Breaking Nickelodeon Movies/"Ninja Turtles" News - According to
this Nickelodeon Movies news article from The Hollywood Reporter about Paramount Pictures' and Nickelodeon Movies' upcoming Nickelodeon Movie titled "Ninja Turtles", which is based on the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise, Paramount Pictures has shut down production of Nickelodeon Movies' and Paramount Pictures' upcoming "Ninja Turtles" movie, and that Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies have now postponed the release date for the theatrical release for their "Ninja Turtles" movie from December 2013 to May 2014:
Paramount Shuts Down 'Ninja Turtles' Reboot; Release Date Pushed (Exclusive)
UPDATED: The film was set for a December 2013 release. A source close the production says the movie will come out in May 2014
Paramount Pictures has shut down a planned reboot of the Ninja Turtles franchise, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. The effects-heavy film, which was in preproduction in Vancouver, was set for release in December 2013. That date is being pushed to May 2014, according to sources.
The issue is said to be the script. Paramount has delayed several big movies from this year to 2013, including G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Brad Pitt's World War Z, leaving it with a spotty pipeline for the current year. Now it has halted work on its planned holiday movie for 2013, temporarily laying off preproduction staff and informing those prepping the film that the work stoppage is "indefinite," according to sources. Another source close to the production says the movie has been pushed by ten weeks.
A Paramount rep would not immediately comment.
Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes is producing and Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans) is set to direct from a script by Kevin Eastman and Andre Nemec. Other key players include Bourne franchise line producer Denis Stewart and effects man Dan Bradley (Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol).
The move comes as analysts have been knocking Viacom's Nickelodeon division for lower ratings. The Ninja Turtles project, a joint Paramount-Nickelodeon production, was eyed as a chance to bolster Nickelodeon as well as reboot a family film franchise. The studio had paid media mogul Haim Saban a hefty sum for rights to the property, which had been the basis for three hit movies for New Line Cinema in the 1990s.
In May, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman touted the Ninja Turtles reboot in a call with investors. "Our pipeline is extremely strong," he said. "We're developing more new [episodes] of our popular series and more exciting new series. And of course, we're particularly excited about the revival of the [Teenage Mutant Ninja] Turtles franchise."
Also, from
IGN UK:
Ninja Turtles Shut Down
Pre-production halted and release date pushed to 2014.
Paramount has shut down pre-production on their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, while also pushing the release date from December 2013 to May 2014.
The Hollywood Reporter's sources say the film has script problems. The project -- which is simply called Ninja Turtles and has caused much ire among fanboys for changing the nature of said turtles and making them aliens -- is being produced by Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes outfit. Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans) is directing a script by Kevin Eastman and Andre Nemec. (Eastman also happens to be one of the original creators of the characters.)
"[The studio is] temporarily laying off pre-production staff and informing those prepping the film that the work stoppage is 'indefinite,'" say sources, who are expecting a 10-week delay.
The announcement follows on the heels of two other Paramount delays: G.I. Joe: Retribution and Brad Pitt’s World War Z.
Also, from
Guardian News and Media:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film retreats back into its shell
Production on franchise reboot by Michael Bay may be shelved after fan uproar
Hard shell … Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot put on hold. Photograph: SNAP/Rex Features
It should have been Hollywood's new cash cow, the latest iteration of a franchise that has produced films, TV series and comic books. However, the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film has been shelved – perhaps indefinitely, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The move follows a fan backlash earlier this year against plans to change the origins story of its four "heroes in a halfshell".
Official word suggests that the film which is being developed by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes company, has been shut down owing to issues with the script. Originally due for December 2013, Jonathan Liebesman's film has now been pushed back to May 2014, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Preproduction staff, however, were told the film had been shelved for an "indefinite" period.
Fans took to Twitter and Facebook earlier this year to criticise plans to change the turtles to "lovable aliens" rather than mutants who gain anthropomorphic powers after encountering radioactive ooze, as in the original comic book, TV series and films. Bay himself became so annoyed he issued a statement calling for fans to "take a breath, and chill".
Bay said: "They have not read the script. Our team is working closely with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles to help expand and give a more complex back story. Relax, we are including everything that made you become fans in the first place. We are just building a richer world."
Ninja Turtles had also drawn criticism from actor Robbie Rist, who voiced Michelangelo in the original 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. [click here to read the rest of the article on the official The Guardian website, guardian.co.uk. Warning - The full article contains language which may offend.]
