[Chris]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I also find it really strange that they're not using Bebop or Rocksteady. You'd think Nick would jump at the chance to bring back already established characters that were popular with kids for nearly a decade.

Well to put it in perspective they also skirted the question of Karai as well (in fact based on the answer they gave if we hadn’t already heard Kelly Hu is voicing her I would have thought she wasn’t planned to be in the show yet) so don’t that this as a definitive 100% “they aren’t going to be in the show”!

Plus we already know they’re holding some characters (Casey) back for later seasons, this could just as easily be the same for Bebop and Rocksteady. It doesn’t make sense to use ALL the fan favourite characters in the first year.

Originally Posted by TurtleTitan97

Thanks for sharing what you saw during the event, Chris. Sounds like it was a great time over there.

No worries! It was an amazing event, well worth the trip to London. Everyone seemed to have a great time and enjoy the footage as well. When I was queuing for Kevin’s signing I talked to some other fans and every one of them was positive about the show.

Originally Posted by Spitfire

I saw that happening.

Yes, Mikey is going to play the main comic relief role out of the 4 brothers, but he’s also much more than that. They specifically said that he’ll deliver the punches as well as the punchlines. Both Kevin and Rich said that Mikey is, for them, the stand out character in the show (but Kevin’s favourite is still Raph!) and the footage seemed to bear this out as the audience loved Mikey.

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Predictable...and boring. Not that we need to create some new villain but I seriously hope he isn't in almost every episode. This is of course if I can stand watching every episode, that remains to be seen.

Yes Shredder is going to be the main villain (no surprise there) but they did note how rich the Turtles’ mythology is and they plan to use as much of it as possible. Baxter, Leatherhead and Rat King were all mentioned as villains and they also hinted at Triceratons. So I really wouldn’t worry about this show being as repetitive as the 80s.

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Wow that's a pretty terrible reason. It's much better to put hormonal teens of the opposite sex together. Given this generation it wouldn't matter if they're turtles or not. Everyone's open to everything these days. Course the issue will never come up, except in deviate art fan fiction, but still. They don't need to lie. They could just say the real reason is to try and draw in some girls and make April less like their surrogate mother.

I’m pretty sure it was Rich that said this not Kevin, but there was a LOT to take in during the panel so I could be mistaken.

And they actually did say that part of the reason for the change was to make April more relatable to their audience (they even joked they don’t get many 30 something reporters watching the show). They wanted her to be more involved in the Turtles world and felt it was better for her to be their peer rather than an adult. It was the same reason they changed Splinter - they wanted him to be younger and more physical so he could be more active in the show, taking on Shredder and being a Sensei to the Turtles. They said they didn’t want the TMNT to be perfect and fully trained straight from the start, they want them to have room to grow.

Originally Posted by Ciro

I think this version is unlike any other we've seen, at the same time, i feel it is the closest we will ever see any ninja turtle show be.

This is very similar to something that Kevin said yesterday. When he was asked about the Michael Bay movie and whether the alien origins would affect the show (they won’t) he spoke about the various reboots the TMNT have had over the years, specifically mentioning 2K3, IDW, Nick and the upcoming movie, saying that they all updated the concept and made changes (he noted that IDW had changed the origin as well) but at the same time they all stayed true to the heart of TMNT. He wished he could tell us more because he’s seen a load of really cool stuff, but said that we wouldn’t be disappointed.

Originally Posted by Gyt Kaliba

The panel, as well as you yourself, are in the UK, right? So does that mean the show is due just there in October and the US can expect it sooner, or is it October for all of us?

No date was given for the US launch of the show, but I’m pretty confident that you’ll get it first! I’d guess at August/September, but that’s just based on the US toy launch and UK TV launch dates.

Originally Posted by Stingray69

Don't act like you wouldn't snag a bottle.

Wish mine had been an empty bottle! There was one bottle hidden that had a scroll in it rather than water and that lucky person won a prize. They never confirmed what it was, but the rumour was that they got to hang out back stage with Kevin and Rich after the panel!

Gonna write up everything else I can remember now! Back soon!