Cover of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1"
from Mirage Studios.
As I've mentioned before, 2009 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
In those twenty-five years the TMNT have definitely kept themselves busy.
Since their debut in 1984 the turtles have starred in three television series, four movies and almost twenty video games.
And it looks like they’re not satisfied yet. In 2011 our favorite terrapin teens are scheduled to appear in a brand new live action film and later this year they will be starring in a direct to DVD animated crossover movie.
Variety has reported that John Fusco ("Young Guns", "Hidalgo") has been chosen to pen the newest "TMNT" film, which is due out in 2011. The film is being planned as an origins story, which I assume, means it is a reboot.
Hopefully Mr. Fusco will give us an entertaining "TMNT" film that remains faithful to its comic book origins. And if it's possible for him to somehow manage to give Donatello and Mikey some screen time instead of letting Leo and Raph hog it all, that'd be nice too.
However, I’m nowhere near as excited about the live action film as I am about the direct to DVD crossover film that will be released later this year.
The film, “Turtles Forever” will be a crossover between the original 1987 animated turtles and their 2003 counterparts. It is not simply an extended episode of the 2003 “TMNT” animated series (ongoing) but a standalone movie written specifically as part of the twenty-five year celebration.
It’s kind of a weird idea, but if it’s being done by the 2003 animated series team, I’m there. You can go to the 4Kids “TMNT” blog for updates and sneak peaks of this project. So far, they’ve got some pretty exciting character designs posted, including a very intimidating Tokka and a very old-school Bebop.
Right now, 4Kids T.V is holding an online vote to choose the top ten episodes of the “TMNT” 2003 series. Starting in September, 4Kids will be airing the top ten episodes in a countdown that will culminate in the premier of “Turtles Forever.” After its debut on television it will be released to DVD.
If you’re one of the lucky few who are attending Comic-Con, keep your ears open because the rumor is that a complete or nearly complete version of “Turtles Forever” will be screened as part of the festivities.
The “TMNT” 2003 animated series is currently airing on the CW Network at 9:30 and 10:00 A.M Central Time every Saturday.
Comments
Loved this TMNT article! I work on the TMNT25 PR team and I wanted to let you know that the rumors of a "Turtles Forever" screening are correct. More details can be found on the TMNT25.com web site.
Tim- Wow! Thanks for the info! Now I'm even more bummed that I can't make it to Comic-Con. It must be very cool to work for the TMNT25 team, in fact working for anything TMNT sounds like a dream come true. Thanks again for the info!
YAY!! TMNT were a staple at my house! I also would like to see more of Mikey,or the best turtle as I call him. Thanks so much for the info. I'll be anxiously awaiting the new releases.
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