Never one to shy away from defending his position or arguing a point, Michael Bay has waded into the firestorm of debate he himself touched off over the weekend when he talked up Platinum Dunes’ plans for the new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, which included the nugget that they’re from an “alien race”. Since he dropped that knowledge, the ‘net has been abuzz with those outraged at the idea. Now Bay has put his own opinion in, telling fans to “chill”.
This all started at the weekend, when Bay told the audience at a Nickelodeon presentation that the new outing would change the way we see Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael forever. "When we are done with this movie, kids are going to believe, one day, that these turtles actually do exist. These turtles are from an alien race and they are going to be tough, edgy, funny and completely lovable."
Predictably, announcing that they planned to shift the Turtles’ origin from their radioactive ooze accident caused plenty of complaints, prime among them being from Robbie Rist, who voiced Michelangelo in the 1990 live-action pic, who dragged out the old chestnut about our collective childhoods being attacked.
So Bay has decided to hit back, taking to his usual venue – his own website’s forum – to offer some advice. "Fans need to take a breath, and chill. They have not read the script. Our team is working closely with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles to help expand and give a more complex back story. Relax, we are including everything that made you become fans in the first place. We are just building a richer world."
It remains to be seen whether anyone is mollified by Bay’s reaction. And, yes, tinkering with the foursome's origin could be a dreadful decision. But there’s still a chance this could still turn out as a great new take on the Turtles. Your thoughts, folks?