Everyone knows that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have had their share of adventures up on the big screen, though many will attest that Steve Barron's 1990 original feature is the best of the bunch. Oh sure, you could argue that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Secret of the Ooze had more personality, but there's no denying that their first film remains a gritty, enigmatic slice of pop culture pie. Pizza pie, that is.
With the original's 30th anniversary getting ready to place the Fab Four back in the spotlight, it's only natural that some of the talents behind the film would emerge from the depths to drop some new comments about the iconic live-action gem, including news that TMNT producer Bobby Herbeck is attempting to launch a follow-up or reboot of the 1990 release.
Herbeck recently told Comicbook.com as much, while saying that fans are behind the idea in a big way.
"We're trying to make that happen. We want to do a reboot," Herbeck told ComicBook.com. "We got our fans to come to us on Instagram, they're, 'Why don't you guys do a reboot of the first movie?' We'd love to do it."
"The truth is, this property, it's established now after 30 years as a part of our modern pop culture, it's not going away," he added. "It's only going to continue to grow. I do wish that we could go back. I mean, we've talked to Steve Barron about this, and Brian Henson, and if there were an opportunity, if one of the studios saw fit, I think we could go back and reboot it like it was… Imagine if Brian Henson had access to the technology he does today to make these costumes and all that. I think it would be amazing. A reboot like that I think would really get people's juices flowing."
Oh, Herbeck, why must you tease us so? The very thought of Brian Henson and the rest of the Jim Henson Company gaining access to tech that would improve upon the original costume mechanics for the Ninja Turtles is enough to make my Nerd Alarm ring like a church bell.
While many of us can only hope for such a project to come to fruition, we do know that Seth Rogen's Point Grey Pictures is developing a CGI reboot and that CBS All Access is toying with the idea of establishing a live-action series for their streaming platform. While neither of those projects sounds as enticing as a proper follow-up or reboot to Barron's original film, it shows that the TMNT property is still a point of interest and worth refurbishing for yet another generation. Some stars never fade, and I'll be damned if the turtles ever go dark for too long before they escape the sewers for more half-shell shenanigans.