A pitch perfect Issue 1 adaptation on the big screen.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

What do you think of this idea?

It would be a step by step telling of issue 1 of the Mirage comics (even more than the 1990 film) with obscure details such as the character of Oroku Nagi being implemented in order to make the film as faithful as possible.

No loosening up on the source material, just a pitch perfect live action or animated adaptation for the big screen with maybe more scenes in order to give the film more length and depth, but in the same spirit as the original comics.

I would love to see this done.

[Spike Spiegel]

I think the concept would have more legs as a Nettflix or Amazon limited series.

Do you think hardcore Mirage TMNT without any nostalgic FW elements would get enough normies into the average movie theater to make a profit?

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Originally Posted by Spike Spiegel

Do you think hardcore Mirage TMNT without any nostalgic FW elements would get enough normies into the average movie theater to make a profit?

I think the radical difference in tone would spike people's curiosity and prompt them to see it.

[plastroncafe]

While I would love to see something turtle related set in the Mirage universe, I'd really rather prefer it not be another origin story. At least not at the outset.

That issue has been reprinted so many times, and every comic movie starts with an origin story of some sort.

I'd be far more interested in something that started at another time point, and then reflected back on the origin.

For instance, start with The Foot's attack on April's building.
We get good character stuff from all the guys, Splinter, and April. It's Casey's first appearance to the rest of the main cast. We'd get to see the Foot actually be competent, and Shredder be menacing. Good action, and a decent sting as they drive to NoHo.

Then that whole first season is the rebuilding, and then we can revisit the origin story. Maybe Casey learns it from April....I dunno.

[Xav]

I dunno it would take a lot of padding to turn a 40 page comic into a feature length film.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Originally Posted by Xav

I dunno it would take a lot of padding to turn a 40 page comic into a feature length film.

To be fair, a lot of the details such as the turtles' childhood and the entire story of Hamato Yoshi could take up a lot of time in a film, while being short in comic book format.

Although a movie without April and Casey would be weird, I still think it has potential and won't run into the problem of having characters under-developed due to there being too many of them.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Xav

I dunno it would take a lot of padding to turn a 40 page comic into a feature length film.

Why not make it short film?

[Redeemer]

Originally Posted by Spike Spiegel

I think the concept would have more legs as a Nettflix or Amazon limited series.

Do you think hardcore Mirage TMNT without any nostalgic FW elements would get enough normies into the average movie theater to make a profit?

I would like to see a miniseries on netflix or something like what they are doing with the daredevil series.

Originally Posted by Xav

I dunno it would take a lot of padding to turn a 40 page comic into a feature length film.

This is the problem I see with trying to turn it into a movie. I think it would be better to combine issues 1 and 2 of Mirage into a movie

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Originally Posted by Redeemer

This is the problem I see with trying to turn it into a movie. I think it would be better to combine issues 1 and 2 of Mirage into a movie

This is initially what I was thinking about as well, but I feel issue 1 would be better as a standalone movie as it would be weird in my opinion having the big bad eliminated halfway through the film and then introduce April and Baxter in the second half.

[pferreira]

Originally Posted by Spike Spiegel

Do you think hardcore Mirage TMNT without any nostalgic FW elements would get enough normies into the average movie theater to make a profit?

If there's an audience for a Michael Bay produced TMNT there's an audience for something more faithful like a Mirage adaptation.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Originally Posted by pferreira

If there's an audience for a Michael Bay produced TMNT there's an audience for something more faithful like a Mirage adaptation.

Yeah, I think just the title "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is going to attract people, regardless of whether it is Mirage or Platinum Dunes.

[pferreira]

Originally Posted by FredWolfLeonardo

Yeah, I think just the title "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is going to attract people, regardless of whether it is Mirage or Platinum Dunes.

Actually I think people with everything we have today TMNT seems kind of a normal title.

Originally Posted by Slap-Happy

The audience for Mirage TMNT is far more niche than people think.

Agreed. TMNT is nowhere near the popularity of DC or Marvel. It's a phenomenon but no due to it's comics but due to the franchise as a whole. Yet even as a phenomenon it doesn't match something like Superman in popularity. It would be interesting to compare the popularity of Deadpool to TMNT as well since both are self-referential.

Originally Posted by Slap-Happy

This comparison doesn’t actually work. The situations are different. In making the Fred Wolf show, both the production companies and Playmates knew they were defining these characters to a larger, broader audience. They were creating a product to be consumed by the masses. Let’s not act like the Mirage comics were very popular outside of the niche market of the adult independent comics reader.

I get that Mirage is your bread and butter, but you don’t seem to be looking at it objectively. Look, I could be completely wrong, but the Mirage comics are such a tonal shift from what the general audience has been fed for decades that I wonder if it can really work.

And the Batman comparisons don’t stand very well either. It took Batman nearly 70 years to get something like Batman Begins, and even then it was after years and years of entertainment moving that way. You don’t get Nolan without Burton.

Great points! When the Fred Wolf cartoon series aired it was almost a fresh plate and fortunately or unfortunately it formed people's perceptions of the franchise.

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I'd want a director and creative team with a true understanding of the Mirage TMNT coming to the table with a unique vision that is consistent with the heart and spirit and beats of that that truly brings that into 2017 with their own take that will resonate with new audiences.

The only way you're going to see something like that is if it's lower budget and attracts the same audience as something like Deadpool.

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

They didn't even show up for the last movie anyway, which was made for them.

Well it wasn't made for me. That wasn't a Fred Wolf live action film, it was a Michael Bay movie with characters from the FW cartoon forced on.

But I did see it.

Originally Posted by d_osborn

They have tried-- in 1990. It's one of the most successfully pulled off, deeply revered things in the franchise, not to mention immensely profitable.

Barron recognized the early Mirage issues as perfect storyboards. It's a shame no other filmmaker has.

To be honest any TMNT with money spent on it would have been a success back in the Turtlemania of 1990. We were just lucky that we got a great film.

[Slap-Happy]

Originally Posted by pferreira

If there's an audience for a Michael Bay produced TMNT there's an audience for something more faithful like a Mirage adaptation.

The audience for Mirage TMNT is far more niche than people think.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Slap-Happy

The audience for Mirage TMNT is far more niche than people think.

People: "Not a lot of people know about Mirage!"

Common sense: "No sh**!"

Because guess what will happen to people if/when such a project happens? A lot more people will know about Mirage.

It's a very stupid argument. It'd be like, when they were making the Fred Wolf show, someone saying, "I dunno... this cartoon sounds pretty risky! Not a lot of people know about these Turtles, with the camp and rainbow bandannas and wackiness. People only know about the Mirage comic!" Do you think that's a conversation that happened? Or ever happens?

Make stuff that's not sh**, throw a decent marketing campaign behind it, people will generally check it out.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

As the saying goes, if you never try, you'll never know.

[Slap-Happy]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

It's a very stupid argument. It'd be like, when they were making the Fred Wolf show, someone saying, "I dunno... this cartoon sounds pretty risky! Not a lot of people know about these Turtles, with the camp and rainbow bandannas and wackiness. People only know about the Mirage comic!" Do you think that's a conversation that happened? Or ever happens?

This comparison doesn’t actually work. The situations are different. In making the Fred Wolf show, both the production companies and Playmates knew they were defining these characters to a larger, broader audience. They were creating a product to be consumed by the masses. Let’s not act like the Mirage comics were very popular outside of the niche market of the adult independent comics reader.

I get that Mirage is your bread and butter, but you don’t seem to be looking at it objectively. Look, I could be completely wrong, but the Mirage comics are such a tonal shift from what the general audience has been fed for decades that I wonder if it can really work.

And the Batman comparisons don’t stand very well either. It took Batman nearly 70 years to get something like Batman Begins, and even then it was after years and years of entertainment moving that way. You don’t get Nolan without Burton.

[Redeemer]

Originally Posted by Slap-Happy

The audience for Mirage TMNT is far more niche than people think.

I don't think so, my reasoning is bc TMNT as a franchise mimics batman in many ways. Batman reached a huge audience with the 66' show and "batman and robin" and "batman forever" were geared towards the 66's style and goofy-ness. But the Nolan movies proved that the dark, grittier comic version of batman if done well fan will adore it as much as the 66'

Batman 66'=FW TMNT

My point being is if Batman can over come the labeling of campy/goofy stereotypes for its franchise so can TMNT.