Interview w/ one of the writers. Talks about Saki/origin/future etc.

[NinjaPug]

Some notable questions from the interview:

There are many origin stories for the turtles where did you guys go with this one?
Andrew Nemec: We thought it was important to create our own version but that lives within the bounds of the stories. We didn’t do anything overtly cooky. We wanted to add elements of newness that can take you on the journey instead of coming in and saying oh I already know the story.

Will there be any mention of Oroku Saki?
Andrew Nemec: Perhaps, perhaps. Without giving away too much my perhaps mean, perhaps there will or perhaps there won’t. There’s a lot more to come with this franchise and a lot more stories to be told that we want to be telling. You’ll see a real movie be we’re also setting a table for future stories.

Did you throw some easter eggs in?
Andrew Nemec: We kept it pretty self contained but there are some things in there that if you’re looking and paying attention you’ll see.

Are we going to want to stay after the credits?
Andrew Nemec: Perhaps, that’s always a tough question.

Is it true that Splinter will be in this movie?
Andrew Nemec: I can tell you that Splinter will be in this movie. He is an important component in the dynamic of the Turtles themselves. It’s still a very much a story of teenagers and the land of teenager stories and without Master Splinter it wouldn’t work.


http://latino-review.com/2014/03/chatting-with-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-screenwriter-andrew-nemec/

[bloodstainedwings]

Bingo. Hi haters.

I agree, but somehow its going to be spun into something negative to fuel someones ego.

[graphic_content]

http://latino-review.com/2014/03/chatting-with-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-screenwriter-andrew-nemec/

GREAT FIND...that picture of the PIZZA HUT box at the end of the interview, Im guessing comes from press kit.

TurtlesTrailer.com
Secret code: OOZE

Its just another outlet for the trailer, but hey, its nice to see the marketing train to start taking motion.

[Galactus]

I agree, but somehow its going to be spun into something negative to fuel someones ego.

People either like that approach or they don't. For those that fall into the latter group it is a negative thing.

I'm pretty sure the majority of the Marvel movies and Nolan's Batman Begins prove it is a very popular route to go down.

[electric_sheep]

Michael Bay is involved in this film how much of an influence does he have?
Andrew Nemec: Michael has been certainly giving his notes but he has a very good sense of action, he has a very good sense of entertainment. I think on those influences you’ll feel Michael Bay’s hand.

[Andrew NDB]

There are many origin stories for the turtles where did you guys go with this one?
Andrew Nemec: We pretty much just did whatever.

Will there be any mention of Oroku Saki?
Andrew Nemec: Maybe. We're doing a lot of stuff. For stuff later.


Oh, OK then.

[TrickOrTreater]

Oh, OK then.

:lol:

Yeah. That's it.

Basic stock interview responses.

[Le Glorieux Tortue]

I know they can't reveal too much at this time but it does seem a waste of question to ask if Splinter is in the movie. It is like asking if the turtles walk on two legs or four.

[pdizzle]

Awesome find. :o

[Cipher]

"I was one of a team of writers and we pretty much just did stuff. You know? Maybe there'll be some more stuff later. Which version of the script is that?"

[Andrew NDB]

Is it true that Splinter will be in this movie?
Andrew Nemec: He's absolutely, in fact, an instrumentally advantageous component to the crux of the dynamic of the elements within the structure of the fibers of the brotherly team that is the combined infrastructure of the Turtles themselves.

Ugh. What is he even talking about?

[TigerClaw]

Super Hero Hype has another interview with that screenwriter here.
http://www.superherohype.com/news/296639-watch-the-first-trailer-for-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles#/slide/1

Here is some of the interesting bits.
Q: Krang and Dimension X seem like elements better suited to a sequel.
Nemec: Dimension X is a lot to cover. But yeah, we had to create our own versions of what these turtles are to not just be recreating stuff that was already out there.

Q: What was the primary source for this take on the turtles?
Nemec: You know, the canon of the turtles, in all their iterations, always seems to harken back to a being a story about family, a story of friendship and a story about brothers. I think that, ultimately, when you look at all the different stories, whether it's the Laird comic or the cartoon now or the cartoon from the late '80s, or the movies where they're in the suits, it really always boils back down to being a story about brothers. That really was the most driving principle for us, making sure that that element was always a central component of the movie.

Q: What about as far as the personalities of the four guys go? Is it pretty consistent with the characters everyone knows?
Nemec: They've all been pretty consistent over the years. Amazingly, they're all pretty well represented by the weapons they use. Michelangelo has always been the freewheeling nun-chucks guy. Donatello has the bo staff, which is a simple but complicated weapon. He's the tech guy. Leonardo has the swords of a leader and Raphael carries these big, brutish sais, which are really about doing the maximum destruction in the shortest amount of time.* They have always, in the canon, lived by those principles. They're four individuals who are individuals all alone, but, combined, really make one person, which makes them really interesting to watch. They sort of make their decisions, not to get too heady about it, but when those brothers are interacting, it's almost like watching one person come to terms with the direction they're going to move in, whether it's left or right.

[Zulithe]

Thanks for the link. But... this interview is terrible.

All he does is answer "maybe yes maybe no" to everything. Total fluff piece.

[TigerClaw]

the thing I'm getting from that Interview is that, We could possibly see Dimension X in a sequel.

[MiBs]

Nemec: "They will remind you of your teen years and of the stuff that you know teens are doing these days. That's kind of what they're up to, except they're badasses and vigilantes and they know Kung Fu. And they're Turtles! I forgot that part."

So they're Kung Fu Turtles

[Cipher]

Super Hero Hype has another interview with that screenwriter here.
That is not what sais are for, but I can forgive that on the basis that Eastman and Laird made the same mistake. So, from all representations of the Turtles over the years, that's fair.

[TigerClaw]

So they're Kung Fu Turtles
Kung Fu Ninja Turtles :)

[TMNT is cooler than MOTU]

That interview didn't really tell me jack **** other than the fact that they know which turtle has for a weapon.

[Lou 500]

That writer was vague as hell and just seemed to dodge questions for the majority of it, what a waste of time.

[CinematicESP]

So they're Kung Fu Turtles

Another example of Hollywood not giving a **** enough to do their research and confusing the Chinese art of Kung Fu with Japanese martial arts (see the Karate Kid remake).

[Candy Kappa]

The Karate Kid remake was intentionally made with Kung-Fu as it was set in China, Chinese actors and a Wushu competition. They just kept the name (sadly) because it's brand recognition.

[BubblyShell22]

So they basically f*cked up the origin because they didn't want us to know how the Turtles came to be. Way to sh*t on the fans, guys.

[azrael]

So they basically f*cked up the origin because they didn't want us to know how the Turtles came to be. Way to sh*t on the fans, guys.

perhaps!!!

[Cipher]

So they basically f*cked up the origin because they didn't want us to know how the Turtles came to be. Way to sh*t on the fans, guys.
Counter-point: I'm always amazed people can type things like "way to sh*t on the fans" with a straight face.

[slingtheory]

Counter-point: I'm always amazed people can type things like "way to sh*t on the fans" with a straight face. why is that exactly? Sometimes I feel like that's the only way to describe what they do when adapting material.

[Candy Kappa]

I wonder, is it really that important to surprise us with the origin, it's a well known property, why can't we have a short origin montage like the first movie and get the movie going with plot and new story.

[Cipher]

why is that exactly? Sometimes I feel like that's the only way to describe what they do when adapting material.
No it isn't.

It isn't ever. It's weird, overly reverential, self-entitled nonsense.

If it's good, it's good. If it's bad, it's bad. What does "sh*ting on the fans" even mean? That they didn't go out of their way to cater to nostalgics or niche audiences? I'm not convinced that's something they've avoided here, but in my mind that can only be a plus.

[chrisdude]

Q: Since the franchise has always been about a blend of comedy and action, are there non-Turtles related films that you can point out as inspirations?

Nemec: Buddy cop movies, really. They don't make a lot of them these days, but we harken back to the old buddy cop movies, whether it be "Lethal Weapon" or "Midnight Run" or "Rush Hour." Those movies have, again without being too heady, a love story component between two buddy cops. A bromance. Those are the kinds of movies that have been influential in the rendering of the action and the rendering of the sort of adventure that you're on. I'm a firm believer in, if you're going to the movies, you want to have a good time. You want to eat gobs of popcorn while you're watching it. Be thrilled. Fantastic.

Q: There was some online anger among fans when the rumor broke that the Turtles were going to be aliens.

Nemec: You've got to own your own version of what these stories are. Looking through the different iterations of Turtles to date, many of them have different origin stories. T.C.R.I. was a collection container that was used for a company that came from alien ooze at one point. There was another version of the ooze where it was created in a laboratory. There's the "Daredevil" component that mixes in with the Turtle canon. There's the sewers. There's the laboratories. For us, it was important to find our own version of how these particular Turtles came to be so that they can stand alone as their own characters. There's also the version where, if you touch something after you touch the ooze, that's what you become. There have been a million versions. In this version we just thought it was important to create our own origin that lives within the balance of it. We didn't do anything overtly kooky. Dag! Tiptoed right around that one.

[ToTheNines]

We didn’t do anything overtly cooky.

LMFAO.

Yeah....

[CyberCubed]

The nose and lips are disgusting.