The original 1987 animated series”Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleswill come to Nickelodeon. Before the theatrical release of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” Nickelodeon has acquired the global rights to the celebrated Fred Wolf series, which follows the adventures of the heroes in shells: Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo.
Under the deal, all 193 episodes of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” original, which aired from 1987 to 1996, will premiere digitally on channels owned by Nickelodeon and operated by them (as Youtube, pluto tv and the linear channels of O&O) later this month in the United States, followed by channels and digital platforms with the brand Nickelodeon on an international level.
The acquisition was announced Thursday during the presentation of “Mutant Mayhem” in San Diego comic-con from Paramount Pictures. The latest installment in the popular children’s franchise will hit theaters on August 2. Director of “Mutant Mayhem,” Jeff Rowe (wearing a “TMNT“), and franchise co-creator Kevin Eastman were on hand to give a sneak peek at the new film on behalf of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” in the comic-con reduced due to strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, which prevented writers and actors from attending the convention.
Eastman, who made a surprise appearance on the panel, announced the news to the audience in Room H.
“We just found out today – this is breaking news – Nickelodeon and Paramount have secured the rights to broadcast the original animated series,” Eastman said as the audience erupted in applause. “[Fue] the beginning. The first time those characters came to life with voices and movement, and Chuck Lorre wrote an amazing song for us back then before he was Chuck Lorre. It’s so fantastic. We’re so excited to announce this, so congratulations to all of us! We will be able to see him again!”
The legendary comic book creator (who was celebrating his 38th appearance at the convention — “It was a very different show. I think they were expecting 7,000 that year and I think there are 7,000 people in this room,” Eastman quipped) also praised Rowe’s portrayal of the turtles in the new film.
“I am very proud of what you have done. This movie is brilliant,” he said, recalling the first time he saw footage from the movie. “After 15 minutes, I said, ‘When do they start the sequel?’ Now I see her and the way she comes to life reminds me of the style of underground comics we started Peter [Laird, co-creador de “TMNT“] me too. There is so much life and energy and weight.”
Produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver’s Point Gray Productions, “Mutant Mayhem” marks the first film production of Nickelodeon in CG animation. The film follows the amphibian brothers – Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Rafael (Brady Noon) and Miguel Ángel (Shamon Brown Jr.) – who, after years of being shielded from the human world, embark on a mission to “win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts”. With the help of their new friend April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), the Turtles take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but are soon overwhelmed when an army of mutants is unleashed against them.
“Mutant Mayhem” also features an all-star supporting cast, including Rogen, Hannibal Buress, Rose Byrne, John Cena, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Post Malone, Paul Rudd, and Maya Rudolph.
Those attending the comic-con were able to enjoy 20 minutes of footage from the film, which showed the origin story of the Ninja Turtles, from the moment their rat father, Splinter (voiced by Chan), discovered them as little goo-coated turtles, to their training to become the ninja warriors we know and love. The footage was preceded by a recorded message from Rogen and Ice Cube.
“It is hard to believe that all this is happening. I’ve been a huge fan all my life and now I’m just weeks away from it being released in theaters. It’s amazing,” Rogen said, as Ice Cube chimed in. “I can assure you that this fan will make sure that all of you are fans of the biggest, funniest, craziest turtle movie too.”
The clip showed the four on a sneaky and fun visit to the grocery store, defying their father’s warnings about the human world and stopping at an outdoor screening of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Out,” which left them a little sad that they grew up in isolation. The footage also introduced the stakes of the film, showing how the teens meet April and the first time they have to use their ninja training in a fight, as well as introducing the villainous Super Fly.
Created in 1984 by Laird and Eastman, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” debuted as a comic book series and then became a worldwide hit with Fred Wolf’s 1987 animated series. It was followed by a live action television series, “Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation,” as well as numerous film adaptations, including “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” from 1990, its two sequels and the 2007 CGI film “TMNT“. Nickelodeon revived the franchise in 2012 with the CG animated series, followed by the 2D animated series “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” in 2019, while Paramount rebooted the project on the big screen in 2014.
Via: Variety
Editor’s note: I am very happy about this revival that the ninja turtles are going through, but it is even more satisfying to see that people who care for the franchise and who have been fans all their lives are doing it. I hope this movie doesn’t disappoint and now we’re going to have to hunt down a good bluray edition of this series.
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