Well, we've been more than willing to voice the negative reaction, some of it our own, about Michael Bay's plans to turn our beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into little green men from outer space. I've kinda made peace with it, but apparently a lot of people haven't, and the entire affair has become one big Internet debacle affectionately known as 'TMNT-Gate'. Petitions are flying around the web faster than a nude pic of Lindsay Lohan stolen from her Iphone, and even the guy who voiced Michelangelo in the great 1990 film accused Bay of "raping" our childhood memories. Hyperbole much?
Bay didn't help matters by telling fans to chill out, and TMNT co-creator Peter Laird said the same thing while agreeing it sounds like a potentially terrible plan. The idea has its defenders, and if one "Turtle" calls it a rape, another thinks it sounds awesome. Brian Tochi, who voiced Leonardo 22 years ago(!!!!!) gave it his "highly sought after" seal of approval. The same goes for Judith Hoag, who played April O'Neill and also used to star frequently in my dreams at night. I'm waiting for Corey Feldman, who voiced Donatello, to throw his half a cent into the matter. Anybody want to ask Elias Koteas aka Casey Jones?
Those folks don't matter, though. What does Jonathan Liebesman, the guy who will actually direct the film think? Talking to ComingSoon, he championed the interstellar origin, and says fans may be unprepared for just how awesome it is....
Liebesman: "I heard about [the fan outcry], and I'm glad there's such a passionate fanbase. I think that was good news for everyone--but literally, I've just been locked in a room with Kevin Eastman. I think what we're developing, the fans will love. I'm a fan, and I love what we're doing. It's a lot of stuff Kevin's been thinking about for a long time and just hasn't done. Anything we expand will tie right into the mythology, so I think fans will go apeshit when they see it."
I believe he's sincere, but what the heck was he supposed to say? He could be blowin' smoke up our asses, or he, Eastman, and Bay have found a way to link the Turtles' mutagenic transformation into something other worldly. A couple of days ago I speculated that was the overall plan, and this convinces me of that even more. We may be getting angry over a whole lot of nothin'. Only time will tell.
