Roger Corman Pitched Kevin Eastman a TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Movie in the 80s With the Most Insane Cast
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are getting a whole new fanbase with the fun new film that was recently released, and it had been a while since we saw a new reimagining. The 80s show and 1990 movie based on our favorite mutant teens was what kicked off the fandom, and they’ll forever live in the hearts of fans, but TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman just dropped some weird ass news about one project that could have been, but we’re so glad it never happened.
In a recent interview with /Film, Eastman explained that back in the 80s, “Eastman recalled a pitch from none other than B-movie maestro Roger Corman in the '80s for a low-budget movie featuring Donnie, Leo, Raph, and Mikey. The craziest part? Who Corman had in mind to play the Turtles.”
"Back in the earliest days, [before] the first Turtle movie, there was a pitch from Roger Corman's company, New World Pictures, which was like, I think it had a bunch of comedians like Sam Kinison and a couple [of] others that were going to be the turtles' voice [and] just basically paint their faces green and wear a shell. But it was a really low-budget, crazy idea that [co-creator] Peter [Laird] and I were not impressed with [laughs], so we said no. And wisely so, I guess."
So the idea was to have legendary comedian Sam Kinison, who was in his 30s at the time, as part of an ensemble that also would have included other big comedians of the day such as the watermelon-smashing Gallagher, "Police Academy" star Bobcat Goldthwait, and Billy Crystal, per The Ringer.
That’s completely ridiculous! Why would a group of teen ninjas be played these comedians? Half of them known for vulgarity, and all of them way too old, this just makes no sense! I’m glad the studio ended up making the movie they did, geared toward kids, because it is still a fan-favorite.
What do you think of this absurd lineup?