Fresh off his weekend win with PAIN AND GAIN, director Michael Bay had a chat with Moviefone where he answered a number of questions, while clarifying the "rumor heard 'round the world" about the "alien" aspect of the upcoming Jonathan Liebesman directed NINJA TURTLES (it's still unclear if they've reverted to the full title yet, although it was promoted with it at cinemacon). What sparked the biggest amount of Bay-cklash I've ever seen, the infamous director noted that the heroes in a half shell would be an "alien race" rather than the mutated beings we'd all become accustomed to. Now, it appears that Bay was either misquoted, misspoke, or somewhere in the middle, as he clarifies by saying:
There was that quote saying that we’re making [the Ninja Turtles as] aliens. We’re not. It’s the ooze! It’s from the original source material. These are from the original writers, and I never went out to correct myself in the press. I do listen to the fans and I do want this to be authentic. I think they’re going to be really happy with this movie. When I see the digital stuff, the turtles look great.
The ooze is, in fact, derived from an alien source, most notably by the Utroms, commonly known as The Krang, who shield their earthly presence with the fake research institute T.C.R.I. So, it's possible that Bay simply didn't dive into the rabbit hole after his comment, because, well, the Turtles are technically derived from aliens in the form of the alien ooze, thus making them somewhat alien. Facts are facts.
In addition, Bay clarified his reasoning for returning to the TRANSFORMERS franchise with TRANSFORMERS 4, which had a lot to do with the ride at Universal and his territorial feelings toward the property.
Yeah, and this is literally a true story. I went to the [Transformers] ride in Universal, and there’s a two-and-a-half-hour line, and you just see all these kids — it’s the most popular ride they’ve had since Jurassic Park — and I’m like… It’s hard to let go of your franchise. You don’t want someone to f*ck it up. So I at least wanted to set it up on some good footing. Because you’re going to get a different kind of director [who is] not going to want to follow in my footsteps. Directors feel very territorial. So they’re going to go to a more inexperienced director. It’s just the way Hollywood works. And I’m thinking, “God, so I’ll redesign it, set it up… Someone’s gonna f*ck this up. This is way too big of a thing.” And I’m looking at all these kids and I’m like, “F*ck, I gotta do one more.” And then I brought Mark [Wahlberg] into it. So now we’ve got a movie star, we’ve got full redesigns. At least it’ll be on good footing.
I'm looking forward to NINJA TURTLES and am keeping an open mind. We haven't heard much of anything from Liebesman, who is actually directing, and with the majority of the cast assembled and cameras rolling, I'm hoping for a good show. As a lifelong fan of TMNT, I'm hoping to see an updated, kick-ass adaptation. Here's to hoping. As for TRANSFORMERS 4? Eh, whatever.
NINJA TURTLES, starring Megan Fox, Adam Ritchson, Will Arnett, Noel Fisher, Danny Woodburn, Jeremy Howard, and Pete Ploszeck is slated to mutate on June 6, 2014, while TRANSFORMERS 4, starring Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, and Stanley Tucci transforms on June 27, 2014.
Hey, just be glad you aren't seeing this version of the Turtles being adapted…