By: Russ Burlingame on March 27, 2012
On his official message board, producer Michael Bay has confirmed earlier reports that his new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot would be called Ninja Turtles, as well as suspicions that it was driven by the same kind of marketing that saw Disney shorten “John Carter: The Princess of Mars” to just John Carter.
“Paramount marketing changed the name,” Bay tells fans on the site. “They made the title simple. The characters you all remember are exactly the same, and yes they still act like teenagers. Everything you remember, why you liked the characters, is in the movie. This script is being developed by two very smart writers, with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles. They care VERY MUCH about making this film for the fans. Everyone on this team cares about the fans. Just give them a chance. Jonathan the director, is a major fan of the whole franchise. HE’S NOT GOING TO LET YOU DOWN.”
Bay, who also produced the Transformers films, has come under fire from fans since revealing at the Nickelodeon Upfront that the new film will feature extraterrestrial origins for the beloved characters, and his subsequent suggestion (also made on the message board) that his critics should “take a chill pill” and trust him with the franchise. People involved with the earlier Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action films, as well as comic book co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, have chimed in with various degrees of support or criticism for Bay and the re-envisioned Turtles. Many of Bay’s supporters have followed up with either requests for work or revelations that they’re working on the film, which has given his critics further cause for concern.
