Well, it looks like Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot is back on track as the studio has selected Transformers star Megan Fox as the film’s female lead, April O’Neil.
Directed by Jonathan Liebsman (Battle: Los Angeles, Wrath of the Titans), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is being produced by Michael Bay and his partners at Platinum Dunes.
Bay revealed the casting news on his blog with a sentence: “TMNT: we are bringing Megan Fox back into the family!” Variety then confirmed that Fox would be playing April O’Neil, a character that actresses such as Jane Levy (Fun Size), Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect), and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) were also considered for.
Here’s the thing, I really like Megan Fox. As I mentioned in my review of Judd Apatow’s This is 40, “Fox is a talented comedic actress – if you haven’t seen Jennifer’s Body, she delivers a hilariously wicked performance – it’s just a shame she’s been pigeonholed as an actress (and a human being, honestly) as a hyper-sexualized, shallow mean girl.”
I’m not sure why she decided to bury the hatchet with Transformers director Michael Bay and join Liebsman’s reboot, but it feels like a step in the wrong direction. She just doesn’t seem like April O’Neil material to me – unless of course this April O’Neil isn’t the television news reporter character we’re familiar with from the comic, cartoon series, and previous film franchise.
In an early draft of the script (by Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec), April O’Neil is in high school and dating sports-obsessed vigilante Casey Jones. She lands a journalism internship (O’Neil Begins!) at CBS and eventually has a run-in with the Ninja Turtles.
That leaked script, by the way, was the reason Liebsman’s film was delayed until 2014. Die-hard fans were outraged by the idea of a ‘reimagined’ series where the Turtles would have extraterrestrial (or inter-dimensional) origins.
I’m sure there have been numerous rewrites by now but still – Fox doesn’t seem like the right choice for O’Neil. To me, it sounds like TMNT is going to be Transformers all over again, with a young Casey Jones standing in for Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky as the film’s protagonist and Megan Fox as the girlfriend-slash-sidekick.
What do you think? Does Megan Fox’s involvement sully the potential of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles revival, or were your hopes already dashed by the involvement of Liebsman and Bay?
[Source: Variety | MichaelBay.com]
Horrible. It’s clear that the Turtles will only be set pieces in the the film.
Comment by rsavaiano — February 21, 2013 @ 11:05 pm
I feel sick to my stomach over this.
Comment by Dayna Coakley — February 21, 2013 @ 11:51 pm
I hope this hurts all of you. I hope it stings so bad you cry.
Comment by Matt — February 22, 2013 @ 12:02 am
You gotta be shittin’ me…
Comment by Ryan Clemens — February 22, 2013 @ 2:21 am
As a fellow TMNT fan I would like to say this disgusts me and join in with the rest of my fellow outraged Turtle geeks, but to just shout out “HEY, I’M ANGRY” just doesn’t quite describe how many of us feel. There are a few things that, though are hard to imagine, could potentially make this a possible Blockbuster. Fox will not be able to run around with her dark jet black hair. That has to be changed to fit the character, as many actors and actress must do for the part. But a hair change will not be the only thing. April, in no comic nor movie, looks at anyone with those seductive take me to your room now eyes. She will have to play it innocent. I would like to say I’m sure Fox can pull this off, but with sheer lack of film reference I have not seen any real variations in her role or acting ability. It is, by no offense to miss Fox, not the natural choice for the role. You wouldn’t ask Jack Black to be the next Terminator. One of the 3 other choices were far more fitting, and by my own personal choice, Jane Levy. She looks, feels, and can easily act the part. We were all enraged and disgusted with the leaked script and to hear that that script has been tossed and is having many revisions is great. BUT that doesn’t mean that the writing for it is getting any better. I cant say this movie is going to be horrible before any of us have seen a trailer. All we, the fans, can hope for is that Bay and Liebsman listen to the fans and create an authentic turtles experience.
Comment by Tyler — February 22, 2013 @ 2:41 am
You’re evil, but you made a funny, so conflicted.
Comment by Ryan Clemens — February 22, 2013 @ 4:10 am
Good Comments! Honestly, as much as I’d like to think Jane Levy, Anna Kendrick, or even Mary Elizabeth Winstead could ‘fix’ this movie with perfect casting — this movie was doomed from the get-go. I try not to be *that* closed-minded and give projects (and people) the benefit of the doubt, there’s no evidence that Jonathan Liebsman or Michael Bay can make a quality, spirited homage to TMNT – and that script that leaked certainly didn’t help matters. I actually don’t care that much about Fox’s involvement, what hurts the most is that this movie is moving forward and becoming more of a reality with each bit of casting news.
Comment by Adam Frazier — February 22, 2013 @ 9:56 am
The script better not look anything like it was described..If they make them aliens you are going to derail everyone who has ever enjoyed any iteration of the ninja turtles.
Comment by Justin Tierney — February 22, 2013 @ 10:00 am
The short and sweet of it in my opinion. I don’t think that Fox’s involvement is necessarily that bad, as long as she can show us exactly how good of an actress she really is by portraying an April O’Neil that pays homage to the character of our memories. The person who’s involvement with this movie which I feel kills the revival of the franchise is Micheal Bay.
Comment by John Edward Reynolds — February 22, 2013 @ 11:47 am
I suspected right from the moment that Michael Bay’s name was attached to this remake that it had “SUCK” written all over it. Toxic, industrial-grade SUCK. I’m not judging Megan Fox personally, but she doesn’t seem to have much range beyond playing the “slutty, pouting sex bomb” and probably couldn’t project the bewildered everywoman appeal that April O’Neill should have, I’m just hoping that they don’t cast Shia “The Beef” as Casey! That script leaked onto the Internet was abysmal and I doubt any real re-imagining of the story has gone on, if anything they’re probably looking for more opportunities to sell toys and put in product placements. Maybe I’m wrong, and this will turn out to be a fun, exciting blockbuster that proves a worthy addition to the TMNT legacy, but with that explosion-happy, jingoistic douchebag hack Bay involved I wouldn’t bet on it.
Comment by Rogue Simulant — February 23, 2013 @ 1:01 am