Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be hitting the channel later this year. Ahead of that, a Facebook Live broadcast featuring executive producers Andy Suriano and Ant Ward alongside long time Ninja Turtles voice actor and Rise voice director Rob Paulson was used to reveal what some of the key characters of the show will look like. The broadcast was hosted by Eric Bauza, who will voice Splinter in the new show, and also featured TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman drawing a Turtle sketch live.
The new art style seeks to distinguish the pizza-scoffing reptilian ninjas from one another, with each a different species of turtle. Raphael (voiced by Omar Miller), who will lead the Turtles in Rise, is a snapping turtle, Leonardo (Ben Schwartz) is a red eared slider (hence the red markings on his face) and Michelangelo (Brandon Mychal Smith) is a box shell turtle. Donatello (Josh Brener) is a soft shell turtle, but makes up for it by creating a series of wearable ‘battle shells’. The look is a little different for the Turtles, but bears some influence from the later seasons of the 2003 animated series (the Fast Forward and Back To The Sewers episodes), as well as the recent movies.
Rodent sensei Splinter’s (Eric Bauza) redesign is a little more radical, likely playing on the increased emphasis on humour that Suriano referenced in the broadcast. We also get the first black incarnation of April O’Neil (Kat Graham), although some might argue that the character was black in the original black and white comic books.
The look is a little different for the Turtles, but set against the colourful backdrops the art suggests a show with the potential to be a lot of fun.
We also learned a few details about the show. Suriano and Ward discussed a special relationship between Michelangelo, the youngest of the turtles, and Leonardo, and suggested that this version of Donatello is a lot more confident in his abilities than the last. Raphael is the oldest, well respected by his brothers but prone to knee-jerk decision making. Finally, Michelangelo’s famous catchphrase ‘cowabunga’ will be making a return. And we’d just gotten used to ‘booyakasha’.
It’s also recently been confirmed that WWE wrestler John Cena will voice new villain Baron Draxum.
Den of Geek are keen to see what Nickelodeon have in store for us with Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The current Turtles series, wrapped up in America but returning to UK screens this weekend to kick off the last few episodes, is one of the best interpretations of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles yet.
Be sure to check back with us nearer the broadcast date for more on Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.