Why did they change so much of the cast between TMNT and TMNT II:Secret of the Ooze?

*CyberCubed* · 05-31-2026, 09:15 AM

I never really thought about it much till I watched the 4k TMNT boxsets late last year. Of course everyone knows April was replaced from Judith Hoag to Paige Turco, but that wasn't all.

1. April was replaced as everyone knows.

2. Casey Jones did not return in the second movie as we all know

3. Donatello and Raphael were recasted voice wise, only Leonardo and Michelangelo's voice actors played their characters in all 3 movies. This doesn't bother me much, I liked all 3 live-action Raphael voices, but I always wondered why Raph had a different actor every movie. He sounded similar enough between all 3 movies that as a kid I never noticed.

4. Shredder's actor was also replaced, which I never knew about for years because a lot of Asians tend to look alike and he was wearing his helmet for both movies. James Saito played Shredder in Movie 1, and François Chau played him in TMNT II before his mutation. I never knew Shredder was recast for years, and the Foot member saying, "His face" when he returned made it seem like he was scarred from the garbage truck.

I mean yeah they got rid of Steve Barron the director, but when you stop to realize it half the cast from the first movie did not return. It's probably a miracle Tatsu's actor was asked to come back because they could have replaced him too but they kept him around. And oddly enough Chief Sterns returned of all characters. Keno got to play a role outside a TMNT suit which was nice. But yeah half the cast from the first movie was replaced.

05-31-2026, 09:15 AM	#1
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 43,734	Why did they change so much of the cast between TMNT and TMNT II:Secret of the Ooze? I never really thought about it much till I watched the 4k TMNT boxsets late last year. Of course everyone knows April was replaced from Judith Hoag to Paige Turco, but that wasn't all. 1. April was replaced as everyone knows. 2. Casey Jones did not return in the second movie as we all know 3. Donatello and Raphael were recasted voice wise, only Leonardo and Michelangelo's voice actors played their characters in all 3 movies. This doesn't bother me much, I liked all 3 live-action Raphael voices, but I always wondered why Raph had a different actor every movie. He sounded similar enough between all 3 movies that as a kid I never noticed. 4. Shredder's actor was also replaced, which I never knew about for years because a lot of Asians tend to look alike and he was wearing his helmet for both movies. James Saito played Shredder in Movie 1, and François Chau played him in TMNT II before his mutation. I never knew Shredder was recast for years, and the Foot member saying, "His face" when he returned made it seem like he was scarred from the garbage truck. I mean yeah they got rid of Steve Barron the director, but when you stop to realize it half the cast from the first movie did not return. It's probably a miracle Tatsu's actor was asked to come back because they could have replaced him too but they kept him around. And oddly enough Chief Sterns returned of all characters. Keno got to play a role outside a TMNT suit which was nice. But yeah half the cast from the first movie was replaced.