NINJA TURTLES Was Really Delayed Because the Script Sucked

Movie Ninja Turtles by Joey Paur

For those of you who were outraged by the changes being made to the Michael Bay-produced reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it looks like you have reason to be. I was actually starting to warm up to the idea until I saw that the script sucked ass. It sucked so bad that Paramount Pictures didn't even want to move forward with it. According to ScreenCrush, a TMNT fan site got their hands on a copy of it, reviewed it and leaked it. TMNT co-creator Peter Laird read it and had this to say,

Someone else alerted me to the existence of this script, and I just a few minutes ago finished reading it. If it is, in fact, the actual draft that was rejected and caused the production of the next TMNT movie to be pushed back to 2014 because the script was unsatisfactory, then I think all true TMNT fans should be grateful to the new “powers that be” that they did not allow this wretched thing to go any further. It could definitely be taken as a good sign if that is the case. It reminds me of one of the reasons I am glad to not own the property anymore… because I don’t have to tear what little hair I have left out while trying to fix junk like this.

It sounds just as bad as Laird made it out to be! Here's a few notable changes that were made, 

  • The turtles aren’t turtles at all—they’re aliens from Dimension X that look like turtles, but are really “the chosen ones of their race.” 
  • The Turtles are supporting characters in a film that is mostly about Casey Jones, who is “an 18 year old security guard for a furniture factory and amateur hockey player.”  
  • Jones is dating April O’Neil, who is moving to New York City.  
  • Jones is also the one that gives the Ninja Turtles their color-coded bandanas, so that he may more easily tell them apart. 
  • As for the villain Shredder, they changed the character to a guy named Colonel Schrader.

The site hosting the script got a takedown Cease and Desist letter from Paramount, which tells us that the script was in fact the real deal. 

Well, it's good to know Paramount scrapped that idea! Sounds absolutely awful. This is the real reason why the movie was delayed, because apparently a whole new script needs to be written! It wasn't because they needed more time to work on the visual effects. If this movie ends up going into production again soon, hopefully they have an awesome script to work with.

I actually wouldn't mind seeing a movie about Casey Jones, but not like that. What do you think about the changes that were made in the rejected script? 

GeekTyrant Homepage