The interesting thing about the $480M success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles earlier this year is that it wasn't just fueled by nostalgia. Instead it was largely a movie for kids, and obviously families turned out for it in droves. Paramount wants to keep with a kid-centric theme for the heroes on the halfshell's sequel, making the move to hire Earth to Echo director David Green.
This comes as a surprise because Jonathan Liebesman had been making the rounds talking about what was next for the Turtles, but Paramount wanted to try something new and began looking at other directors. Green made his debut with Earth to Echo, a Spielberg-esque fantasy adventure that earned $45M on a small budget and no household names.
Megan Fox and Will Arnett are expected to return as April O'Neil and Vernon Fenwick, while the Shredder character will also be back. Who may be by his side? Dopey fan-favorite villains Bebop and Rocksteady will finally make their way to the screen, and Bay says Casey Jones could be bringing his hockey sticks to the fight. He recently told Omelete...
Bay: “We can say that Bebop and Rocksteady are in the film, and Casey Jones is a character that we love and we’re trying to fit him in as well”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 opens June 3rd 2016.
