TMNT Movie 2, Casey Jones, ...?
 

Hey guys,

Just wondering why they didn't integrate Casey Jones in the second live movie? I mean, was it because it didn't come along in the story line, the actor refused the role, took out his character as they found he was to " violent " for the second movie ( as we all know, it was mostly directed to a younger audience), etc.

I was just wondering if anybody knew something I don't.

Thanks,
Ron

Apparently parents complained he was too reminiscent of Jason Voorhees or something.

Because we needed Keno, the pizza delivery boy!

Jason Voorhees
 

Who cares? I didn't even know who Jason Voorhees was at that time, just thought Casey Jones was the original.

Haha! Now that would have been interesting....:lol:
You could have Shredder as Hannibal Lecter! They have a similar face-plate...

Isn't it true that with the 2nd movie they were trying to focus on the original ninja turtles cartoon before the episode that introduced Casey Jones? That's why the turtles didn't use their weapons and Michelangelo made so many jokes?

1989
 

Casey Jones first appeared in the 1987 cartoon during season 3 (1989) with the episode "Casey Jones: Outlaw Hero". But that episode didn't play a very important role in that cartoon.

You guys have any proof for these claims or are they assumptions? You don't often see the format of a successful movie changed just because a few people complained. Controversy breeds more ticket sales.

Very true, and I'm sure that much of this is indeed speculation. But how much of the early 90s do you recall, Spit? Things were more than just a little PC and it seems that any lame ass parental/religious/what-have-you group with a ridiculous complaint tended to get their way. Even big business bowed down before the moral crusaders much of the time.

The third
 

And it was even worse in the third with the lack of the TMNT's weapon use.

Not enough I guess. I don't remember it being that bad, course my memories of the early 90's are fuzzy. All I know is kids movies and shows got away with a hell of a lot more then they do now.

Heck Mikey's nunchucks were 86ed because of parental complaints, and it wasn't even Americans. I'm sure that the movie was toned down due to complaints from soccer moms, but I'm not sure that's why TMNT 2 lacked Casey.

Yeah, the only turtle that used his weapon against the foot soldiers was Donatello. Also, he used it against Tokka. Also at the lab with the foot, Leo uses those training sticks against the foot and not his swords.

Fighting did happen (obviously) but very brief.

I thought TMNT III brought back weapon use?

Violence
 

Yes, but it was never in such a violent way as Mirage. And "Next Mutation" had not much weapon use.

If you watch "Behind the Shells" (which I used to have on VHS), I vaguely remember PL saying something about parents complaining about weapons and violence.

Leo used his swords in the mall, but he threw them into the ceiling. Fail!

TMNT III and Next Mutation were, overall, lesser quality than the first 2 movies. Could the absence of weapon use be blamed on a smaller budget? Crappier costumes which didn't allow for weapons manipulation? Actors who didn't have the ability to wield weapons, and no one to train them? Maybe there were logistical problems in addition to parental outcry.

Elias Koteas is most likely responsible for no Casey in the second movie. The turn around for the second movie was like a year from the first one. Elias had 4 other movies in 1990 besides turtles. He probably couldn't make room in his schedule for TMNT 2. TMNT 3 came out a couple years later so he was able to do that one.

Couldn't any other play Casey Jones?
 

Couldn't any other play Casey Jones?

That brings up an excellent point. I mean, they DID recast April for the last 2 films. They could have easily done the same with ol' Case. So it could have been a mix of both.

I mean, take the Hockey mask away, and you can still have the same character (only not protecting his looks for Hollywood).

Mask
 

He doesn't need to take the mask off at tall.

Uk
 

But wasn't the outcry about the use of the weapons more in the UK than the USA?

Probably also had to do with Raph's brutal beating and all the times Raph said 'DAMN!!!'

someone mentioned no weapons use in the UK. anyways, I remember that the UK was against nunchuks that Michaelangelo uses, so thats how the grappling hook came into effect. It started happening in the original series, remember?

Yes
 

Yes, I've also heard the UK edited out scenes where he used the nunchuks and that't why he begun to use the grappling hook. I hated the grappling hook as that because it's originally just a tool the TMNT use to climb buildings, and it shall stay there and not be a personal weapon.

Yeah, but imagine the lil kiddies seeing their favorite wisecrackin herpo being beaten half to death. I mean he was out for quite a while in the movie till he finally recovered, so it wasn't like he just passed out for a few minutes or anything...

Casey Jones
 

Casey Jones or not, but I like the second movie.

Oh I do too. But, it's nothing compared to the first one.

-Ron

I agree
 

I agree, but not just because of Casey Jones.

Elias Koteas would have loved to do TMNT II.

And Peter Laird in particular -- and he'll tell you this -- was fighting tooth and nail to get the studio on board to bring back Casey Jones in TMNT II. He just couldn't sell them on it, for whatever reason.

Probably yeah, the weapons thing. Spineless pricks.

Foot Clan members
 

But if he had been there, he should fight the Foot Clan members, not Rahzar and Tokka (it would work if it had been Bebop and Rocksteady).

It might as well have been Bebop and Rocksteady with how goofy and campy that movie was, but I don't know if that would have made it "work."

But who Casey would fight is irrelevant. Casey's whole schdict is his weapons, his baseball bats, clubs, hockey sticks, etc., and TMNT II's big thing was "No one can use their weapons!!!"

Weapons
 

Casey Jones weapons are not designed for combat, they're just sports equipment that he uses as weapons. But more kids have ice hockey sticks and baseball bats at home than ninjutsu weapons (even if nunckuks are easy to make).

Indeed, kids could get their tee-ball bat and be all, "I'm Casey Jones." That may have lead to his deletion in favor of Keno, some one more relateable to kids.

Wait...wha...that seems backwards.

Keno
 

Yes, but kids can run around punching and kicking other people, shouting: "I'm Keno".