook Porter' but changed the name...i guess it is the year of the ninja) and it was totally awesome...it's in my top 5 movies of all time now.

anywho...the cap of the night was when I saw the new t-shirts this pizza/brewery/movie joint had printed up for their newly named porter.

On the front: "Ninja Porter"

on the back

wait for it

"Ninja Please"

PunkRockMantis

06-08-2007, 05:14 PM

Shaolin Slee Stacks???:eek:

jeez, im surprised no one has done a land of the lost re-make on the big screen yet.
im not sure if i like the idea of gatchaman being re-done, although the turtles looked good in commercials, im sure the company doing the animation will do it top notch but theres just something breathtaking about the tatsunoku anime style

GeneChing

11-09-2007, 11:52 AM

...but I've only seen that, Shrek 3 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46470) and Bee Movie. Shrek was ok. Bee Movie was more of a D- movie.

Two Asian films enter Oscars animation race (http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/4919/1/)
Written by Patrick Frater
Friday, 09 November 2007

SANTA MONICA – Two Asian-made films have entered the race to win the Oscar for best animated feature.

Japanese crimer "Tekkonkinkreet" and the Hong Kong-made "TMNT" are among 12 movies that have been submitted to the Academy of Motion Pictures . These will be screened and the Academy announce nominations on Jan 22, 2008.

The Academy noted that three of the other pics -- " Alvin and the Chipmunks," "Beowulf" and " Persepolis " -- have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. The submitted features must fulfill the general release requirements and meet all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process.

The Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2008.

Full list of films submitted for 2007 best animated movie Oscar
" Alvin and the Chipmunks"
"Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters"
"Bee Movie"
"Beowulf"
"Meet the Robinsons"
" Persepolis "
"Ratatouille"
"Shrek the Third"
"The Simpsons Movie"
"Surf’s Up"
"Tekkonkinkreet"
"TMNT"

doug maverick

11-09-2007, 12:35 PM

my pic would be beowulf for the oscars the animation is simply stunning.

GeneChing

04-21-2009, 10:20 AM

A quarter century already? Man, that makes me feel OLD....

April 20, 2009, 3:24 pm
Heroes in a Half Shell Turn the Big 2-5 (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/heroes-n-a-half-shell-turn-the-big-2-5/?scp=3&sq=martial%20arts&st=cse)
By Jennifer 8. Lee
Original Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesMirage Studios The original volume of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, released 25 years ago, was a self-published black-and-white comic by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, two struggling artists.

If you invented a martial arts-practicing pizza-loving reptilian crime fighter, where else would they live aside from subterranean New York City?

“We’d always heard the legends of the alligators in the sewer systems in New York City,” said Peter Laird, who dreamed up the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 25 years ago with Kevin Eastman when they were struggling artists living in Dover, N.H. “The sewer system is big enough and vast enough to hide alligators. It could certainly hide turtles.”

And the New York City sewer certainly could be a fertile place for radioactive ooze. (Do you really trust university labs to properly dispose of their waste?).

So it is not unfathomable that four little turtles could be dropped by a little boy into a sewer and get soaked in the mysterious ooze. Perhaps the conceptual jump is that the turtles adopt names of Renaissance artists (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello), speak English, walk upright, eat pizza, adopt surfer attitudes and study martial arts under the tutelage of a giant rat.

But to two aspiring comic book creators in 1984, it seemed reasonable. Mr. Laird, then 33, and Mr. Eastman, then 26, had an admittedly offbeat way of looking at the world. “The whole concept sprang out of the strange sense of humor that I shared with the co-creator,” Mr. Laird said.

He observed that the rest of the world might look at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and react to them as “four really mostly unconnected words” but “for us, it just seemed to flow naturally.”

As Mr. Eastman, who has since sold his share of the property to Mr. Laird, described in an 1988 interview: ”We were sitting around the living room. We’d watched a number of bad TV shows — ‘T. J. Hooker,’ ‘The A-Team’ and ‘Love Connection.’ We got real punchy, and for some reason I did a sketch of a turtle with a mask. Pete did one, and another. Then I said, ‘Wait! Wait!’ and drew four turtles, each with a different weapon. I said, ‘Why not call them Ninja Turtles?’ Pete said: ‘Why not Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?’”

Their ambitions were fairly limited at the time. “We were looking to do comic books successfully enough that we did not have to work at Pizza Hut,” Mr. Laird said. The two had formed a company called Mirage Studios. “The name referred to the fact we didn’t really have a studio,” Mr. Laird said. They were working out of their living room.

Their original comic was a self-published black and white volume that quickly sold out across the country, spurred in part by a United Press International story. An agent heard about the turtles and approached them about licensing the turtles for toys and then sold the idea to Playmates Toys, a large doll manufacturing company, which was looking to get into boys’ action figures. “They had this great line: ‘Fresh from the sewers,’” Mr. Laird said.

The toys really took off after Playmate created a cartoon series to promote the series — a common technique to market toys. Group W Broadcasting commissioned a five-part animated Turtles mini-series, because that as much as the budget allowed. The five episodes were a success in syndication and Group W went on to sign a 65-episode run of new Turtles cartoons, which became a hit.

“It touched a nerve and took off like a shot,” Mr. Laird said. “It’s bit on this wild ride we’ve been on for the last 25 years — nothing I ever anticipated.”

The turtles went on to generate two separate cartoon series runs (the second which is ending this season), three live-action movies, best-selling toys, and video games. Mr. Baird and Mr. Eastman only penned 30 comics themselves, before passing it to other artist in their studios.

This week, the turtles are celebrating their 25th anniversary in New York City with a public “galabunga” (a play on the turtles’ “cowabunga” cry). The Empire State Building is being lit up green Thursday, and this Thursday, the Tribeca Film Festival is featuring the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, which despite mixed reviews went on to be the highest grossing independent film up until then.

That film was also inspired by New York City infrastructure. In order to design the underground sets for the first film, the film staff tried to gain access to a city sewer, but failed. Instead they were given access to a long-abandoned, Brooklyn subway system - originally built for steam trains - whose structural principle was the same as the sewer system. In addition, they were able to explore a water tunnel which had huge water pipes that were used to pump water into the Central Park Reservoir.

After New York, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are going on a national tour. Details are on the official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Web site (which has got to be one of the garish official Web sites out there. Yes there is a turtle theme, but still: yellow text on green background?). The company has set up a separate 25th anniversary site.

* Philadelphia (April 30-May 2)
* Detroit (May 4-6)
* Chicago (May 21-25)
* St. Louis (June 4-6)
* Dallas (June 11-13)
* Denver (June 18-20)
* Phoenix (June 25-27)
* Las Vegas (July 9-11)
* Los Angeles (July 16-18)
* San Diego (July 22-25)

Looking back, the cartoons actually had a very different timbre than the original books, Mr. Laird said. The original books were adventure stories with humor. The first cartoons had reverse balance.

But the spiritual home of the turtles is still in New York City. “The setting them in New York City part was a no-brainer,” Mr. Laird said. The superheroes they read growing up lived in New York (or a facsimile of it).

Neither of them had really spent that much time in New York at that point. Mr. Laird had visited only a few times, including once as a child. “The New York that you see in our comics is really an imaginary New York — it’s a perceived New York,” he said. “The turtles were created in a small town in New Hampshire.”

New York City played another indirect role in the creation of the ninja turtles. When he was in college in the mid-1970s, Mr. Laird decided he wanted to be a comic book artist. “I packed up a portfolio and went on a bus and located the Marvel Comics office,” he said. He walked into the Marvel offices and asked to show his portfolio to someone.

“I didn’t realize I had to make an appointment,” Mr. Laird said. “I was completely naïve.”

He was politely turned away. “I was very dejected.”

He had three hours to kill before his bus left. He wandered to Times Square, which was much more seedy back then, and he found a theater playing two martial arts movies.

“I remember, ‘Chinese Hercules’ and ‘The Way of the Dragon,’” he said.

“Chinese Hercules” was mediocre, he remembered. “But, he added, Bruce Lee just blew me away.” The actor’s athleticism and charisma just jumped off the screen.

“I became a huge Bruce Lee fan after that,” he said. “It probably had a lot to do with inspiring the turtles.”

Shaolinlueb

04-21-2009, 11:38 AM

nice dude.

back in the day the owners of the series used to have a comic book museum in northampton (where they are from) and it was cool stuff.

cant believe its their bd already.

Lucas

04-21-2009, 01:27 PM

look at that. even the ninja turtles were inspired by bruce lee.

with how much hate the guy gets from people its simply amazing how you will constantly find out more and more that he influenced.

i LOVED the ninja turtles growing up. I got into them right off the bat with the old laird and eastman comics.

the first one i got was this black and white non cartoony issue:

The ninja turtles are out in the forest, a foot of snow in all directions.. all have katanas. Shredder in full plate samurai armor is up on a hill watching as they are surrounded by the foot clan. as the battle clashes there are limbs and heads flying left and right as the turtles decimate the foot. the snow is painted by the blood of the foot clan. The battle climaxes as one of the foot cuts of one of the turtles hands. splinter grabs it and makes a quick exit to mend his injured turtle.

best turtle action ive ever seen in any format

Zenshiite

04-21-2009, 06:48 PM

I've got some classic Mirage Studios Turtles comics hanging around. The "Back To New York" story was awesome. 4 mutant Shredders versus the Turtles, ending in a major showdown between Leonardo and the real Shredder on a rooftop. Awesomely laid out. The art was at one of its best periods with Laird and Jim Lawson working on the books at the time.

Shaolinlueb

04-22-2009, 08:22 AM

funny. i picked up ninja turtles 1-30 for like 70 bucks on ebay. the 1st issue is like 5th reprint, but the story is all there. from the serious issues to the kiddy issues. they mixed both in. but the one you are talking about lucas, i actually have it. its a good issue and gets continued later on.

the nephew of one of the artists was in an art class of mine one summer. all i remember was the story on how his uncle and friend created it. and his hot sister.

apparently the story went like they. a group of friends were together one night drinking. and they were drawing animals with ninja weapons. and boom ninja turtles were born.

Lucas

04-22-2009, 10:22 AM

thats cool that you have that issue. i havnt read it since i was a kid, but to date i still think its one of the best issues of any comic ive ever read.

maybe because of when i read it, not sure. but even to this day when i think of TMNT i always think of that issue.

Shaolinlueb

04-23-2009, 12:38 PM

new movie coming http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=54763

!!!

GeneChing

04-27-2009, 11:08 AM

I wonder how many light bulbs it takes to turn the Empire State Building green...

New ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Movie Announced, Empire State Building Goes Green (http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/04/23/new-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-movie-announced-empire-state-building-goes-green/)
Published by Rick Marshall on Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 12:07 pm.

'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'The 25th Anniversary of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kicked off in a big way this morning, with plans for a new live-action movie announced just before New York City’s “heroes in a half-shell” turned the lights green at the Empire State Building.

Yes, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael will indeed be making another trip to the big screen in 2011. The film, which looks to be a live-action and CGI hybrid, will be produced by Scott Mednick (”300,” “Superman Returns”), Galen Walker (producer of 2007’s CGI film “TMNT”), TMNT co-creator Peter Laird and Mirage Studios president Gary Richardson, among others.

I dropped by this morning’s “green-lighting” event at the Empire State Building, which was attended by a number of TMNT notables, including 1990’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” director Steve Barron, and managed to get a few more details about the upcoming movie and anniversary events, as well as some photos of the Turtles and their party van parked outside.

Along with turning the Empire State Building’s lights green for the next 24 hours or so, Laird and Kevin Eastman’s famous creations will also be hosting an outdoor screening of the original live-action “Ninja Turtles” movie in Tribeca Park later tonight. A cross-country tour in the Turtles’ “party van” will then commence, with the four characters making appearances at baseball games and other events as they head westward.

Fans can get an updated schedule of events at the TMNT 25th Anniversary website.

(On a side note, the TMNT van was parked directly in front of popular New York City comic shop Jim Hanley’s Universe — a fact that, according to the event’s organizers, was actually just a pleasant coincidence.)

As for the recently confirmed “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” film, details were scarce but the TMNT notables in attendance all seemed to agree that a blend of live-action and computer-generated effects were likely — confirming much of what Laird told MTV News back in September 2008. The writer and director for the film, as well as whether the film will be a sequel to previous live-action installments or reboot the franchise entirely, are still unknown.

Shaolinlueb

04-27-2009, 11:58 AM

http://blogs.newamericamedia.org/images/595.jpg

picture of empire state building green.

GeneChing

05-05-2009, 09:59 AM

The Turtles have a tour bus museum? Did some one say free pizza?

Ninja Turtles visit Monroe martial arts academy (http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20090504/BUSINESS/90504062/-1/newsfront/Ninja+Turtles+visit+Monroe+martial+arts+academy)
STAFF REPORT • May 4, 2009

MONROE — Students and instructors of Legends ATA martial arts academy were visited by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on April 29 as a return favor for a demonstration the school performed during the Turtles' 25th anniversary celebration at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 23.
Advertisement

Legends ATA students will be joining the Turtles on a nationwide tour throughout the spring and summer that included a stop on May 2 before a Phillies game at Citizens Park Stadium in Philadelphia.

"Legends ATA martial arts has over its 24 years produced many national and world champions and hosted some of the finest demonstration teams,'' owner Tim Chewning said. "This reputation led to the academy being asked to perform with TMNT for its 25th anniversary tour. Our performance with TMNT led to them adding a tour stop at the academy.''

The event included pictures with Michelangelo, demonstrations, free pizza for all visitors, a tour of the Turtles' bus museum and a promo for the Turtles' upcoming video game. More than 300 participants enjoyed the activities. Legends ATA is located at 365 Spotswood-Englishtown Road in Monroe.

GeneChing

07-14-2009, 09:45 AM

I've met John (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=761) - he's a genuine practitioner.

Writer Revealed for New Live Action TMNT Film? (http://screenrant.com/writer-revealed-new-live-action-tmnt-robf-17082/)
TMNT-2011

With all the announcements leading up to this year’s Comic-Con, it would be easy for a smaller story to get lost in the shuffle. Thankfully, we live in the age of the Internet, where nothing escapes the eyes of diligent fanboys such as the writers of Ninja Pizza, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan-site.

In a recent post, which was picked up by /Film, Ninja Pizza noted that John Fusco (of Young Guns fame) was listed as the screenwriter of the 2011 live-action TMNT film in a recent article for TMNT25.com. Because the article has since been removed (undoubtedly because a proper announcement was not made first), Fusco’s involvement in the film should be seen as speculative. However, it’s about as close to a confirmation as you can get, so let’s start asking ourselves, “What does this mean for TMNT?”

We have previously reported here at Screen Rant that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will likely be a reboot origin story. Does Fusco’s attachment to the project verify that? It’s hard to say. Besides Young Guns, Fusco has written the Viggo Mortensen adventure film Hidalgo, the Val Kilmer thriller Thunderheart, and the Jet Li and Jackie Chan kung-fu film Forbidden Kingdom.

None of these movies in and of themselves say much about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Taken collectively, however, they demonstrate Fusco’s knack for writing action-adventure as well as his interest in martial arts. If a TMNT live-action reboot were to be successful, surely these two elements would have to feature prominently in the script.

What do you think? Is John Fusco the right man to bring the Turtles back to life? Does this news paired with our report of an open casting call for Clan Foot Soldiers get you excited to see a new TMNT film?

A release date for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has not been released, however, the film is scheduled to appear in 2011.

And they're casting...

Martial Arts Experts – Open Casting Call Auditions – Martial Artist Wanted for New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Motion Picture (http://www.tmnt25.com/road_trip/schedule/50.html)
Date: July 18, 2009
Starts: 10:00 am
Ends: 1:00 pm
Location: Hollywood & Highland - 6801 Hollywood Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90028
Description:

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in association with Mirage Studios, 4Kids Entertainment and TMNT Productions will host an open casting call for martial arts experts to audition for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, hitting theatres in 2011. We will select the best from the auditions to be a part of the stealth TMNT nemesis, the Foot Clan.

The casting call is part of the 25th Anniversary Shell-ebration of the “Heroes on a Half Shell” in 2009, and a great way to bring together all schools of martial arts to become part of the new generation of TMNT.

We’re reaching out to ask for your participation in spreading the word to your associates, friends and family within the martial arts community. Details of the event are below, and final rules/regulations will be posted shortly.

When: Saturday, July 18, 2009 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Where: Hollywood & Highland

6801 Hollywood Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90028

*At Grand Staircase

Who: Judges to include actor and martial arts expert Ernie Reyes, Jr., Jason Morgan from the American Taekwondo Association, and 2011 TMNT movie producers Scott Mednick and Galen Walker.

Audition: 30-Second Martial Arts Demo (Single Person Only)

No metal, sharp or bladed weapons of any kind allowed

Photo and updated resume with contact information

Fourteen years or older (under 18 must have adult permission for audition)

Shaolinlueb

07-16-2009, 08:02 PM

**** i would have went too. too bad i will miss this.

GeneChing

07-21-2009, 09:40 AM

I think Fusco will do an excellent job. He's a great fan of the martial arts genre and should be able to pen something fitting of the heroes in a half shell.

Check out my interview with John in Behind the Scenes of FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=765)

'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Movie Taps 'Young Guns' & 'The Forbidden Kingdom' Writer (http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/07/21/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-movie-taps-young-guns-the-forbidden-kingdom-writer/)
Posted 28 minutes ago by Rick Marshall in Mirage, News

Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesThe upcoming "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie finally has a writer -- and it looks like the Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman characters will have no shortage of fight scenes in their next big-screen bow.

According to Variety, "Young Guns" and "The Forbidden Kingdom" scribe John Fusco will pen the screenplay for the new, live-action film based we first brought you news about last year. The article claims that, along with penning several fight-friendly films, Fusco has been "practicing martial arts since he was 12, and continues to study Shaolin kung-fu."

And along with bringing his martial arts savvy to the mix, it appears that Fusco will also be returning to the characters' comic book roots for the film, too.

Variety reports that the new writer will include elements of the comics in the project, which is planned as a complete origin-focused reboot to the property. This confirms much of our previous information from "Turtles" co-creator Laird, who told MTV News that the film was envisioned as "a 'Batman Begins'-style 'reboot,' which would, of necessity, include a retelling of the Turtles' origin story."

"It is always exciting when you can come aboard a project that bridges the worlds of what you do with what you love," said Fusco of the deal.

The "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie is currently scheduled for a 2011 release.

Zenshiite

07-21-2009, 01:46 PM

GeneChing

07-23-2009, 05:17 PM

I was just about to email him and congratulate him on this when he emailed me. He read this thread. And he said they are planning to go back to the original Eastman and Laird. Design Sifu tells me that the original was a spoof of Frank Miller's Daredevil, which is certainly more hard boiled and comic noir. So perhaps the Batman Begins reference is valid after all. If John says any more on the record, I'll let you know.

Oso

07-23-2009, 05:51 PM

dangit...i still cry myself to sleep thinking of all the first edition copies i had...

sounds good...I thought the last CG flick was pretty good but an adult oriented reboot would be awesome.

Zenshiite

07-26-2009, 06:51 PM

Yeah, complete with blood and actually using those weapons...

Phrost

07-27-2009, 07:27 AM

TMNT will never sell as an adult franchise without a really creative marketing campaign.

GeneChing

10-21-2009, 09:41 AM

I gotta say, I love those TMNT beanies that pull down.
http://s2.thisnext.com/media/400x400/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles_F0FB55EE.jpg

Nickelodeon to Develop New CG-Animated Television Series and Paramount Pictures to Develop Feature Film of Renowned Global Property (http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS136549+21-Oct-2009+PRN20091021)

NEW YORK, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Furthering its mission to provide premium
content to its audiences, Nickelodeon--part of MTV Networks, a division of
Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B)--has acquired the global rights to the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles from The Mirage Group and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc.
(NYSE: KDE). The acquisition provides Nickelodeon, the world's number-one
entertainment brand for kids, global intellectual property rights to Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles, the hit television, film and video game property that
has delighted kids around the world for the last 25 years. The aggregate
purchase price for the transactions is approximately $60 million.

Nickelodeon also announced plans to develop a new CG-animated television
series based on the popular superhero franchise, anticipated to premiere in
2012. Additionally, in partnership with Viacom's Paramount Pictures, a new
release of a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature film is also planned for
2012. Nickelodeon has also acquired all merchandising rights to Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles, and will continue to work with its original and long-standing
toy partner, Playmates Toys, which has been the creative force behind the
successful TMNT master toy program over the last two decades.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shares a comedic sensibility with the
Nickelodeon DNA, with added layers of action and fantasy that have kept this
property an evergreen favorite with multiple generations of audiences," said
Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "We are
extremely happy to have the opportunity to be able to focus on this property
and creatively re-introduce it to a new generation of kids."

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a property that maintains a very passionate
global fan base, is rich with opportunity for a tentpole movie, and is exactly
the right property for us to work together with Nickelodeon," said Adam
Goodman, President, Paramount Pictures.

"Mirage has been the proud keeper of the Turtles' brand since 1984, and in
2009 we celebrated their 25th anniversary with our legions of fans," said Gary
Richardson, CEO, Mirage Studios. "Nickelodeon is a powerhouse global brand,
and we are confident that the company will be a wonderful steward for
Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello and all the other TMNT characters
and take them in all kinds of exciting and new creative directions."

"We enjoyed our eight-year partnership with Mirage during which 4Kids and
Mirage re-launched the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise for a new
generation of kids around the world," said Alfred Kahn, Chairman and CEO of
4Kids Entertainment, Inc. "We will also work with Mirage and Viacom so that
our Turtles' licensees can be assured of a seamless transition."

Considered one of the most popular kids' television programs of the 1980s,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic, global property created in 1984 by
Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It first debuted as a successful comic book
series and then became a hit animated TV show, a live-action television
series, and later spawned four blockbuster theatrical releases. The property
also has translated into a significant consumer products business--with DVDs,
video games, toys and more--that has generated billions of dollars at retail.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is based on four mutant turtles--trained in the
art of Ninjitsu--who battle evil from the New York sewers. The Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles animated television series--jointly produced by 4Kids
Entertainment and Mirage Studios--will continue to air on "TheCW4Kids"
Saturday morning programming block on The CW network through Aug. 31, 2010.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for
kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in
everything it does. The company includes television programming and production
in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online,
recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is
seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic
cable network for 15 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit
http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and
logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

About Mirage Studios

The Mirage Group is a group of companies, including Mirage Studios, Inc.,
located in Northampton, Massachusetts, that owned and managed the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles property from its creation in 1984 through 2009.

Shaolinlueb

11-02-2009, 11:24 AM

So... if Laird is saying Batman Begins-style reboot... does that mean this thing won't be targeted at teh 7-10 year old crowd? Or is that inevitable given the way Eastman and Laird chose to go back in the last 80s up to today?

Their comic was so brutal, I can hardly imagine even half of that stuff making it to screen. Though, I will say that they tried to include alot of the classic comic book elements into the cartoon series of the early 2000s and departed quite drastically from the cartoon of the late 80s-early 90s.

i hope so that they mean brutal, pg-13/r rating. but then again you will remember some of the later books were so kiddy because the archie comic series wasn't out yet and they were playing on the success of the cartoon to sell more issue's. i hope they keep it like the first 12 or so issues and the last 12 or so issues where they did city at war.

Zenshiite

11-21-2009, 12:37 PM

I just watched a cartoon movie of the TMNT on TV called "Turtles Forever." It had the modern cartoon TMNT meet the classic cartoon TMNT. The contrast between the more serious modern turtles and the goofy classic turtles was funny. As well as the contrast between the modern alien/utrom Shredder and the classic imbecilic classic Shredder and Krang. Eventually there was a whole multiverse of TMNT revealed and images were shown from their various incarnations in tv, movies, video games and comics. At the end they went to the universe of the original grim-dark Eastman & Laird TMNT. Which was pretty cool. The world was black & white and those TMNT were grim, tough and narrated stuff. It was fun.

GeneChing

06-02-2010, 10:38 AM

He said things were going well with the project. He didn't mention Bay, but then again, if he had, I'd have had a scoop.

Platinum Dunes Steers 'Turtles' Relaunch (http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/platinum-dunes-steers-turtles-relaunch/)
By MIKE FLEMING | Tags: Actors, Directors, Movies | Thursday May 27, 2010 @ 8:28pm EDT

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon have brought Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form on to produce Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the live-action film that reboots the film series launched by New Line in 1990. Bay, Fuller and Form will produce with Galen Walker and Scott Mednick.

The producers will begin meetings with writers in the next few weeks. The deal puts Bay in the center of two Paramount franchises, as he started production May 17 on Transformers 3, and is zeroing in on Rosie Huntington-Whitely to replace Megan Fox as love interest for Shia LaBeouf. TMNT, a co-production between Paramount and Nickelodeon, is an outgrowth of the $60 million acquisition made by Nick last October for global rights to the entire Turtles franchise. Right around the same time, Paramount made a first look deal with the Platinum Dunes partners, who will generate genre projects but also want to expand their scope. While they've already set up several projects including a Rob Cohen-remake of Fright Night, the Turtles film puts them into new territory.

GeneChing

07-15-2010, 02:14 PM

http://cbskroq.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/ninja-turtle-385-240.jpg?w=385&h=240

doug maverick

07-15-2010, 03:36 PM

He said things were going well with the project. He didn't mention Bay, but then again, if he had, I'd have had a scoop.

i think im probably the only one who thinks this is a movie for michael bay....action explosions , ninjas...right up michael bays alley, except he will probably make the voices of the turtles black...lmao

@PLUGO

08-23-2010, 12:04 PM

By Sean O'Neal August 20, 2010 over at the AV Club.
anyone familiar with the fast-paced, no-time-for-spell-check inner workings of Paramount knows by now, the studio has been making every effort to relaunch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the second or third time, because it is “a huge Viacom priority.” Also, art or something. Unfortunately, the first draft from writer John Fusco—best known, perhaps, for the Young Guns franchise—was deemed “not great,” despite Fusco’s extensive meetings with original Turtles co-creator Peter Laird about capturing the darker tone of the original comics. Fortunately for Viacom (and the rest of you, we guess), Paramount has now hired Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, who have both done second draft work on Iron Man and Punisher: War Zone, and whose upcoming projects include reboots of Highlander and Buck Rogers—so clearly they’re comfortable with taking established properties and giving them the kind of modern-day zing that would make Paramount excited again. The new, live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles could now begin shooting as early as next year, which means Corey Feldman should start campaigning for a part sometime next week.

oh and there's Vanilla Ice doing "Ninja Rap at the link (http://www.avclub.com/articles/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-moving-forward-with-i,44381/)

ghostexorcist

08-23-2010, 01:25 PM

I met the creators of TMNT many years ago at a comic book convention when I was younger. They really liked the art work I brought with me in my port folio.

I would love it if they came out with a live-action movie that was closer to the original comic book.

Zenshiite

08-24-2010, 06:11 AM

Over at Super Hero Hype they reported that the guys who wrote the first Iron Man movie are now on board to write the new TMNT. Where does that leave John Fusco?

GeneChing

10-22-2010, 09:58 AM

How A Co-Ed Built The Van From Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (http://jalopnik.com/5669802/how-a-co+ed-built-the-van-from-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles)

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2010/10/500x_tmntbig.jpg
There are custom vans, there are cartoon cars, and then there's 23-year-old Brittney Schneck's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles van, a '94 Dodge Caravan obsessively reworked into a life-size piece of turtle power realistic enough to call out Shredder.

Schneck, 23, says she started working on the van last July, paying for it from a part-time cashier job and working in her father's auto-detailing business while also going to college.

"The Turtles played a huge role in my childhood," Schneck said. "Growing up with all my male cousins, playing Ninja Turtles while my Uncle Harry (Uncle Shredder) chased us around doing an exact voice of The Shredder. He used to drive us all around in his Caravan, and when I see one, I just think of the Turtles and all the memories."

How A Co-Ed Built The Van From Teenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesThe only major concession to authenticity from the original TMNT ride was the brand of van; the Turtles drove a Volkswagen, but Schneck said she chose a Caravan because parts would be far easier to come by — even if it did arrive with rusted panels, no working air conditioning and the kind of mechanical gunk expected from a 16-year-old minivan. But, since the new VW minivan is just a re-badged Mopar, we think there's still a degree of authenticity to her choice.

Schneck hand-painted and stenciled the exterior colors and fabricated the ray gun, spoiler and other add-ons from scratch. It's not just cosmetic craft; Schneck has rebuilt and replaced most of the Caravan's mechanical parts, from a new radiator, brakes, axles and head gasket down to a clip for the hood prop rod, color-matched to the paint scheme that extends to the engine bay.
She could enter this in NINJASTAR (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=922)....

Lucas

10-22-2010, 10:41 AM

TMNT will never sell as an adult franchise without a really creative marketing campaign.

make a movie, old school eastman and lairds style and just refresh it. all the turtles wear red bandanas they all carry katanas, in addition to various ninja weapons, you know like a real ninja, and they slaughter foot in a most glorious and bloody fashion.

make shredder evil as hell with REAL samurai armor, and give splinter the look of a rabid rabbid wolf rat, with actual deadly animal skills and have him get in the action too. clawing out eyes and biting off fingers

make it dark, violent, adult language, and in a different setting, im picturing....canadian wilderness, on the move, hunted by the foot, hounded and brutalized, starving and cold, and needing every bit of ninja skill just to survive...

few words, no pizza, no skateboards, and adult humor. mix with japanese film style.

i could bring the tmnt back with a vengeance!

but we know it wont ever get that awesome. im way too awesome for mainstream....

Zenshiite

10-23-2010, 08:41 AM

^The Turtles need NYC. I think the problem with the Shredder in the original movies was that they tried to give a more authentic looking samurai construction to the dude's gear and it didn't work. The helmet was too bulky, the bladed gauntlets and shoulder armor looked chintzy, etc. If they did that stuff up more like the comic, where it's solid steel and gave him a sleeker helm, he could be so badass. The movies basically had him never getting his hands dirty until the end, he was a sort of mix between the do-nothing Shredder of the cartoons and the Shredder of the original comics... and even he's basically overblown. There were only 2 major stories with Shredder in it. The first issue, in which he promptly gets blown to smithereens by a grenade, and Return To New York where he is cloned with special worms by the Foot Clan and then there are 3 freakish versions made with the same worms that Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo fight while Leonardo goes to find the normal Shredder clone and put an end to him.

I think your idea is cool, but not the Canadian wilderness. Upstate NY would work, since there is comic precedent for that with the Turtles taking refuge in a farmhouse that belonged to Casey Jones' family. I'll go so far as to say the difference between the Mirage Turtles and the Cartoon Turtles is the attitudes of the Turtles themselves and the violence levels. Both had some tripped out sci-fi ish going on though. It was rarely, if ever, really fully "ninja-y" IMO.

doug maverick

10-23-2010, 08:54 AM

make a movie, old school eastman and lairds style and just refresh it. all the turtles wear red bandanas they all carry katanas, in addition to various ninja weapons, you know like a real ninja, and they slaughter foot in a most glorious and bloody fashion.

make shredder evil as hell with REAL samurai armor, and give splinter the look of a rabid rabbid wolf rat, with actual deadly animal skills and have him get in the action too. clawing out eyes and biting off fingers

make it dark, violent, adult language, and in a different setting, im picturing....canadian wilderness, on the move, hunted by the foot, hounded and brutalized, starving and cold, and needing every bit of ninja skill just to survive...

few words, no pizza, no skateboards, and adult humor. mix with japanese film style.

i could bring the tmnt back with a vengeance!

but we know it wont ever get that awesome. im way too awesome for mainstream....

dude dont ruin my childhood with that...this is a movie about four turtles who are ninjas, lets get serious here. can it be made for adults? doesnt matter because adults will go see it anyway, because they grew up on the turtles, as long as its live action and not to campy, like the third film was... and taking the ninja turtles out of nyc for..............CANADA? and not even a major city like toronto which i could take cause i love toronto. no what makes the turtles cool is that they are urban, i would just stick close with the comicbooks thats all. no need for such a dramatic R rating or anything. a nice hard pg 13 film will be good enough.

Zenshiite

10-24-2010, 01:16 PM

TMNT was never Ninja Assassin, not even at it's grittiest. The PG TMNT said "****" and actually used their weapons in the first film... against human foot ninjas not the foot bots of the cartoon. That was a shock to my 10 year old mind until I found the Mirage comics.

Lucas

10-24-2010, 03:27 PM

well part of that actually comes from a black and white eastman and lairds turtles comic, out in the wilderness in the snow, black and white chopping up foot clan, bloody. a turtle loses a hand even. so really, its a matter of perspective, that is the turtles i remember and liked best from my childhood. this was before the cartoons and movies.

GeneChing

11-05-2010, 11:16 AM

Teenage mutant ninja rabbits? (http://blogs.federaltimes.com/federal-times-blog/2010/11/05/teenage-mutant-ninja-rabbits/)
November 5th, 2010 | Energy | Posted by Stephen LoseygravatarcloseAuthor: Stephen Losey

http://blogs.federaltimes.com/federal-times-blog/files/2010/11/RadioactiveRabbit-300x256.jpg
This rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide. It's a killer!

The Tri-City Herald in Washington state this morning reports about a sticky situation emerging at an Energy Department facility. A radioactive rabbit has been caught at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Richland, Wash., and state health workers are now combing nearby grounds for — yes — radioactive rabbit droppings.

The scary thing is, this isn’t the first time this has happened. Hanford had another mutant bunny emergency last year, and flew helicopters above the grounds to locate the radioactive poop, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

And in much less cute news, the Seattle Times reported in 2009 that Hanford was trying to clean up radioactive wasps’ nests. (You couldn’t pay me enough to go toe-to-toe with angry, radioactive wasps.)

Hanford was the site the government used to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons during the Manhattan Project. It is now one of the most contaminated nuclear sites in the country, and Congress set aside about $2 billion from last year’s stimulus bill to help clean up Hanford.

As the video below shows, exercise all caution when approaching deadly killer rabbits. They may seem cute, but looks can be deceiving…
NINJASTAR 2010 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=922)closes next Wednesday (11/10/2010). Turtles are welcome to enter.

Shaolinlueb

11-08-2010, 08:28 AM

since there is comic precedent for that with the Turtles taking refuge in a farmhouse that belonged to Casey Jones' family. I'll go so far as to say the difference between the Mirage Turtles and the Cartoon Turtles is the attitudes of the Turtles themselves and the violence levels. Both had some tripped out sci-fi ish going on though. It was rarely, if ever, really fully "ninja-y" IMO.

if you read the comic the farmhouse is in the hadley massachusetts area. the creators were from northampton mass and the signs in the original book show them getting off exit 18 of 91 north (northampton). that area is farm country. in one issue casey jones fights crime in the city of springfield ma. oh how they need him right now.

Zenshiite

11-11-2010, 05:48 AM

if you read the comic the farmhouse is in the hadley massachusetts area. the creators were from northampton mass and the signs in the original book show them getting off exit 18 of 91 north (northampton). that area is farm country. in one issue casey jones fights crime in the city of springfield ma. oh how they need him right now.

That issue of crime fighting in Mass is called "The Unmentionables" where they do an Elliot Ness thing.

GeneChing

12-08-2010, 10:36 AM

Gobbledygook #1 (Mirage Studios, 1984) Condition: VF+. (http://comics.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=7030&LotIdNo=30002#Photo) The first time the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ever appeared in print was on the back cover of this rare issue!

Overstreet ranks it as the second most-valuable Copper Age comic, behind only the Miracleman #1 Gold variant. Yet given the dearth of recorded sales, this issue may well be deserving of the #1 spot, and indeed while the Miracleman variant is said to have only 400 copies in print, this tops it scarcity-wise as reportedly just 50 copies of Gobbledygook #1 were made. This is certainly the first copy Heritage has ever offered.

As challenging as it is to find a copy offered for sale, it's also a challenge to authenticate given that all issues were produced on a photocopier. That's why the provenance of this copy is so important -- it was acquired directly from the creators in 1985 by fanzine publisher Paul Wagner, as detailed in our description of the original cover art elsewhere in this catalog.

While CGC does not certify Gobbledygook, our three in-house graders who examined the issue graded it VF, VF+ and VF/NM respectively. The spine stresses visible on the scan are the only notable defect.

This is the first comic published by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's Mirage Studios. Later that spring, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 was released, in a meager first printing of 3,000 copies that still dwarfs that of Gobbledygook.

Since even most advanced collectors have probably never seen a copy of this comic, a brief description of the contents is in order: Fugitoid (a man's mind trapped in a robot's body) is the cover character and the star of two stories inside. A Champ story and pinups by Laird round out the content. On the inside front cover Eastman and Laird briefly introduce themselves and note, "Together we have put together some of our newest projects for you to check out."

The Turtles characters born in this independent comic became a major moneymaker, representing by far the biggest success to come out of independent comics and serving as an inspiration to creators and small publishers to this day. As a licensing/ merchandising success the characters had no parallel.

Given all of the above, we have every expectation that the final price will far exceed the stated Overstreet value.

Overstreet 2010 VF 8.0 value = $413; VF/NM 9.0 value = $807.
Here's the back cover, from another site:
http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/files/2010/12/turtles.jpg

GeneChing

02-04-2011, 05:12 PM

A: So I can post them here obviously.

http://www.motifake.com/image/demotivational-poster/1001/sexy-mutant-ninja-turtles-ninja-demotivational-poster-1264688079.jpg

stoic

08-15-2011, 07:07 AM

http://io9.com/5830741/a-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtle-robbed-a-wendys-in-wisconsin

GeneChing

09-09-2011, 04:29 PM

It had to be posted here, despite being quite OT

Published: Sept. 8, 2011 Updated: Sept. 9, 2011 3:38 p.m.
Plastic surgery creates human Ninja Turtle (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/plastic-316136-surgery-ninja.html)
By COLIN STEWART

Bad plastic surgery: High-tech liposuction technique leads to bizarre fatty “six-pack abs” for reality TV celebrity.

http://inyourface.ocregister.com/files/2011/09/darryn-lyons-ss-ninja-turtle-C.jpg

ANNALS OF BAD PLASTIC SURGERY

Liposuction is one of the most popular forms of cosmetic surgery, because unwanted bulges of fat are among the most unpopular parts of people’s bodies.

A high-tech form of liposuction does more than just suck out a few pockets of fat that resist attempts to remove them through diet and exercise. It’s called liposculpture, because it sculpts the fat to create new body contours.

Mostly it’s used as a sophisticated form of liposuction, but one patient has taken it to an extreme.

Low-level celebrity Darryn Lyons, 46, a cast member of the British reality TV show “Celebrity Big Brother,” used liposculpture to turn his abdominal fat into the approximate appearance of “six-pack abs.”

“Basically it’s the male version of a boob job,” Lyons said.

He proudly displayed the results on a recent episode of the show, but most people who see them are either amused or repulsed. Headline writers called them “ridiculous abs” and “creepy fat.”

After all, his “six pack” is made of fat, not of muscle.

“This is when abdominal etching (specialty liposuction to make the fat look like a six pack of muscle) goes horribly wrong. Who ever saw a man with a potbelly have a six pack? He looks like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle,” commented plastic surgeon and blogger Dr. Tony Youn of Michigan.

“Not everyone should be a candidate for this surgery. As he gets older and his skin sags, I betcha it’ll turn into a twelve pack or party ball,” Youn said.

Plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Salzhauer of Miami told MakeMeHeal.com, “He probably should have opted for a little liposuction instead. Often after seeing a trimmer body post-liposuction, patients are motivated to hit the gym more and eat better to maintain and improve their new look.”

Not every liposculpture patient looks like Lyons. Most look much better, as the lower photos in this blog post demonstrate. Those photos come from the website of the company that sells Vaser ultrasound-assisted liposuction equipment used in liposculpture.

But in each case, the patient’s appearance in the “after” photo is achieved by sculpting fat — taking away some of it while leaving some behind to stand in for where muscle appears to be.

GeneChing

10-03-2011, 03:17 PM

NINJASTAR 2011 is ON (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=998). This means I'm reading ninja news feeds for the rest of the month.

Today at 10:35 am
'Broken and fake' Ninja Turtles app fools Apple (http://www.develop-online.net/news/38778/Broken-and-fake-Ninja-Turtles-app-fools-Apple)
by Rob Crossley

Complaints roll in as Vietnamese developer sells 'bogus' $5 app

A game that appears to be in clear breach of several copyright and trademark laws has slipped through Apple’s notoriously strict screening process.

The iPhone manufacturer has allowed a Vietnamese developer, known as Dang Van Phuong, to publish a $5 bootleg Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game (pictured) onto the App Store.

It is not thought Dang Van Phuong owns a Ninja Turtles licence. Customers have complained of being misled into thinking the game was official. One review said “there seems to be no way to actually interact with the game”.

Nickelodeon owns the rights to the TMNT brand and is making a new animation for 2013, said Licensing.biz editor Samantha Loveday.

It is likely a game will be part of that deal, Loveday added.

According to games blog Destructoid, Dang Van Phuong’s app also appears to using assets from existing games such as Contra and Metal Slug.

The game, which was published by Apple more than six weeks ago, brings into dispute the reliability of Apple’s App Review Board.

Apple was not available for comment when contacted by Develop.

The game’s logo is an exact replica of the official Turtles emblem and displayed next to its App Store description.

One customer review read:

“I bought this game for my grandson, he loves the TMNT!! This game has no directions we can't figure out how to play, or even how to restart the game. There aren't any turtles in the game. A total waste of $5”

Another read:

“The character immediately slides off the side of the screen. There seems to be no way to actually interact with the game. And there doesn't seem to be any way to start a new game. The use of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters on the splash screen are almost certainly infringement; the blob that slides off the screen during the actual game isn't identifiable as a turtle. Or much of anything.

“Visiting the developer website and the support site both go to the same spammy, Vietnamese-language website selling iPhone and iPod accessories. There doesn't appear to be any actual support. Deleted and requested refund.”

GeneChing

10-19-2011, 09:13 AM

Teenage Mutant Ninja Noses (http://teenagemutantninjanoses.tumblr.com/)

NinjaStar 2011 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=998)

GeneChing

03-02-2012, 06:10 PM

TMNT Stop Motion Intro (1987) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7oE2iKBMgc)

Zenshiite

03-04-2012, 05:45 PM

TMNT Stop Motion Intro (1987) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7oE2iKBMgc)

NOOOOO! They ruined the Neca figures by doing a repaint...

Still good. Amazing, really.

GeneChing

03-19-2012, 03:50 PM

Why would space aliens be any more believable than radioactive mutants? They have to change the title to Teenage Alien Ninja Turtles now. :rolleyes:

Mar 19 2012 02:36 PM ET
Michael Bay says 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' are aliens, reinvents origin story (http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/03/19/michael-bay-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-aliens/)
by Marc Snetiker

At the annual Nickelodeon upfront presentation last week, über-producer Michael Bay revealed details for Platinum Dunes’ upcoming live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, including a new origin story for the half-shell heroes that is sure to raise the ire of diehard fans.

“When you see this movie, kids are going to believe one day these turtles actually do exist when we are done with this movie,” said Bay as he took the stage to discuss his new vision for the reptilian reboot. “These turtles are from an alien race, and they are going to be tough, edgy, funny and completely loveable.”

In the original mythology, four baby turtles fall into the sewer and come into contact with glowing radioactive ooze, which mutates them into four bad-ass warriors trained in ninjutsu by astute rodent Splinter. But could the rewriting of the Turtles’ origin story dissuade some fans from embracing the newest incarnation? A comic book-to-movie adaptation’s worst nightmare is bad pre-publicity, and Bay may have generated that in about 30 words.

On the flip side, it might seem outrageous to non-fans of the series that Teenage Mutant Ninja purists are offended by the new mythos of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo. Truth, we might sound a wee bit ridiculous when we cry out, “I can’t believe Bay says they’re aliens when they’re obviously derived from radioactive slime!” But Bay is essentially erasing almost 30 years of love for transmogrified adolescent reptile ninjas by claiming each turtle is less of a fearsome, fighting toxic anomaly and more of a forest green E.T. with nunchucks. What would Shredder think!?

PopWatchers, how does this new origin story make you feel? Are you a purist for the original backstory, or will you embrace Bay’s vision? And who would you cast for this live-action TMNT reboot? Personally, I think Splinter’s a toss-up between Morgan Freeman and Kate Upton.

(And please enjoy this hearty throwback to the original 1987 series’ theme song, since, let’s face it, we really don’t get many chances to write about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.)

Lucas

03-19-2012, 04:37 PM

doug maverick

03-20-2012, 08:32 AM

who ever pushed that and got it through sucks balls....plus seeing as how in real life we actually HAVE mutants (maybe not like tmnt but mutants all the same) yet not one actual creature of intelligent alien life...

besides...alient turtles? really? i mean, cmon...really? so ya this planet in which we have turtles...quite possibly the ONLY turtles in the universe...there just happens to be a planet whos entire population is a humanoid version of an animal we have on this planet? sorry, that is just stupid, sad, pathetic, and not very original, especially when we have an already fully developed origin story that is pretty unique. so we trade up an original, all be it well known, origin story for one with less creativity involved....wow

hell on the cartoon they made shredder an alien, (the update version) thats probably where they got the idea....

however remember two things, 1)the film is still in the development stages, so anything can change.

2) michael bay is notorious for leaking false information, to **** with peoples heads, cause he(and i for that matter) thinks its funny to **** with fanboys heads.

Lucas

03-20-2012, 09:21 AM

i havnt seen the updated one. i remember khang (SP) was an alien brain thing...so i guess i could see the stretch..... TANT (teenage alien ninja turtles) ...a close call to TAINT lol almost worth it...or would they just go with TNT...kinda catchy, but still i like the mutant idea...i havnt watched or read anything TMNT in quite a few years, maybe a decade, but as a kid it was definately one of my favorite comic book and cartoon series. eastman and lairds was always the best.

i guess people run out of good ideas and need to restort to old over used shat though. that never changes

Brule

03-20-2012, 09:32 AM

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/03/20/turtles-star-slams-redo-plans

Lucas

03-20-2012, 09:53 AM

i still think going old school ninja style and bring back the original, basing around the old eastman/lairds would kick massive arse, classic oni masked samurai armored shredder and hordes of the foot clan against the awesome abilities of sword weilding teenage mutant ninja turtles led by a ferocious fang and claw splinter.

i always have a problem shoving earth human culture onto alien planets...it just makes no bloody sense.

sanjuro_ronin

03-20-2012, 09:55 AM

I'm waiting for the porn parody.

ghostexorcist

03-20-2012, 10:05 AM

I'm waiting for the porn parody.

They've done a smurf porn parody, so I'm sure you could find a TMNT porn parody if you looked hard enough.

Lucas

03-20-2012, 10:07 AM

lol thats kind of scary

David Jamieson

03-20-2012, 10:15 AM

Pass. Michael Bay makes idiotic films anyway. Nice effects, but zero story telling, zero beginning/ middle /end

sanjuro_ronin

03-20-2012, 10:15 AM

lol thats kind of scary

Porn parodies are the new thing dude.
I bet he's right that they may have done one already, LOL !

GeneChing

03-20-2012, 10:16 AM

I'm waiting for the porn parody.
http://christwire.org/wp-content/uploads/ninja-turtle-lesbians.jpg
http://christwire.org/wp-content/uploads/blond-mutant-ninja-turtles-7864-1260501955-5-300x225.jpg
The Internet is for Porn - Ninja Turtles Style! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r65KcwnxrLM)

This thread just went into the radioactive sewer.

doug maverick

03-20-2012, 01:13 PM

Pass. Michael Bay makes idiotic films anyway. Nice effects, but zero story telling, zero beginning/ middle /end

michael bay isnt.....i repeat IS NOT, making this film.

doug maverick

03-20-2012, 01:14 PM

Zenshiite

03-21-2012, 05:52 PM

eastman and lairds are working on the screenplay with the writer...so this alien thing actually has their blessing...IF its true.

If they are actually working on the screenplay my guess is that the Turtles are NOT aliens but that they are going with the origins of the ooze being from the alien Utroms. Bay is just not paying close attention and heard "alien" and rolled with it.

Sure, the origins of the Turtles in Mirage comics is alien... but it's that the ooze was the product of a facility that the disguised Utroms ran. Hell, even in the 87 cartoon the mutagen that created the Turtles was from Dimension X and thus alien.

Krang was based on the Utroms.

Utroms:

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/tmnt/utrom1.jpg

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/tmnt/utrom2.jpg

Krang:

http://kudohejime.bravepages.com/Krang.gif

http://iamkele.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/krang.jpg

doug maverick

03-21-2012, 08:36 PM

If they are actually working on the screenplay my guess is that the Turtles are NOT aliens but that they are going with the origins of the ooze being from the alien Utroms. Bay is just not paying close attention and heard "alien" and rolled with it.

Sure, the origins of the Turtles in Mirage comics is alien... but it's that the ooze was the product of a facility that the disguised Utroms ran. Hell, even in the 87 cartoon the mutagen that created the Turtles was from Dimension X and thus alien.

Krang was based on the Utroms.

Utroms:

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/tmnt/utrom1.jpg

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/tmnt/utrom2.jpg

Krang:

http://kudohejime.bravepages.com/Krang.gif

http://iamkele.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/krang.jpg

bay is just doing what he always does, and just giving out false and half true info to make the fanboys go insane...he did it with transformers and despite everyone saying how bad they were he laughed his way to the bank three times. he knows what he is doing...even thou he is just mostly a name on this and wont really be involved he knows how to promote.

Lucas

03-22-2012, 09:49 AM

i love those stubby little arms on his suit. that suit reminds me of sloth from the goonies

HEY YOU GUYYYYSSS!!

Zenshiite

03-22-2012, 05:26 PM

bay is just doing what he always does, and just giving out false and half true info to make the fanboys go insane...he did it with transformers and despite everyone saying how bad they were he laughed his way to the bank three times. he knows what he is doing...even thou he is just mostly a name on this and wont really be involved he knows how to promote.

I must be one of the few people that saw Transformers and hated it and didn't waste his money on 2 or 3.

doug maverick

03-23-2012, 09:55 PM

The actual director speaks

http://collider.com/jonathan-liebesman-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-interview/154499/

Jonathan-Liebesman-TMNT-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-interview-slice2

Michael Bay caused quite the hubbub the other day with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans. He’s producing a new iteration of the lovable characters in the form of a live-action reboot directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans). Said hubbub was caused when Bay commented that the turtles in the reboot would be “from an alien race.” Fans were perplexed given that the word “mutant” is right in the title of the series, and “alien race” would imply that these new martial arts-inclined turtles weren’t mutated, but are actually extra terrestrial beings.

Steve got the chance to speak with Liebesman at the press junket for Wrath of the Titans earlier today and the director took the time to clear the air about his version of TMNT. He addressed the “alien race” comments, talked about his approach to the characters, revealed whether they’re thinking CGI or practical effects to bring the turtles to life, and said when he thinks they’ll start filming and where. Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Jonathan_Liebesman-TMNT-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-movieRegarding the “alien race” comments, Liebesman said the “alien” aspect actually comes straight from the series:

“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.”

While it still sounds early in the development process, it appears the whole “alien” aspect may simply be referring to the ooze that mutates the turtles. As Liebesman said, they’re still working out the concept so things could definitely change. He stressed that TMNT comics co-creator Kevin Eastman is working alongside him, so they’re not exactly throwing the series mythology out the window:

TMNT-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-comic-book“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.”

When asked if the turtles would be practical or CGI, Liebesman hinted that they may be done similar to another recent visual effects-laden project:

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

TMNT-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-movie-live-actionI think this is a great way to go, and if Liebesman can bring Weta Digital in to create photorealistic turtles then I think we’ll be in for a visually stunning TMNT. The director also stressed that the film won’t be entirely about action:

“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.”

Liebesman also revealed that they’ll probably be shooting later this year (“September, or something”) and they’re thinking about shooting in Canada. I’m not necessarily a die-hard TMNT fan, but I think I can live with the fact that the ooze in the reboot comes from an “alien race.” Having the turtles themselves be aliens would be pushing it, but if Liebesman’s comments are to be taken to heart then I think fans will be alright in the end.

Here’s the portion of Steve’s interview on TMNT. Look for the full interview next week and make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Zenshiite

03-24-2012, 04:08 AM

The nice thing is, it looks like they are definitely going with the Utrom angle for the origin. Which is great.

ghostexorcist

03-25-2012, 01:49 PM

Jonathan_Liebesman-TMNT-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-movieRegarding the “alien race” comments, Liebesman said the “alien” aspect actually comes straight from the series:

“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.”

I bet this guy had to adjust his glasses and take a hit from his asthma puffer while writing this. I get the impression that he is one of those people who thinks they are a badass because they have an intimate knowledge of scifi shows and comic books. Whether he wants to admit it or not, Bay was wrong.

doug maverick

03-25-2012, 09:43 PM

I bet this guy had to adjust his glasses and take a hit from his asthma puffer while writing this. I get the impression that he is one of those people who thinks they are a badass because they have an intimate knowledge of scifi shows and comic books. Whether he wants to admit it or not, Bay was wrong.

i think what you and everyone else fail to realize is this...michael bay is a in name producer only...he has little to know involvement with the film...the guy with the glasses you mention...yea thats the f ucking director and the writer...the guy who actually knows whats going on..bay just does what he always does...promote...nobody save for people on the site were talking about the ninja turtles...bay says that...and f ucking CNN is talking about it...people are actually paying attention to it....thats called marketing genius...and he didnt even have to pay for it...respect the bay.

GeneChing

04-24-2012, 09:49 AM

But I'm really curious what they get for it. Hopefully one of us will remember to check back when the auction closes.

Lot 92357
Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird: First-Ever Drawing of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1983).... (http://comics.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7059&lotIdNo=152001)
2012 May 10-11 Vintage Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction- Dallas #7059
Original Comic Art:Illustrations, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird: First-Ever Drawing of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1983)....
http://images.ha.com/lf?source=url%5bfile%3aimages%2finetpub%2fnewnames %2f300%2f8%2f1%2f6%2f4%2f8164292.jpg%5d%2ccontinue onerror%5btrue%5d&scale=size%5b220x350%5d%2coptions%5blimit%5d&source=url%5bfile%3aimages%2finetpub%2fwebuse%2fno _image_available.gif%5d%2cif%5b%28%27global.source .error%27%29%5d&sink=preservemd%5btrue%5d

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Description: Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird: First-Ever Drawing of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1983). The story behind this piece is well-documented, but if you're joining us late, here's the full lowdown from the pen of Kevin Eastman:
"Late in November 1983, Peter Laird and I were sharing a studio (our living room) in Dover, New Hampshire . One work night , in an effort to make Peter laugh, I drew a sketch of this character I called a "Ninja Turtle" and threw it onto Peter's desk. He did laugh, and did a version of his own -- to which I needed to take it one step further, and did a pencil sketch of four different Turtles, each holding a different weapon -- and gave it to Peter, who wanted to ink it in -- and when he did, he added "Teenage Mutant" to the "Ninja Turtle" part of the logo, and we both fell off our chairs!"
"The next day, we both looked at the drawing, and decided that we really needed to come up with a story about how these characters came to be -- and began to hammer out the story details. Deciding to make it an homage/parody to some of our heroes and inspirations -- (and dedicating it to them) -- we worked through the winter of 1983-84, and after finding a local New England printer, we borrowed money from my Uncle Quentin, and we printed the first 3 ,000 copies -- premiering the book at a local Portsmouth comic convention May 5th, 1984.
From that day forward, and for the next thirty years, the TMNTs became a world wide phenomenon (cartoons, toys, and movies) that even to this day we still try to completely understand -- and it all started with this drawing... "
The piece should be familiar to most any Turtles fan, as it's been reprinted many times over the years. It was sent out in the original press release package back in 1984 and found its way into much of the early press coverage. It was also shown in the First Comics graphic novel in 1986, a special edition reprint of the first issue from 1992, and as a pin-up in some of the Mirage black and white issues.

Marker on paper. This piece has an image area of 8.5" x 11", and the art is in Excellent condition. From the Collection of Kevin Eastman.

Eastman, Kevin:Kevin Eastman is the co-creator of the wildly successful Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In between "TMNT" projects, he established the “Words and Pictures Museum of Cartoon Art”, created an artist friendly publishing company, “Tundra Publishing” where projects like “The Crow” “From Hell” and “American Splendor” first flourished, and purchased world renowned “Heavy Metal Magazine.” .

GeneChing

05-10-2012, 09:45 AM

$50K. Cowabunga!

Ninja Turtles' art comes out of sewers, onto auction block (http://www.usatoday.com/life/comics/story/2012-05-09/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-auction/54864818/1)
By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
Updated 16h 4m ago

A single drawing is just as key to the origin of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the radioactive ooze that made them mutant in the first place.

Hatched in 1983: Original illustration by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird will be sold Friday. Bids are already over $50,000.

The first-ever illustration by TMNT creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird— drawn and inked one night in Dover, N.H., in November 1983, before the quartet of anthropomorphic shelled reptiles became a pop-culture phenomenon — will be up for auction this week by Heritage Auctions. Online bidding is going on now and will conclude with a live auction in Dallas on Friday. (Watch a live video feed at HA.com/Live.)

"It's time to let go of a lot of really cool, awesome Turtle memories," says Eastman, who was 21 and trying to break into comics when he took pencil to that 8½-by-11 sheet of paper.

Proceeds from the sale will go toward The Hero Initiative, an organization Eastman works with that helps comic creators who are without benefits pay medical bills, rent and other necessities.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began as an indie comic in 1984 from Eastman and Laird's own Mirage Studios publishing brand — "It was a mirage; it was just our living room," Eastman quips. After they cleaned out their personal bank accounts, they borrowed money from Eastman's uncle Quentin for the first issue's 3,000-copy print run.

"We made furniture out of them — coffee tables and bookshelves and things — because we never thought we'd actually sell them," Eastman says.

By the end of 1985, though, each issue was selling 100,000 copies a month, and the Turtles — Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello — quickly became a cult success, leading to a phenomenon in the late '80s and early '90s with a cartoon series, live-action movies and merchandise.

"We knew we created something special," Eastman says.

Vintage comic books at auction can go for millions of dollars — an Action Comics No. 1, featuring 1938's first appearance of Superman, was sold for $2.1 million in December. Though the TMNT piece is far younger, it's one of a kind.

"It is pretty unusual for the first art of any major character to come around," says Barry Sandoval, director of operations for Heritage Auctions.

Already, bidding for the original drawing of the four Turtles has exceeded $50,000. Eastman, for one, isn't hazarding any guesses on the final bid.

"If you found the right person, it might be worth just about anything to them," says the creator, who now runs Heavy Metal magazine but is also involved creatively with the new IDW TMNT comic, the upcoming fall animated series and a Michael Bay Turtles movie.

Eastman, 49, has found that the Turtles are a generational thing — kids in the 1980s grew up loving them, and he has two little fans in his boys, 5 and 11.

He often goes to conventions and will have people waiting in line for four hours to get a sketch of one of the characters.

"I want to go take them coffee or something. It's pretty wild that it's been around this long and is still resonating.''

GeneChing

09-12-2012, 09:49 AM

Coming to Nick (http://www.nick.com/shows/ninja-turtles/) Sept 29.

Fall TV Preview
'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' brings turtle power to Nickelodeon (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-20120909,0,4723883.story)
The series, with voices including Jason Biggs and Mae Whitman, is a new CG-animated series with some changes (April O'Neil is 16!).
http://www.trbimg.com/img-504945ac/turbine/la-ca-0827-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-429.jpg-20120906/600
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon. (Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon / July 24, 2012)
By Robert Ito
September 8, 2012, 12:00 p.m.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has become such an enormous global franchise — the action figures! the movies! the short-lived breakfast cereal! — that it's easy to forget that it began life in the early 1980s as little more than a goof.

Kevin Eastman was messing around with his friend and fellow artist Peter Laird, just doodling to pass the time, and came up with a sketch of a masked turtle, twin nunchaku at the ready. Even the title they came up with —"ENMV0002398">"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" — sounded like what it was: a joke told between fanboys.

Now, of course, TMNT fans are dead serious about their beloved turtles, so when word spread last year that Nickelodeon was planning to reboot the franchise, there were, well, concerns. It didn't help matters when "Transformers" director Michael Bay, who is producing a Turtles feature film due out in 2014, announced that his turtles, unlike the cartoon's, were going to be space aliens, not mutants, as one might expect from the franchise title.

On Sept. 29, Nickelodeon will premiere the fourth and latest TV series. The cable network, which recently pushed out its animation chief in wake of a steep ratings drop-off, could use a new hit.

In this go-round, the turtles are still mutants, much to the relief of the Comic-Con crowd, still love pizza, and are still living it up in the sewers underneath Manhattan. Corny, turtle-related puns, like "shelling out justice," are still in the mix.

But producers have plenty of changes in store, primarily, one assumes, to juice up the franchise for fans not yet conceived when the original series first aired in 1987. These turtles are CG-animated, for one, speedier, sleeker and less cartoonish than their '80s counterparts. Master Splinter is still a mutated rat, but this sensei is taller and more robust, and better able to throw down with his young pupils if need be.

And then there's April O'Neil. In the original series, April was a gutsy TV reporter, a career woman, equal parts den mother and resident crush. In the new series, April is 16.

"When I remember April, there was a lot of, 'I'm going to work now, don't mess up the house,'" says Ciro Nieli, an executive producer on the new series. "We're really playing on the idea of the turtles being teenagers, so it just felt appropriate that if April is going to be a fully functioning member of the crew, she should be a peer."

Supplying the voice of April is Mae Whitman, "Parenthood's" Amber Holt and the voice of Tinker Bell in the "Disney Fairies" DVDs. "My boyfriend is a few years older than me, and when he heard I got to play this, he couldn't process it, he was so excited," she says. "April was probably one of his first crushes. I've been getting that a lot lately: 'April was my first crush!'"

Jason Biggs, who plays Leonardo, the leader of the team, has gotten a similar response from fans. "Honestly, it's probably the thing that people get most excited about, because it's just such an iconic franchise," he says.

For his part, Nieli figures the show has all the elements of a hit. "People love turtles, people love pizza, there's something about the self-discipline of being a martial artist that's really intoxicating," he says. "And humans in general love pets. If they were the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Trashmen,' it probably wouldn't have worked as well."

calendar@latimes.com

GeneChing

01-16-2013, 03:50 PM

Bay "sodomising" the original films? :rolleyes:

January 14, 2013 9:29
Controversial new 'Ninja Turtles' movie to begin filming this April (http://www.nme.com/filmandtv/news/controversial-new-ninja-turtles-movie-to-begin-filming/294522)

Fans aren't sure about the reboot, which is being produced by 'Transformers' director Michael Bay

The controversial new Ninja Turtles movie will begin filming this April (2013).

Industry insiders Production Weekly broke the news with the following tweet:

Production Weekly @prodweek

Principle photography on TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, is scheduled to begin this April in New York.
12 Jan 13

Ninja Turtles, a reboot of the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise from the 90s, is being produced by Transformers director Michael Bay. Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles) will direct.

The project has already attracted its fair share of controversy. Last March (2012), when Bay revealed plans to re-imagine the turtles as aliens, he was accused of "sodomising" the original films by Robbie Rist, the actor who voiced Michaelangelo. Bay later spoke out to reassure fans.

Then in September (2012), a leaked script began circulating online and got savaged by Peter Laird, co-creator of the original TMNT comic books. Bay stepped in again, writing on his website: " The leaked script for Ninja Turtles that different sites continue to comment on was written well before I… was involved with the project. That script saw the shredder a long time ago."

Ninja Turtles was originally scheduled for release this Christmas (2013), but has since been pushed back to May 16 2014 - the same day as the new Godzilla movie from Warner Bros.

doug maverick

01-16-2013, 09:38 PM

the whole film got put into turn around. so it could be rewritten, so people should just chill. until a trailer or something tangible surfaces.

GeneChing

02-06-2013, 10:47 AM

Kelly Hu: Beverly Hills Black Belt Takes on Karai for TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1083)by Greg Lynch Jr.

GeneChing

02-22-2013, 10:36 AM

That works for me.

Megan Fox to Star in 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Reboot (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/megan-fox-reuniting-michael-bay-423381)
5:43 PM PST 2/21/2013 by Borys Kit

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_post_349_width/2011/10/fox_a.jpg
Michael Bay is producing the movie based on the 1980s comic book.
Power Lunch: Megan Fox
Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Maui Film Festival
Megan Fox

Megan Fox has buried the hatchet with Michael Bay and will now star as the female lead in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the live-action CG hybrid movie Bay is producing for Paramount.

Fox will play April O’Neil, the human friend of the Ninja Turtles.

Bay let the cat out of the bag on his site with the simple phrase: TMNT: we are bringing Megan Fox back into the family!

Sources say Fox and Bay reconciled over a series of recent meetings and that one tete-a-tete that won her over was with director Jonathan Liebesman, who wowed her with the storyboards, according to insiders. (Bay is not directing the movie but producing it via his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form.)

The movie is in the casting stage and last week was testing actors, mostly relative unknowns, for the roles of the Ninjas – Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael – which will be motion-captured.

Fox, repped by ICM, starred in Bay’s first two Transformers movies before on-set friction and public comments led to her being written out of 2011's Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

GeneChing

03-07-2013, 10:18 AM

As if Laird isn't cashing in on this. He sold control away already. No regrets, man. :rolleyes:

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Co-Creator Peter Laird Comments on Megan Fox’s Casting (http://www.slashfilm.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-co-creator-peter-laird-comments-on-megan-foxs-casting/)
Posted on Wednesday, March 6th, 2013 by Angie Han

http://bitcast-a-sm.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/April-O-Neil-Megan-Fox.jpg
Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot has was met with suspicion from the get-go, and every move has just seemed to irritate fans more. The latest debacle was the casting of producer Michael Bay‘s one-time nemesis Megan Fox as April O’Neil — not really the best way to convince audiences that TMNT wouldn’t just be a Transformers rehash.

Where Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman has been vocal about his support of the film (which likely has something to do with the fact that he’s been involved all along), co-creator Peter Laird has been far more critical of the endeavor. And he’s no happier about the casting of Fox than other TMNT fans have been. Hit the jump to keep reading.

Laird offered his thoughts in the comments section of his blog.

My only exposure to Megan Fox as an actress is through her role in two “Transformers” movies and the wretched (but happily forgettable) “Jennifer’s Body”. It may not be fair to judge her range of acting skills just from those three movies, but I think it is safe to say that there are probably hundreds of better choices for the role of April O’Neil. Of course, her name has promotional value, and maybe that’s what they want. Who knows? I can’t get myself too worked up about it.

I’d argue that Fox isn’t such a terrible actress, but then I didn’t hate Jennifer’s Body as much as some people did. But she’s a less exciting choice than Anna Kendrick, Jane Levy, or Elizabeth Olson, all of whom were reportedly also up for the role, and the combination of Fox and Bay isn’t a promising one.

Fox is currently the only cast member announced for the film, but that’s certain to change soon as director Jonathan Liebesman is preparing to shoot in April. Ninja Turtles will open June 6, 2014.

doug maverick

03-07-2013, 08:57 PM

Zenshiite

03-08-2013, 07:58 PM

i swear people need to lighten the **** up! so what if she is april oneal..so ****ing what..this isn gone with the **** wind.. its a movie about teenage mutant ninja turtles... turtles that are mutated and are ninjas, lead by a rat... who CARES if megan fox is april o neal..chill the **** out!

The fear is that Megan Fox as April will mean the movie will be more about showcasing her as eye candy than it is about the TMNT... much like Transformers was more about showcasing Megan Fox as eye candy than they were about Robots In Disguise.

doug maverick

03-08-2013, 10:13 PM

The fear is that Megan Fox as April will mean the movie will be more about showcasing her as eye candy than it is about the TMNT... much like Transformers was more about showcasing Megan Fox as eye candy than they were about Robots In Disguise.

in the words of franklin D. rosevelt.. fear is for pussies..

while michael bay is exec producing the film.. he is not the director of the film. thats 1. 2. the sequels of tranformers especially the third one was more about the robots..so lesson learned there. the reason the first one had alot of moments with the humans were pure budgetary.. you know how expensive it was to make those robots? the movie would have never made its money back..so there needed to be a balance.. but again.. this movie will be about the turtles..its really not that big a deal.. also.. who says she is april o neal? she hasnt been announced as april o neal.. hell she might just be playing a bit part. or playing herself in a cameo.. michael bay is the master of psyching fans out. look at that ****ty script that was mysteriously released... that **** doesnt fly at michael bays production company..if that script was put out which by the way was a scrapped draft..it was meant to be put out to freak little fanboys out.. this movie is probably a year away from shooting and yet people have not stopped talking about. thats the genius of michael bay.

GeneChing

05-07-2013, 02:25 PM

There's a whole gallery if you follow the link.

New TMNT Set Photos Reveal Megan Fox on a Trampoline and Will Arnett's Character! (http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=103899)
Source: SuperHeroHype.com
May 7, 2013

Production has been underway for the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot for a few weeks and we finally have our first look at some set photos from the film. Shooting took place today at Gramercy Park in Manhattan where Megan Fox was spotted as April O'Neil filming a news segment for "Channel 6" that appears to be about an exercise routine involving trampolines...

Also on the set was actor Will Arnett, whose role in the film has yet to be disclosed but upon further inspection in these set photos reveals he is playing Vernon Fenwick! Fenwick was April's cameraman at Channel 6 that often tried to steal her stories to pass off as his own. Click on the images below to see the full gallery!

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, the film features a screenplay by Josh Appelbaum, Andrew Nemec, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway and John Fusco, and is based on the characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.

The film stars Megan Fox in the role of April O'Neil, Alan Ritchson as Raphael, Jeremy Howard as Donatello, Pete Ploszek as Leonardo, Noel Fisher as Michelangelo, and Danny Woodburn as Master Splinter.

http://cdn1.superherohype.com/assets/components/com_joomgallery/img_pictures/teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_8033/teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles_set_photos_8141/tmnt_1_20130507_1100760049.jpg?1367957467
What do you imagine that guy is saying to Megan?

Lucas

05-07-2013, 02:46 PM

He's saying; "why the fuk u wearing a jacket?!?"

Brule

05-08-2013, 10:01 AM

Please !!! Please!!! Can I????? Why Not!!!!!

In other news, why she wearing ankle weights?

GeneChing

05-15-2013, 11:03 AM

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Adds William Fichtner (http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-adds-william-fichtner/)
By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday May 9, 2013 @ 4:39pm

http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/william-fichtner__130509231324.jpg
EXCLUSIVE: He’s not playing a turtle in Paramount’s reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but William Fichtner is on board for the movie. Details on the actor’s role are sketchy, but Fichtner is said to be playing a lead with iconic stature in the Turtles’ mythology. A lead in last year’s Nat Geo TV movie SEAL Team Six: The Raid On Osama Bin Laden, Fichtner was a semi-regular on the last two seasons of HBO’s Entourage and also appeared on The West Wing as well as in 2008′s The Dark Knight. Turtles is the third tentpole has coming up, joining his villainous Butch Cavendish in Disney’s The Lone Ranger with Johnny Depp and his appearance in the Neil Blomkamp-directed Elysium alongside Matt Damon. Both those movies are coming out this summer, while Turtles is being released on June 6, 2014. As for the Turtles themselves, as Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr revealed in March, Hunger Games: Catching Fire’s Alan Ritchson will play Raphael in the Jonathan Liebesman-directed movie, Pete Ploszek will play Leonardo, Jeremy Howard will play Donatello, and Noel Fisher will play Michelangelo. Megan Fox is set to play the lead female role in the movie that her Transformers director Michael Bay is producing. Fichtner is repped by Intellectual Artists Management. Rumor has it he will play Shredder.

Zenshiite

05-15-2013, 05:38 PM

Rumor has it he will play Shredder.

Ugh..............

Zenshiite

01-31-2014, 07:11 PM

So there's this

http://www.avclub.com/article/heres-what-the-rest-of-the-michael-bayrebooted-nin-107438

GeneChing

02-19-2014, 09:45 AM

Vanilla Ice Resurrects 'Ninja Turtles' Song for Mac and Cheese Ad (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/vanilla-ice-resurrects-ninja-turtles-song-for-mac-and-cheese-ad-20140218)
Rapper boogies with mom in goofy new spot
By Jon Blistein
February 18, 2014 4:40 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-lT1oOU7b4

There are few things more timeless than a hearty bowl of macaroni and cheese, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the hip-hop-ish stylings of Vanilla Ice. Now all three have converged in a new spot for Kraft's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mac and cheese shapes, which finds the rapper stocking shelves and reviving his cut "Ninja Rap" (also known as "Go Ninja Go") from the half-shelled heroes' 1991 movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.

If the premise alone sounds unbearably goofy and awkward, just wait until one shopping mom starts popping and locking with the rapper much to the dismay of her mortified son (lighten up, kid – moms know how to boogie with the best of them). It's a clever gambit sure, but hardly reaches the advertorial apotheosis of Kraft re-recording EMF's "Unbelievable" as "They're Crumbelievable" (Oh!) to push cheese crumbles.

I must confess my respect for Vanilla Ice just shot up exponentially (taking into consideration that I had little respect for him previous to this).

GeneChing

03-27-2014, 11:22 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRipBOQl95o

sanjuro_ronin

03-28-2014, 10:42 AM

Sweetness !

doug maverick

04-24-2014, 09:44 PM

was going to give this its own thread but figured gene would kill me for making him have to do extra work on top of his what i am sure is a crazy schedule...so i added this here, not only did they get the fighting down but the characters... michael bay eat your heart out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg9nJqvVYqU

@PLUGO

06-25-2014, 03:51 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwXFsrp6WBs

GeneChing

07-10-2014, 09:56 AM

Pizza Hut Re-Teams with 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (Video) (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/pizza-hut-teams-teenage-mutant-716993)
11:17 AM PDT 7/7/2014 by Graeme McMillan

Food chain announces new cross-promotional efforts with the Michael Bay-produced revival, including social media, augmented reality and "hidden menu" components.

It’s not just the Turtles themselves that are making a comeback as part of Jonathan Liebesman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles big-screen reboot; a moment of 1990s cross-promotional genius is being revived as well with the Turtles re-teaming with Pizza Hut for a new ad campaign.

The new deal, which launches Monday, will see the return of the chain’s Cheesy Bites Pizza, social media contests themed around the Heroes in a Half Shell and a television advertisement featuring the new movie incarnations of the characters.

“There’s no denying the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ love of pizza, which is one of the many reasons it fits having our brand fuel their hunger in the upcoming film,” said Pizza Hut’s Chief Marketing Officer, Carrie Walsh in a statement. “Coupling the popularity of the Ninja Turtles to our pizza innovation, we’re thrilled to be bringing back a fan favorite in Cheesy Bites Pizza that combines the great pizza taste with a little ‘food fun’ for fans to enjoy.”

A large part of the new cross-promotion will be digital, including an online-only “hidden menu” featuring the “favorite pizzas” of each of the Turtles, as well as special videos and exclusive footage from the movie only available via augmented reality links on the pizza packaging. Pizza Hut will also be launching a #TBTMNT (Throwback Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) promotion on Twitter and Instagram, where fans can post pictures of themselves with classic TMNT merchandise to win gift cards and other prizes.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be released in theaters August 8. Here's the vid AD - THR embedded it in the article above. I got this from Pizza Hut's YouTube channel :rolleyes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyblNP1ANTo

GeneChing

07-16-2014, 08:53 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HZ5V9rT96M

GeneChing

07-29-2014, 12:24 PM

Would this be as marketable if it was called PTSDed?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaACrT6Ydik

GeneChing

08-06-2014, 10:56 AM

You gotta follow the link because it's a Yahoo and won't embed like YouTube.

'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Exclusive Clip: A Beatbox Circle and One Big 'Cowabunga!' (https://www.yahoo.com/movies/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-beatbox-93977460722.html)
Kevin Polowy Senior Editor Aug 6, 2014

We’ve seen the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles go through several incarnations over the years, so it’s nice to see some of their key trademarks remains intact in the new movie version, which hits theaters Friday. This exclusive scene from 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles features two of them.

First, there’s the Turtles’ love for hip-hop. In one of the movie’s most sublime and crowd-pleasing moments, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michaelangelo evade a warehouse-floor full of henchmen, hop onto an elevator, and spend the 54-story ascent busting into a spontaneous beatboxing cypher. It’s the kind of moment that would make Vanilla Ice – who famously provided the theme song, "Ninja Rap," to 1991’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze – proud.

Second, while the term “Cowabunga” may have gone the way of “bodacious” and died with the ’90s (save for Bart Simpson’s tireless championing of the phrase), it also makes an appearance in the film (and clip above). The intoning of the sacred phrase is the film’s major wink-wink/wait-for-it moment. “Hey Mikey, remember that thing you used to say when we were kids?,” Raphael asks Michaelangelo.

“Cowabunga”s roots far pre-date the Turtles however: Edward Kean is credited with first coining the word on The Howdy Doody Show. To celebrate its return, we compiled this look at its many (many) cameos over the years since:

GeneChing

08-08-2014, 08:37 AM

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Turn Thirty (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1169)

Oso

08-08-2014, 06:19 PM

man, I was excited for this movie till I read your review :D

for once, they didn't look stupid.

man I wish I still had my first ed. of all the comics...AND the RPG book...

GeneChing

08-11-2014, 08:02 AM

Apparently, you were the only one. Everyone else went. :p

Box Office: 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Wows With $65M Domestic Debut (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-teenage-mutant-ninja-724400)
8:12 AM PST 08/10/2014 by Pamela McClintock

UPDATED: The Michael Bay-produced movie steals the top spot from 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' with Paramount immediately announcing a summer 2016 sequel

Launching a new film franchise, Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wowed in its North American debut with $65 million, becoming the second August tentpole after Guardians of the Galaxy to wildly overperform. Worldwide, the movie opened to $97.3 million, prompting Paramount chief Brad Grey and producer Michael Bay to immediately announce a sequel, set for release June 3, 2016.

TMNT is a needed win for Paramount, which makes fewer movies than other studios. It also exploits parent company Viacom's various divisions. TMNT screenwriters Josh Appelbaum and Andre Neme are returning to write the script for the sequel.

The family friendly film, earning a B CinemaScore, easily bested Guardians to claim the No. 1 spot domestically. Guardians certainly held its own, however, falling a respectable 56 percent in its second weekend to $41.5 million for a domestic total of $175.9 million. Globally, the Marvel Studios and Disney tentpole raced past the $300 million mark after earning another $40.1 million for a foreign total of $137.3 million and world haul of $313.2 million.

In North America, Guardians and TMNT are helping to shore up the otherwise troubled summer box office, where revenue was down a steep 20 percent two weeks ago. Revenue is now down by 16.5 percent over a year ago, still a historic low.

Guardians placed No. 2 domestically, followed by new entires Into the Storm and adult dramedy The Hundred-Foot Journey, which opened to $18 million and $11.1 million, respectively. The weekend's fourth new nationwide film, Step Up All In, opened to $6.6 million, a franchise low. The dance film is making up ground overseas, where it has earned $37.7 million for a worldwide total of $44.2 million.

Heading into the weekend, the $125 million TMNT was expected to debut in the $50 million to $55 million range, and its better-than-expected performance underscores the pent-up appetite for family fare, even though it is rated PG-13. Bay's Platinum Dunes shepherded TMNT for Paramount and Nickelodeon. (There's already a new television series.)

Males fueled the film (61 percent), while 45 percent of Friday's audience was under the age of 25.

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman, TMNT stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Danny Woodburn, Abby Elliott, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson and Minae Noji. It's based on the characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.

In the film, four outcast brothers rise from the sewer and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while working with a fearless reporter (Fox) to save New York City from Shredder and his evil Foot Clan.

“To know moviegoers are embracing the Turtles with such enthusiasm is everything that we and all our filmmakers have been hoping for. Along with our partners Michael Bay and Platinum Dunes, and of course Cyma Zarghami and everyone at Nickelodeon, we are thrilled with this weekend’s result, the enduring power of this franchise, and the opportunity to make another one," Grey said in a statement.

Paramount Film Group president Adam Goodman added, “Launching a new take on the turtles into the feature film world was a daunting task because as fans of them ourselves, we felt a great responsibility to ensure audiences were going to experience everything they loved about the turtles, while also getting to see them brought to life in a way they had never been seen before."

New Line and Warner Bros.' tornado disaster film Into the Storm, earning a B CinemaScore, opened to less than half of Twister's $41.2 million debut nearly 20 years ago, not accounting for inflation. (That film was also from Warner Bros.) Lacking any big stars but boasting plenty of tornadoes, Into the Storm cost under $50 million to make.

Into the Storm played heavily to females (58 percent), while a full 71 percent of the audience was over the age of 25. Steven Quale directed the found-footage movie. Overseas, the action film opened to $8.3 million from 20 markets for a world total of $26.3 million.

Going after adults was DreamWorks and Participant Media's dramedy The Hundred-Foot Journey, about dueling French and Indian chefs in a small French town.

The $22 million film, directed by Lasse Hallstrom and based on the book by Richard C. Morais, has plenty of pedigree behind the camera in producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, while star Helen Mirren is a big draw for older moviegoers. Middling reviews likely muted the film's showing, although it did boast an A CinemaScore. More than 40 percent of the audience was over the age of 50.

From Summit Entertainment, Step Up All In is the fifth installment in the dance franchise and placed No. 6. Trish Sie directed the movie, which stars Ryan Guzman, Briana Evigan, Stephen "tWitch" Boss, Misha Gabriel, Izabella Miko, Alyson Stoner and Adam Sevani. Step Up All In received a B+ CinemaScore, with females making up 59 percent of the audience.

At the specialty box office, CBS Films' romantic comedy What if, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan, launched in 20 theaters in 10 top markets, grossing $130,000 for a location average of $6,500, on par with Promised Land and just behind The Young Victoria in terms of location average.

What If earned an A- CinemaScore, and will continue to expand next weekend.

At the specialty box office, James Cameron's Deepsea Challenge 3D, struggled badly in its debut, grossing $150,399 from 300 theaters for a paltry location average of $496. National Geographic produced the documentary, which was directed by John Bruno and Ray Quint.

Here are the top 10 estimates for the weekend of Aug. 8-10 at the domestic box office:

Title, Weeks in Release/Theater Count, Studio, Friday Total, Percentage Change, Cume

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1/3,845, Paramount, $65 million.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy, 2/4,080, Disney/Marvel, $41.5 million, -56%, $175.9 million.

3. Into the Storm, 1/3,434, Warner Bros./New Line, $18 million.

4. The Hundred-Foot Journey, 1/2,023, Disney/DreamWorks, $11.1 million.

5. Lucy, 3/3,147, Universal/EuropaCorp, $9.3 million, -49%, $97.4 million.

6. Step Up All In, 1/2,072, Lionsgate/Summit, $6.6 million.

7. Hercules, 3/2,896, Paramount/MGM, $5.7million, -48%, $63.5 million.

8. Get On Up, 2/2,469, Universal, $5 million, -63%, $22.9 million.

9. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, 5/2,306, Fox, $4.4 million, -49%, $197.8 million.

10. Planes: Fire & Rescue, 4/2,280, Disney, $2.4 million, -60%, $53 million.

Twitter: @PamelaDayM

Jimbo

08-11-2014, 12:13 PM

I have never been able to get into the TMNT. The original comic (and Saturday morning series) came out after I had left home and moved overseas. The first I ever even heard of TMNT was a mention of the first movie in a film magazine in Taiwan. So I've never had the sentimental attachment that a lot of the mainly below-40(?) crowd seems to have for them.

I will say that the trailers make this new movie look about 100x better than those other TMNT movies.

GeneChing

08-11-2014, 02:07 PM

But like so much in the martial world, I recognize their impact on pop culture.

Meanwhile, given the box office smash, the sequel to this reboot is a given. It's already slated for June 3, 2016.

'Ninja Turtles 2' in the Works (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ninja-turtles-2-works-724404)
9:35 AM PDT 8/10/2014 by Borys Kit

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/thumbnail_570x321/2014/05/ninja_turtles_0.jpg
Paramount announces the sequel after the movie overperforms and grosses $65 million at the box office
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - H 2014

Paramount is saying "Cowabunga, dude," announcing a sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles after the movie’s surprising overperformance at the weekend’s box office.

The movie is on track to earn $65 million in its opening weekend and $97.3 million worldwide.

Screenwriters Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, who wrote Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, will again brandish nunchuks to write the sequel and will also executive produce.

Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes partners Andrew Form and Brad Fuller will again produce along with Galen Walker and Scott Mednick. It is unclear at this stage whether director Jonathan Liebesman will return to helm the new picture.

Paramount has also staked out a release date for the sequel: June 3, 2016. (So far, Sony’s comedy The Sausage Party is on the date.)

"Launching a new take on the Turtles into the feature film world was a daunting task because as fans of them ourselves, we felt a great responsibility to ensure audiences were going to experience everything they loved about the Turtles, while also getting to see them brought to life in a way they had never been seen before,” said president of Paramount’s film group, Adam Goodman, in announcing the sequel to TMNT, which was made with sister Viacom arm Nickelodeon Movies. "The result exceeded our high expectations and the response to the film is beyond great, making it all the more fun to get started on the continuation of their story."

sanjuro_ronin

08-12-2014, 04:48 AM

Took my girls and nephew to see it on Sunday.
They loved it and I liked it.
Shredder was a little too "transformers" for me, but hey, its Michael Bay right? LOL !

the turtles looked like juiced up steroid ninjas, especially Raphael, but they all fought well.

Megan looked good as always.

The fighting was good, SFX were great, dialogue was cute and good enough.

Splinter was the best version so far, nice kick ass fighting.

All in all, good family fun.

GeneChing

09-02-2014, 08:45 AM

This so works for me. I'm a huge fan of the Yokai world.

www.legendoftheyokai.com (http://www.legendoftheyokai.com/#!/brotherhood)

GeneChing

09-30-2014, 04:03 PM

Hopefully we can sling some ninja gear (http://www.martialartsmart.com/ninja-styles.html) this Halloween and pay the bills for this here forum.

Disney’s Frozen Characters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Top Children’s Costume List (https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/disneys-frozen-characters-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-top-childrens-costume)
For immediate release
September 30, 2014
Kathy Grannis (202) 783-7971
press@nrf.com (855) NRF-Press

Unsurprisingly, Disney’s Frozen Characters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Top Children’s Costume List This Halloween

WASHINGTON, September 26, 2014 – Having taken the world by storm this year, Disney’s Frozen and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle characters will again come to life this Halloween. According to NRF’s 2014 Halloween Consumer Top Costumes Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, an estimated 2.6 million children plan to dress up as one of Disney’s Frozen characters, while about 1.8 million children will dress as one of the re-imagined classic characters from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Princess (3.4 million), animal (3 million), and Spider-Man (2.6 million) will be other popular choices for children.

“Children and adults love to celebrate this fall holiday in all sorts of ways, and it’s clear dressing in costume will be a top priority for millions of people this year,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Given the popular holiday falls on a Friday this year, retailers can expect increased web and in-store traffic in the weekdays leading up to the big night, meaning consumers will need to keep their eye on specific must-have items as they are likely to go fast.”

The survey also found 75 million adults will dress in costume, and most will stick to traditional options, including a witch (4.8 million), animal (2.6 million), Batman character (2 million), and pirate (1.8 million)

Findings revealed that among the 14.3 percent of celebrants planning to outfit their pets, 10.8 percent will dress their furry friends as a pumpkin, the top costume again this year. Fido and fluffy will also be found disguised as hot dogs, devils, bumble bees, and cats.

Americans are expected to spend $2.8 billion on Halloween costumes according to NRF’s Halloween Consumer Spending Survey. Specifically, consumers will spend $1 billion on children’s costumes, $1.4 billion on adult costumes, and $350 million on pet costumes. Total Halloween spending is estimated to reach $7.4 billion this year, with the average person spending $77.52 on indoor and outdoor décor, costumes, and candy.

“It’s clear people love to get creative with costumes, looking for inspiration from pop-culture and politics to history, and even the make-believe and fantasy world,” said Prosper Insights Principal Analyst Pam Goodfellow. “We’re surprised each year with the range of different costumes, and I’m sure this Halloween will be no exception, especially given the historic number of people planning to buy costumes for themselves, their children and even their pets.”

http://images.halloweencostumes.com/blog/files/2011/7/sexy-ninja-turtles-costumes.jpg

Vash

10-01-2014, 04:00 AM

Sexy Nacho Turtle Ninjettes?

I'm in.

GeneChing

11-04-2014, 01:15 PM

The BRD/DVD combo pack will drop in the U.S. on Dec 16. Now why might you imagine I know that? ;)

Ninja Turtles reboot tops China box office (http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/ninja-turtles-reboot-tops-china-box-office)

http://www.filmbiz.asia/media/BAhbB1sHOgZmSSI9MjAxNC8xMS8wMy8xOC81NC8wOC80MjgvdG VlbmFnZV9tdXRhbnRfbmluamFfdHVydGxlcy5qcGcGOgZFVFsI OgZwOgp0aHVtYkkiDTUwMHgxMDAwBjsGVA?suffix=.jpg&sha=8bfca0df

By Kevin Ma
Tue, 04 November 2014, 11:00 AM (HKT)
Box Office News

The reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles scored a huge opening at the top of the China box office.

Representing approximately 35.7% of all screenings nationwide, the fantasy film made RMB162 million (US$26.5 million) from over 4 million admissions over three days. Produced from 1986 to 1996, the original animated series was aired on Chinese television and is popular amongst those born in the 1980s.

Sci-fi thriller The Maze Runner was in second place, earning RMB56.8 million (US$9.28 million) from approximately 1.41 million admissions. After six days, the live-action adaptation of the young adult novel has made RMB83.7 million (US$13.7 million). It accounted for approximately 15.3% of all screenings over the weekend.

Teddy CHEN 陳德森's Kung Fu Jungle 一個人的武林 opened in fourth place, earning RMB47.8 million (US$7.82 million) from approximately 1.32 million admissions. The martial arts mystery, representing approximately 19.2% of all screenings over the weekend, was released only in 3-D in Mainland China.

Last year, Special ID 特殊身份 — also headlined by Donnie YEN 甄子丹 — opened with RMB68.0 million (US$11.1 million) over three days. It made a total of RMB155 million (US$25.3 million) during its theatrical run.

Two local horror films also opened in the top ten: The Haunted Cinema 恐怖電影院 made RMB8.45 million (US$1.38 million) over four days, and Lonely Island 孤島 made only RMB2.14 million (US$350,000) over three days.

Lucy dropped to third place in its second weekend, earning RMB53.1 million (US$8.68 million) between Friday and Sunday. The Luc BESSON film has made RMB227.2 million (US$37.1 million) after 10 days in cinemas.

Earning RMB1.15 billion (US$188 million) after 34 days in cinemas, Breakup Buddies 心花路放 has surpassed Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) to become the fifth highest grossing film in China.

In Taiwan, Gone Girl was the top film for the third consecutive weekend, earning NT$8.19 million (US$269,000) between Friday and Sunday in Taipei. After four weekends, the David FINCHER film has made NT$62.5 million (US$2.05 million) in the capital.

Opening in second place, John Wick was the top new film. From 19 Taipei cinemas, the action film made NT$7.82 million (US$256,000) over three days. Last December, 47 Ronin — also starring Keanu REEVES — made NT$17.5 million (US$576,000) in Taipei over six days. It made NT$34 million (US$1.11 million) in the capital.

Kung Fu Jungle opened in fourth place, earning NT$2.87 million (US$94,100) from 17 cinemas in Taipei over three days. Last year, Special ID opened with NT$1.67 million (US$54,800) in Taipei. It made a total of NT$3.06 million (US$100,000) in the capital during its theatrical run.

Woody ALLEN's Magic in the Moonlight opened in seventh place, earning NT$1.11 million (US$36,400) from 14 cinemas in Taipei. The opening is on par with the director's Blue Jasmine, which opened with NT$1.17 million (US$38,400) last December for a total of NT$7.55 million (US$248,000) in Taipei.

From just five screens in Taipei, All-Round Appraiser Q: The Eyes of Mona Lisa 万能鑑定士Ｑ　モナ・リザの瞳 made NT$239,000 (US$7,830) in three days. Joe CHIEN 錢人豪's Zombie Fight Club 屍城　活屍競技場 made NT$177,000 (US$5,810) from four screens in Taipei.

In Hong Kong, Kung Fu Jungle became the first Hong Kong film to top the box office in over two months. From 38 locations, it made HK$4.31 million (US$557,000) over four days. Last October, Special ID opened with HK$3.06 million (US$394,000) from 35 locations. It made a total of HK$8.1 million (US$1.04 million) during its theatrical run.

The last Hong Kong film to top the weekend box office in Hong Kong was Edko Films Ltd 安樂影片有限公司's Temporary Family 失戀急讓 in late mid-August. Jungle is only the 7th Hong Kong film to open at number one this year.

In second place, Fury remained the top foreign film. Earning HK$3.92 million (US$425,000) between Thursday and Sunday, the David AYER film has made HK$12.0 million (US$1.55 million) after two weekends.

John Wick opened in third place, earning HK$2.38 million (US$308,000) from 32 locations over four days.

From just seven screens, James HUNG 孔令政's The Seventh Lie 第七謊言 made US$246,000 (HK$31,800) over four days.

Golden Scene Co Ltd 高先電影有限公司's indie drama Dot 2 Dot 點對點 made HK$228,000 (US$29,400) from 10 screens over four days. Including early previews, the Amos WHY 黃浩然 film has earned HK$261,000 (US$33,700).

GeneChing

11-26-2014, 05:15 PM

As a promotion for the DVD/BRD, they've launched the Turtles Pizza Van (http://www.turtlespizzavan.com/#/).

Zenshiite

11-27-2014, 05:21 PM

Finally saw it at the dollar theater. I was fun, but I still hate the design decisions. The Turtles work better for me as smaller, more lithe ninjas... instead of huge hulking bulletproof beasts. And I think the choice to do them that way was rooted entirely in the direction they took the Foot Clan. Instead of making the Foot a clan of outlaw ninjas, they made them your run of the mill terrorist organization. They could have been the generic para-military stand-ins for the League of Assassins in The Dark Knight Rises(as opposed to the full fledged ninja clan LOA of Batman Begins), or any number of stereotypical terrorists. Complete with Arab keffiya scarves! Which is complete nonsense for a Japanese criminal ninja clan, especially and most blatantly on Karai. So, instead of martial artists with traditional bladed weapons, you had a bunch of assault rifle wielding terrorists dubbed "the Foot Clan" which necessitated monstrous turtles whose shells were basically kevlar vests. And as a result, we also got Robo-Shredder.

And I think you can tell the shift from Eric Sacks as the Shredder to nameless Japanese Shredder was pretty late in the game. Oroku Saki went unnamed, and got zero character development or really any meaningful screen time. He was a boss fight, nothing more.

I was entertained, but I just do not like those particular choices. I think it would work better as a full blown ninja movie and less of a sci-fi action/adventure. I would have saved the more sci-fi/sci-fantasy elements for a sequel using Utroms/Krang in revealed the source of the mutagen.

GeneChing

12-09-2014, 11:02 AM

Enter to win KungFuMagazine.com's contest for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Blu-Ray & DVD combo pack (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/sweepstakes-tmnt-combo.php)! Contest ends 6:00 p.m. PST on 12/22/14. Good luck everyone!

GeneChing

12-29-2014, 11:15 AM

See our Winners for TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES DVD & BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK sweepstakes (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?68341-Winners-for-TEENAGE-MUTANT-NINJA-TURTLES-DVD-amp-BLU-RAY%99-COMBO-PACK-sweepstakes) thread.

GeneChing

06-21-2018, 10:05 AM

I'll split this into an indie thread when it gets a title.

JUNE 20, 2018 11:59am PT by Borys Kit
New 'Ninja Turtles' Movie in the Works With 'Bad Words' Writer (Exclusive) (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/new-ninja-turtles-movie-works-1121467?utm_source=twitter)

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/scale_crop_768_433/2018/06/tmnt_andrew_dodge_inset.jpg
Courtesy of Photofest; Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Focus Features
'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (1990); inset: Andrew Dodge

Paramount is ready to say "Cowabunga" once again.

The heroes in a half shell are coming back for more pizza.

Paramount is developing a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and has hired Andrew Dodge, the writer behind the Jason Bateman comedy Bad Words, to pen the script.

Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller will produce the feature via their Platinum Dunes banner. The company was behind the studio’s horror hit A Quiet Place.

Paramount has made two Ninja Turtles movies based on the 1980s cult comic by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird that spawned a pop cultural phenomenon in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first movie, released in 2014, grossed $493 million worldwide, while 2016’s installment, subtitled Out of the Shadows, showed the limits of the franchise with $245 million. Neither was a hit with critics.

However, both were made before the arrival of chairman Jim Gianopulos, who has made it a priority to clean up the studio’s slate and refocus its franchises. Insiders are hoping to bring a patina of quality as they relaunch the brand.

It’s all in the name: Ninja Turtles chronicles the adventures of four mutated turtles, named after Renaissance artists and in their teens, who protect New York City using ninja skills acquired from a humanoid rat.

Dodge made a splash with 2014's Bad Words, a script that landed on the Hollywood Black List and was turned into a directing and starring vehicle for Bateman. Since then, the writer has worked on projects such as Space Jam 2 and O’Lucky Day, the latter of which has Peter Dinklage attached to star.

Dodge is repped by CAA, Grandview and Gang Tyre.

GeneChing

11-20-2019, 10:18 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtlD90wM3No

GeneChing

06-29-2021, 09:19 AM

Cowabunga! Here is Dover's plan to honor its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles origins (https://www.fosters.com/story/news/local/2021/06/25/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-origins-dover-nh-memorializing-manhole-cover-tmnt/5302202001/)
Megan Fernandes
Fosters Daily Democrat

DOVER — Before becoming a world-famous franchise of cartoon series, movies and merchandise spanning nearly 40 years, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters began with sketches in Dover.

Mirage Studios was founded in November 1983 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in a residence at 28 Union St., where they lived together and created the early sketches of what became widely known as TMNT. The home has since been demolished and the property is now owned by the Dover Housing Authority. One thing that remains is the maintenance hole cover in front of the property, a well-known symbol of the series as the entrance to the turtle's lair in the city sewers.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/06/22/NFDD/c370b0c2-db46-4300-9518-029ee17c1eb1-unnamed.jpg?width=660&height=462&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
The Dover Arts Commission hopes to install a unique historical marker on the maintenance hole cover in front of where Mirage Studios was founded and where the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were first created at 28 Union St. The house was demolished earlier this decade.

Dover is looking to memorialize the city's ties with the TMNT comics through an artistic historical marker on a maintenance hole cover. The City Council endorsed the Arts Commission's concept plan at its June 7 meeting, so the commission can pursue the trademark rights needed to include original art honoring characters named after Italian Renaissance artists Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo.

Dover resident James Lane proposed the idea to the city's Arts Commission, calling it "a part of Dover's hidden history that needs to be told."

"I live nearby where Mirage Studios was, and often thought there should be a historical marker here but the house is gone," Lane said. "While on a walk I looked down and there was a manhole cover there and it was instantly very obvious to me that this is exactly how we should commemorate the site."

How TMNT took off from Seacoast
Long before Ralph DiBernardo owned Jetpack Comics & Games in Rochester, he was a teenager selling comics at the Newington Flea Market in the late 1970s, where a Walmart now stands. He said he befriended two of his regular customers, Eastman and Laird, who at that point were two artists living in Dover.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/06/24/NPOH/c3243fa0-7d78-475e-87cc-6d116027733e-TMNTJetpackComics624-Falcigno-02.JPG?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
Ralph DiBernardo, the owner of Jetpack Comics in Rochester, holds an advertisement used to premiere the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic at the Portsmouth Mini-Con event in 1984. DiBernardo, seen here at his store Thursday, June 24, 2021, befriended the creators of TMNT when they launched the comic they created at their home in Dover.

Eastman and Laird printed their first comic book at a Somersworth shop in an initial run of 2,500 copies. One day they showed up and asked DiBernardo if he'd buy copies of their original comic "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" so they could repay an uncle in Manchester who loaned them startup money to print the first run of publication.

DiBernardo bought 500 copies to help his friends. When he had difficulty selling them when he first opened Jetpack Comics in Portsmouth (before later relocating to Rochester), he cut up some of them to make advertisements. Some of those black-and-white early versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics would one day be worth $100,000 in mint condition, nearly 40 years later, he said.

"Truth be told, I just wanted to support my friends, but I didn't believe that comic book would become what it is today," DiBernardo said.

DiBernardo's Portsmouth Mini-Con convention in 1984 is where the first TMNT comic premiered, he said. Since then, the creators have gone back to visit him over the years at his shop and allowed him to do reprints exclusive to his store, including a TMNT cover that includes a rough sketch of Rochester's downtown, where Jetpack Comics stands today in the background.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/06/24/NPOH/8aff5665-c8c4-4daa-bf2a-8826e44eff81-TMNTJetpackComics624-Falcigno-05.JPG?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
Pictures displayed at Jetpack Comics in Rochester illustrate the history behind the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles world, including the advertisement used to promote the series' Dover creators' first TMNT comic book at the Portsmouth Mini-Con event in the 1980s.

DiBernardo said there are really two version of TMNT, the edgy ones in their first comics and the more kid-friendly version fans of all ages know and love today.

"The original TMNT was gritty and geared towards a more mature reader," DiBernardo said. "Kevin and Peter loved comics like Heavy Metal and the original was influenced by that. Then there's the cartoon and the Archie Comics line, which is geared towards kids."

Eastman and Laird have made special appearances at Jetpack Comics through the years at its Free Comic Book Day events. One year, more than 7,500 people showed up to Jetpack Comics for the chance to meet the TMNT creators, DiBernardo recalled.

After the first issue came out, the creators moved around until they set up shop in Northampton, Massachusetts.

The Seacoast and New England connections don't stop there, with other TMNT contributors later brought onto the project also having ties to the area. This includes Steve Lavigne, who once owned a comic book shop and art gallery called Shellback Artworks in Wells, Maine, that closed in 2016, and Massachusetts local Jim Lawson, who worked on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and also co-created the series Planet Racers with Laird.

"Peter and Kevin never forgot their history and where they started," DiBernardo said. "They always came back to the Seacoast and gave back to the community."

City seeks to honor TMNT past
When DiBernardo heard Dover was looking to promote the history of the early days of TMNT, he was immediately on board.

He hopes to organize a convention and give away free TMNT comics.

"I want to be a part of it because it's such a brilliant idea," DiBernardo said. "Dover is the home of one of the most important children's properties in the world, and it's time we recognized that."

Linnea Nemeth, vice chairperson of the Dover Arts Commission, said the idea of commemorating Dover as the birthplace of the TMNT has been brought up before over the years, but the ideas never moved forward.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/06/24/NPOH/2398c8a1-3074-40a8-af4d-c482340a4857-TMNTJetpackComics624-Falcigno-11.JPG?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles section at Jetpack Comics in Rochester, as seen Thursday, June 24, 2021.

"At the time we liked the idea but didn't know what the best way to memorialize it through a statue, plaque or other forms of art," Nemeth said. "This idea is spot on and is very fitting, given the prominence to maintenance covers in the storylines."

Nemeth said the commission has big plans for this idea, and hopes that when the time comes to unveil the project, it can involve the city, community, the Dover400 committee and local museums in a city-wide celebration.

"It's an exciting venture and ties in with our Dover 400 celebration," Dover Mayor Bob Carrier said, noting he would likely write a proclamation to honor the event and Dover's ties to the franchise.

Lane estimated the cost to have a custom-made and locking maintenance hole cover could be a few thousand dollars. He anticipates that the cost will be covered by a crowd-funding campaign of TMNT fans and supportive locals.

If the commission cannot get the rights to design the cover with original art, the commission has back-up plans to creatively design a text-only marker, Nemeth said.

This project is one of the many Dover's Arts Commission has in the works.

"We're not just looking at projects that acknowledge the history of our distant past, we're also looking at ones like this that give a nod to our more notable recent history," Nemeth said. "We're starting to incorporate a more diverse range of public art projects that people can connect with. Whether you read the cartoons, watched the series or you had the action figures as a kid, it's will resonate with a lot of people."

a manhole cover. ha.

GeneChing

03-05-2023, 04:24 PM

Mar 4, 2023 5:35pm PT
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ Unveils Full Voice Cast, Including Jackie Chan as Splinter (https://variety.com/2023/film/news/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-mutant-mayhem-voice-cast-announced-1235542988/)

By J. Kim Murphy
https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/tmnt-mayhem-split.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1&resize=681%2C383
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images | Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images | Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Skechers | Leon Bennett/Getty Images | Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET

Seth Rogen took to the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards stage Saturday evening to reveal the full voice cast for the animated reboot “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” including the teenage actors voicing the squad of heroes and Jackie Chan as the master sewer dweller Splinter.

Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu and Brady Noon will voice the roles of Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael, respectively. The quartet was introduced by Rogen, a producer and voice actor for the film, onstage at the ceremony to accompany the announcement.

The voice cast also features a slew of notable performers taking on characters that will be familiar to “TMNT” fans, including Hannibal Buress as Genghis Frog, Rose Byrne as Leatherhead, John Cena as Rocksteady, Ice Cube as Superfly, Natasia Demetriou as Wingnut, Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil, Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman, Post Malone as Ray Fillet, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom and Rogen as Bebop. Jeff Rowe (“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”) is directing.

The film comes from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies and Point Grey Productions, with Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver producing for Point Grey, in partnership with Ramsey Naito and Jason McConnell, who are overseeing production for Nickelodeon. For Point Grey, Lukas Williams is co-producing and Josh ***en is overseeing. The story will follow the Turtle brothers as they work to earn the love of New York City while facing down an army of mutants.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” hits theaters on Aug. 4.
Best casting for Splinter ever...

GeneChing

03-06-2023, 11:06 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooZdaF2zMlM

GeneChing

05-31-2023, 08:46 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHvzw4Ibuho

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72529-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Mutant-Mayhem)
T M N T (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?45508-T-M-N-T)

GeneChing

07-27-2023, 11:51 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhXRNRmuYcc

I've created a new indie thread for Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Mutant-Mayhem (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72563-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Mutant-Mayhem) from our T-M-N-T (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?45508-T-M-N-T) master thread.

GeneChing

04-11-2024, 01:54 PM

R-rated? Intriguing...

Live-Action, R-Rated ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Movie in the Works From Producer Walter Hamada (Exclusive) (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-last-ronin-movie-1235871493/)
Tyler Burton Smith, who co-wrote the upcoming action movie 'Boy Kills World,' is penning the script for this high-body count tale.

BY BORYS KIT
APRIL 11, 2024 9:30AM
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Last-Ronin-Comic-and-Walter-Hamada-NEW-Split-Publicity-H-2024.jpg?w=1296&h=730&crop=1&resize=1000%2C563
'The Last Ronin' comic; Walter Hamada IDW PUBLISHING; COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES

After the success of last year’s animated hit film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Paramount Pictures is keeping turtle power going by putting a new feature project into development.

This one, however, will go beyond the realm of the all-ages material the long-standing property is known for and instead go into gritty, R-rated, territory.

Paramount is developing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, adapting a popular storyline seen in the recent IDW comics, as a live-action feature with the intent of making it for an R-rating.

Tyler Burton Smith, who co-wrote the upcoming R-rated action movie Boy Kills World and who wrote the 2019 iteration of Chucky horror franchise Child’s Play, is penning the script.

Walter Hamada is producing through his 18hz production company as part of his multiyear deal with the studio. Hamada is the former head of DC Films who rose through the ranks at New Line, where he oversaw the Warner Bros. division’s horror movies, including The Conjuring and It franchises. His 18hz banner is focused on making features in the horror genre.

And Last Ronin is about as terrifying as a Turtles tale can get. Set in a totalitarian future New York City, the comic miniseries told of how the Turtles and master Splinter are killed off one by one, by the grandson of the villainous Shredder and synthetic ninjas. One Turtle manages to survive, barely, and vows to exact bloody vengeance. One trick of the book was that it wasn’t clear, for a while at least, which one of the Turtles lived, as the survivor had the weapons of all four.

Co-creator Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz wrote the comic based on an older story by Eastman and co-creator Peter Laird. Artists included Esau and Isaac Escorza, Ben Bishop and Eastman.

IDW, the publisher that holds the license for the Ninja Turtles comics, put out the books between 2020 and 2022. The comics were an unexpected massive hit, with the collected trade paperback being the second-highest-selling graphic novel of 2023, per Circana BookScan.

The comic book company recently released the sequel TMNT: The Last Ronin II — Re-Evolution, with the debut issue touted as being one of the biggest comics of the year, with more than 140,000 copies ordered.

Ninja Turtles debuted as a black-and-white indie comic in 1984, parodying comics like Chris Claremont’s X-Men comics and Frank Miller’s ninja-focused work. A toy deal turned the comic into a generational touchstone in the late 1980s, abetted by a bright and cheerful animated series, followed by a hit live-action movie wherein the Turtles were played by actors in suits.

Over the years, more animated series came at audiences like twirling nunchucks while Paramount, which landed the rights to the property via Viacom in 2009, put out two live-action movie produced by Michael Bay that starred Megan Fox and Will Arnett in the mid-2010s.

Mutant Mayhem, produced by Seth Rogen’s Point Grey, brought back a respectable sheen to the property by giving it a cool outsider point a view. Critics and audiences liked what the saw, with the animated movie grossing over $118.6 at the domestic box office. A sequel is now in the works.

IDW is also relaunching a mainline Ninja Turtles comic series timed to the title’s 40th anniversary.

Smith is repped by WME and Grandview.

Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-The-Last-Ronin (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72754-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-The-Last-Ronin)
T-M-N-T (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?45508-T-M-N-T)