Live-Action Hallmark Movie That Never Was?

[Matches Malone]

I know there was a live-action Hallmark made for TV movie in development in the early 2000's, but I don't know anything about it. Writers, directors, actors, plot, etc. Has any info been leaked about this at all? Eventually this got dropped and we got the '07 Imagi movie instead, but I'm still curious what was being pitched at the time.

[rufus]

I could be wrong but I believe Steve Barron(TMNT 1990) was to direct it.

[Donnie]

Yea, he was. So in the place of the best possible TMNT film we would have had since we got movie 1, we received a heeping pile of steamy 2007 TMNT..

[The Stryker]

I don't care who was set to direct, there's no way in hell that a Hallmark TV movie was going to be any good.

[TurtleTitan97]

I did a little digging around, and I found this article from 2001:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=20010901&id=_yofAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EdAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6485,435940

According to the article, this movie from Hallmark would be a two night, four hour program with a blend of CGI Turtles with live actors, and would be taking its tone from the Mirage comics, which Barron said would be a "Darker, more streetwise view of the characters".

[Kendamu]

I did a little digging around, and I found this article from 2001:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=20010901&id=_yofAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EdAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6485,435940

According to the article, this movie from Hallmark would be a two night, four hour program with a blend of CGI Turtles with live actors, and would be taking its tone from the Mirage comics, which Barron said would be a "Darker, more streetwise view of the characters".

Sounds like it would've been pretty cool at the time.

I don't care who was set to direct, there's no way in hell that a Hallmark TV movie was going to be any good.

On the other hand...

[The Stryker]

Know what's awesome? TV quality CGI. Know what's better? TV quality CGI in the year 2001.

[Jester]

Know what's awesome? TV quality CGI. Know what's better? TV quality CGI in the year 2001.
Yeah. My parents were really into Grimm, but I couldn't get past the horrible CG when the characters' faces morph.

[Leo656]

It might not have aged well if it had been made, but it still could have told a good story. I was looking forward to it. Dated special effects shouldn't be a deal-breaker, but I agree it probably would have looked really weird by like 2005 already.

Lois & Clark had a pretty crappy budget but there were some great episodes of that show anyway. The last season was awful because it was written by hacks who didn't care to follow the plots the first 3 seasons set up, not because you can tell the special effects were done on a Video Toaster. I think TMNT fans could have ignored the CGI if the plot was good.

[pannoni1]

I wonder if some of that experimental CGI done around that time was proposed for this project, since the CGI quality on that sample was very good for 2001. Also, a bit ironic since that steamy heapin pile of 2007 TMNT presides just to the right of that linked article in the form of April's voice actress.

[screwloose]

As a fan of B Movies, CGI isn't that big of a deal if the actors are cast right and the story plot is good. Whether the CGI aged well or not it would be good. T2 Judgment Day's CGI is dated yet it works well in context of the movie.

[The Stryker]

I don't care if the actors were stellar. If the turtles looked like Gumby it all falls apart.

Also we're talking about CGI in 2001. ON TELEVISION.

[CyberCubed]

The whole reason this project never came together is probably BECAUSE they didn't have the budget to make the CG acceptable back in 2001.

I thought it was pretty obvious they dropped the idea.

[John Pannozzi]

Well... (http://www.planetracers.com/blast/prblast0071.html) But the coolest thing I got to see this week was a short (about five minutes long) video of a rough "proof of concept" test -- filmed in London by the people designing the costumes for the Hallmark live-action TV movie -- of the Splinter costume. It was freakin' EERIE. Splinter (portrayed by a short actor within the rough suit) was shown gesturing, walking around, climbing ladders and stairs, and fighting... and it looked AMAZING. As much as I loved the work the Henson group did on Splinter in the first two TMNT movies, I think this one is going to blow that one away. I can't wait to see more. I've been told they are going to start work on a maquette of the Shredder shortly. We've already approved the sculpts of the four Turtles, which are extremely cool. I'm chompin' at the bit to post some of these images, but for various reasons have to wait a little bit.

So maybe it wouldn't have all been CGI.

[Candy Kappa]

need pictures!

Internet why you fail me.

[Stingray69]

Ive read about this a few times before. I would of loved to seen it made.

[Bob]

Need pictures of that "eerie" Splinter.

[Bauer536]

Love the idea, but the title of Hallmark says it all. To me, when I see the title Hallmark, I think of those sappy little dramas they release on DVD after it aired on television. Never in my life did I ever think Hallmark would film that kind of TV movie. Still, a film like that would have been tempting to see.:tcool:

[Stingray69]

For what its worth rainbow studios which became thq was suppose to do the cgi.

[Jester]

I wonder if he was pressed if Peter would do a write up on the Hallmark film...

[Archon_Turtle]

For what its worth rainbow studios which became thq was suppose to do the cgi.

Rainbow didn't become THQ, Rainbow was purchased by THQ.

And if Rainbow was doing it...it might have looked something like this...seeing as Rainbow did this...

DWQweoA27Hg

[Jester]

Rainbow didn't become THQ, Rainbow was purchased by THQ.

And if Rainbow was doing it...it might have looked something like this...seeing as Rainbow did this...

DWQweoA27Hg
I've seen worse.

[Archon_Turtle]

I've seen worse.

yeah, there are parts of this that I really like.

[Powder]

Here guys, those of you who've not seen these rare images will surely dig them. It's all of the concept art for the film I could track down over time.

http://imgur.com/a/si2Nn

The idea was to give the turtles a more urban civilian look, so they could travel 'undercover'. The 5th turtle concept was also played around with, as you can see. It too came from outer space, was likely to be Kirby. Just scroll down to view them all.

[Archon_Turtle]

Here guys, those of you who've not seen these rare images will surely dig them. It's all of the concept art for the film I could track down over time.

http://imgur.com/a/si2Nn

The idea was to give the turtles a more urban civilian look, so they could travel 'undercover'. The 5th turtle concept was also played around with, as you can see. It too came from outer space, was likely to be Kirby. Just scroll down to view them all.

TURTLES FROM SPACE!?!?!? Well I never!






See what I did thar?

[zkarlette]

I like the style they were going for. Hopefully the new movie will take a similar approach .

[Cure]

very bad CGI clip

Thank God for Nickelodeon.

[Candy Kappa]

Piranha Pool, should have been a playset :lol:

[Abnormal Freak]

I don't care who was set to direct, there's no way in hell that a Hallmark TV movie was going to be any good.

lolwut? 'Cos Hallmark can't produce engaging entertainment, right? I think you should spend a little time with a little sci-fi series called Farscape and reassess your incredibly erroneous statement...

Know what's awesome? TV quality CGI. Know what's better? TV quality CGI in the year 2001.

Again: Farscape.

That's two stupid statements, but you're famous for 'em.



Anyway, according to posts Peter Laird made on his blog, the TV special was to have guys in suits for the Turtles but CGI-enhanced faces for movement and that. Like in Where the Wild Things Are.

Steve Barron directing would've been great, and it was supposed to be faithful to the urban portions of the original comics and be a bit darker than the first movie.

I'm sad the project never got off the ground.

[Bob]

Here guys, those of you who've not seen these rare images will surely dig them. It's all of the concept art for the film I could track down over time.

http://imgur.com/a/si2Nn

The idea was to give the turtles a more urban civilian look, so they could travel 'undercover'. The 5th turtle concept was also played around with, as you can see. It too came from outer space, was likely to be Kirby. Just scroll down to view them all.

Some of that looks really nice.

[The Stryker]

lolwut? 'Cos Hallmark can't produce engaging entertainment, right? I think you should spend a little time with a little sci-fi series called Farscape and reassess your incredibly erroneous statement...

That's two stupid statements, but you're famous for 'em.


Farscape. The show made up of mostly puppets and prosthetic makeup and the CGI was only used for ships in space. Kind of a far cry from completely CG characters interacting with live-action humans which is what I was responding to. Good work on naming the ONE thing they sorta had a hand in. Nanny Express is also awesome. Talk bout dat.

Even if they were planning on doing the CG faces with live costumes thing. That process wasn't even perfected or even used much at all until Where the wild things are and that was a feature length movie with a 100 million dollar budget released in 2009.

You cannot honestly sit here and tell me that any TV budget CGI in 2001 wouldn't look like a complete joke. TV CGI looks like a joke NOW!

EDIT: I love that people seem to know me now all of a sudden. Feels John Good man.

[oldmanwinters]

Here guys, those of you who've not seen these rare images will surely dig them. It's all of the concept art for the film I could track down over time.

http://imgur.com/a/si2Nn

The idea was to give the turtles a more urban civilian look, so they could travel 'undercover'. The 5th turtle concept was also played around with, as you can see. It too came from outer space, was likely to be Kirby. Just scroll down to view them all.

Yeah, Powder, those are awesome indeed!

I've always loved those concept images of Kirby the Fifth Turtle. It actually inspired a key scene in my Master Splinter fan-comic!