Nickelodeon held a pizza party in San Diego this Friday during Comic-Con International, during which they revealed new information on the upcoming CGI “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” animated series. Starring Jason Biggs (American Pie) as Leonardo, Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings) as Raphael, Greg Cipes (Ben 10: Alien Force, Teen Titans) as Michaelangelo, and Rob Paulsen (Raphael in the 1980s series) as Donatello, the show is expected to premiere in the fall.
According to attendees of the panel, the show boasts some obvious differences from the original series. First, the turtles are more teenage in build and personality, like “high school football players.” Along with this, April O’Neil, the crime-fighters’ friend, will be a 16 year old rather than a grown woman. Executive producer Ciro Nieli explains:
Someone in their 30s with their own life going on isn’t going to be able to delegate that much interest into these characters’ lives and provide the attention and shelter that they need. April can automatically assimilate as one of them and vice versa. If they’re going to come out in the world for the first time, in the city, they’re going to want someone whose of the same mindset.
That said, the producers promise that the show will entertain both children and adults.
Sounds very cool! What do you think?
In the Fall of 2012, Nickelodeon will begin airing a new animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” series and it has been announced that none other than Sean Astin will star as Raphael (who wears the red mask and wields twin sai). Jason Biggs (American Pie) will star as Leonardo, Greg Cipes as Michelangelo, and Rob Paulsen as Donatello. In the original series, Rob Paulsen voiced Raphael, but after many years he is passing the torch to Sean.
Sean Astin has starred in many great films, including Steven Spielberg’s “The Goonies” and Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings.” With the help of voice coaches on the set of “The Lord of the Rings,” Sean has found success in his childhood dream of voice acting with his narrations in “Meerkat Manor” and the Disney Junior show “Special Agent Oso.”
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Sean spoke on his newest role as Raphael:
He’s still working through issues. He’s really good at what he does, and he doesn’t suffer fools lightly. Sometimes that arrogance can get him in a little bit of trouble.
In other TMNT news, Paramount Pictures has announced a new live-action “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” film.
We’re so excited to see the show! Do you think Sean will make a good Raphael?
Paramount Pictures has announced a new “Teenange Mutant Ninja Turtles” film that it envisions will be its next big franchise, alongside “Transformers.” Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec (who have just finished writing the fourth “Mission Impossible” script: “Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol”) have been hired to rewrite the TMNT script, originally written by “Iron Man” writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway.
Viacom had purchased the rights to “TMNT” in 2009 from The Mirage Group, who made the CGI reboot film. Nickelodoen will be airing a CGI “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” series next year.
What do you think about a new TMNT film and show?
Recently, IDW and Nickelodeon unveiled cover art and credits for a new TMNT comic series to be released in August. Co-creator Kevin Eastman, co-writer Tom Waltz and artist Dan Duncan are re-imagining the characters and world for the new series to be released in 32-page, color installments. The comics will not follow Nickelodeon’s television and will, instead, tell its own story.
We love the new art and are incredibly excited to check out the comics. How about you?
Nickelodeon has released four new posters for the television show “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” which is coming to TV in 2012. The four posters depict the four TMNT characters that we will get to watch every time the show comes on!
What do you think of the new posters?
