New Live Action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie In The Works?

[terry78]

^They may speed it up now. But do we want that is the question.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Official statement by Peter Laird:

Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Musings about the sale

This evening, my daughter Emily wisely advised me to make a statement about the MTVN/Viacom/Nickelodeon buyout of the TMNT property on my blog... so I am going to try to do that. I suspect it won't be the last statement I will make about this subject.

I will try to touch on some of the things that folks have inquired about, but I can't guarantee that all questions will be answered.

First, why did I sell the TMNT? There are a number of reasons, but first and foremost is that I have been doing this TMNT thing for twenty-five years, sixteen of them in partnership with TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman and the last nine as sole owner of the property. That is a long time. It is almost half my life (I'm 55). I never expected to be working on the same thing for this long. And it has worn me down. I am no longer that guy who carries his sketchbook around with him and draws in it every chance he gets. That guy did all of the pre-TMNT artwork you have been seeing on this blog in many of my "Blast from the Past" posts.

I miss -- I really, really miss -- being that guy.

My fervent hope is that by divesting myself of this wonderful but needful-of-constant-attention property, I might -- I just MIGHT -- get back to being that guy. Or something LIKE that guy.

It will come as no surprise to anyone who has been paying attention that my energy level for things TMNT has flagged in these last few years. As one result, the production of TMNT Volume 4 comics has slowed to a crawl. That's not good. I have a conclusion planned out for that series, and at some point I want to get to it. Maybe this sale will help me get to that point. We'll see.

The idea of a sale of the TMNT property to a third party is not a new one. Kevin and I, while we were still partners, discussed it during the 1990's and actually came to the conclusion that if the right deal came our way, we would take it. We got a couple of offers -- one of which was, in retrospect, pretty decent, and another which was simply ludicrous and insulting. We took neither of them. This one, this sale which was completed on Monday of this week, came out of the blue. I was not actively pursuing selling the property, though Gary (CEO of Mirage) and Fred (my attorney) knew that it was something I might be interested in should the right buyer with the right deal come my way. And then Viacom/MTVN/Nickelodeon showed interest and we started talking.

I've known for a long time that at some point in my life I would sell the TMNT. I just wasn't sure when it would happen. But, as they say, in this case "the stars lined up".

I know that many fans are concerned with how the TMNT will be treated now that they have a new owner. I am also concerned, but I have faith that the new owner will treat the property with due respect and make the most of it. And the simple fact is -- I didn't have it in me any more, and the property DESERVED a new owner. Now it has one, with powerful roots in the entertainment business. I am actually quite excited to see where they take TMNT.

I am pretty certain that what Viacom/MTVN/Nickelodeon will do with the TMNT is NOT going to be what I would have done with it had I kept ownership. But is that necessarily bad? I think not. For example, if Kevin and I had had our way back in 1987, the original TMNT animated series would have been a lot different. It would probably have been a lot more like the 2003 4Kids show. Now, I really like the newer 4Kids series, but I also know that many fans much prefer the lighter, goofier original series. I don't know what the new Nickelodeon series will be like... but maybe it will be something better than either of the old shows, or simply something new and different, with a fresh approach and attitude. I think everyone should wait and see before passing judgment.

One comment -- which I have seen online several times -- expresses the sentiment that this sale will mean "the end of TMNT". This baffles me. Unless I am completely naive, the sale to Viacom could very well mean a brighter future for the TMNT property than was previously feasible.

On a final note (at least for this statement), please understand that I sold the TMNT property, not Mirage Studios. Mirage still exists, and it's still my company. It just doesn't own the TMNT intellectual property anymore. I'm not sure what its future will be. For a little while, it will be helping with the transition of TMNT over to its new owners. But after that...? I don't know. What I am hoping, however, is that this little core group of creators sticks together, both as friends and collaborators. And I think that is certainly possible. -- PL

http://plairdblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/musings-about-sale.html

 

[BlackLantern]

Peter Laird says it's cool and he feels its the best thing....

as a fan, that's all I need to hear

 

[Timstuff]

Well, I'm glad to hear that he sold TMNT because he wanted to and not because he had to. It's hard for me to imagine why someone would sell away the crowning achievement of their career, but then again I have never found myself in that position, and certainly Laird knows what's best for himself better than I would. I just hope that TMNT's new home will be a good one, and that Viacom will treat the franchise with the respect it deserves and acknowledges that there is more to TMNT than just the 1980's cartoons.

 

[BlackLantern]

the tone seems to be because he knows that he doesn't have the energy anymore to give the franchise the attention it needs because it has become such a brand

 

[Sawyer]

Peter Laird says it's cool and he feels its the best thing....

as a fan, that's all I need to hear

Yeah, its always nice to hear the creators respectfully handing down the reins. I just hope whoever is handling TMNT from now on doesnt drop the ball.

 

[Octoberist]

that was a pretty heart felt message from Laird. like what Black Lantern said, TMNT is now a BIG brand that's too small to contain.

 

[FrostBite]

As a man who's first word was actually (honestly) Cowabunga because of the Turtles, it is sad to see him leave. But if it was actually too big for him, I can't help but empathize with the man, and wish him the best. Hopefully Nick does it justice, who knows, maybe like Disney they are looking to re-brand themselves and start producing good shows/movies again. Wherever the Turtles go in whatever shape or form, I'll always find myself loving it, so, whatever.

Good luck to Laird.

Raph is the short fuse / bully of the group, so he should look more imposing than his brothers.



The "parents won't take their little kids to see it" argument is kind of a dead race horse by now anyway, because there wasn't anything cute or cuddly about how Optimus Prime and Megatron looked in Transformers (both of whom were featured prominently in Transformer's advetising). Kids like bad ass, so I don't see a need to condescend to them by giving the turtles cutesy looking character designs. This movie needs to attract both kids and adults, and it's a lot easier to get kids on board with a more adult looking Turtles movie than it would be to get adults interested in a kiddy looking PG-rated Turtles movie. Not a lot of teens and adults will buy cute and goofy, but most kids will buy bad ass.

I agree with everything you said, except the designs of the Turtles. Kids love adult things, and truly I do hate how studios insult the intelligence of children and what they can handle. While I don't think we'll ever GET a PG-13 Turtles movie, I more than think they could handle it.

Still, the Turtles in that picture look like they are trying too hard to look awesome. Whereas when my friend first watched the old movies he said to me "...man, if there was ever mutated humanoid turtles that stood 5 foot tall.... that's what they'd look like."

 

[Sawyer]

So, forgive my ignorance, but what all does this entail? Aside from a possible film and new animated series?

 

[terry78]

So, forgive my ignorance, but what all does this entail? Aside from a possible film and new animated series?

Basically that Nickelodeon/Paramount/MTV owns the property of the turtles. So all the merchandise, shows, video games, etc. will be through them.

 

[Sawyer]

Basically that Nickelodeon/Paramount/MTV owns the property of the turtles. So all the merchandise, shows, video games, etc. will be through them.

Hmm... so does this mean they could rerelease the old and new animated series on DVDs in the future?

 

[FrostBite]

Hmm... so does this mean they could rerelease the old and new animated series on DVDs in the future?

Edit: My bad, you said rerelease; sorry!

I guess it's possible, but with so many DVD's already out, my guess is they'd just rake in the dough from the existing ones.

 

[Marx]

Still, the Turtles in that picture look like they are trying too hard to look awesome. Whereas when my friend first watched the old movies he said to me "...man, if there was ever mutated humanoid turtles that stood 5 foot tall.... that's what they'd look like."

I loved the design of the original movie turtles.

 

[FrostBite]

I loved the design of the original movie turtles.

Loved them in the first two, but man, in the third their eyes got all freakishly googley! O_O

 

[Octoberist]

and in the third movie, they had ugly freckles to boot.

 

[Marx]

Loved them in the first two, but man, in the third their eyes got all freakishly googley! O_O

and in the third movie, they had ugly freckles to boot.

Yeah...I wasn't a fan of them in the third one either.

 

[Decoy Lad]

So, forgive my ignorance, but what all does this entail? Aside from a possible film and new animated series?

A lot more Bebop, Rocksteady, and Krang probably.

Hmm... so does this mean they could rerelease the old and new animated series on DVDs in the future?

The animated series, most likely, but Viacom/Nick doesn't own the rights to the old cartoon, since Mirage didn't either, that's owned by Fred Wolf.

 

[Octoberist]

to be honest, i do miss Bebop and Rocksteady. I prefer them over Tokar and Raazar.

All you have to do is make Beb and Rock more threatening.

 

[Marx]

to be honest, i do miss Bebop and Rocksteady. I prefer them over Tokar and Raazar.

All you have to do is make Beb and Rock more threatening.

I think we were all disappointed that Tokka and Razar weren't Bebop and Rocksteady.

 

[louiebling$]

I like Tokka and Rahzar

 

[Octoberist]

yeah, i just never got that. Was it the stigma of the cartoon show, that the creators didn't like about Beb and Roc? Funny..since Turtles 2 was more like the cartoon than part 1.

Seriously, why couldn't they just keep Tokar and Raazar as Bebop and Rocksteady but as primitive animal mutants?

 

[deathshead2]

I think we were all disappointed that Tokka and Razar weren't Bebop and Rocksteady.

I wasn't. I liked there desighns but pretty much anything that has to do with the 80s show I hate.

 

[deathshead2]

Also I hope the new movie, and show won't suck. While most Nick films have some great production design most tend to suck...really bad.

 

[Marx]

I wasn't. I liked there desighns but pretty much anything that has to do with the 80s show I hate.

The 80's tv show is what put the turtles on the map. They wouldn't be anywhere near as popular had it not been for that show.

 

[deathshead2]

The 80's tv show is what put the turtles on the map. They wouldn't be anywhere near as popular had it not been for that show.

You fans are pretty predictable. Everytime I say I don't like it, they always come at me with "Well if it wasn't for the show blah blah blah," yeah I know. If it wasn't for Fred Wolf I never would have had the movie or the 2k3 show. I know...I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it.