Well, I now have some info about how this art came to be, courtesy of Galen Walker, producer on last year's TMNT movie, who recently gave me a very nice copy of this same piece of art, printed on canvas. According to Galen, this art was created by an artist named Sam Michlap, who painted it after hearing a pitch about a possible TMNT movie sequel by some creative folks at Imagi. The pitch apparently involved a plot idea which had three of the Turtles affected by an anti-mutation serum, and only Michelangelo was left unaffected... and the only one who could save his brothers.
Just to be clear -- while I really like the art and I very much appreciate the fact that there were people at Imagi who were still interested in the Turtles enough to be discussing this stuff, this is not the direction we will be heading in for the next movie. -- PL
-->> ..it's sucha beautiful peice tho' Pete !!
ReplyDeleteGoddamm it's amoung my favourite illustratives of the past year !!
(( But yeh ..save the de-mutating to the professionals i.e. Tokka & Rahzar )) ..>v<
It is a beautiful piece of art work, definitely "one picture worth a thousand words", but I think maybe the implied storyline might be better suited for a cartoon episode or two.
ReplyDeleteLike I commented over on Murphy's blog, I love Mikey but I'm not sure I could handle an hour and a half of *just* Mikey on screen. I dunno about everyone else but that sounds exhausting...
;o)
~Donna
I'm soooo glad it's not, It's still cool like the others said, But the direction you're going with the few hints that have been dropped sounds like the right choice.
ReplyDelete-Vaughn M.
LOL Its a beautiful peice, and it brought back a memory for me. Ria and I hiking in the woods around Holden Ma, couldn't have been more than 16 years old, discussing possible ideas for various TV show episodes/comics/movie ideas we would use if we could do something with the turtles, and this basic idea came up. (I'm sure a thousand fans have thought about it.) I believe it came straight out of talking about TMNT 2- if an anti mutagen was so easy to whip up, why didn't shredder ever come up with the idea. Funny enough, I think our version had April as the heroine saving the day. Kids!
ReplyDeleteSam painted that? He does some amazing vis-development stuff (and some beautiful classic paintings too). As for the direction of the film, I'm extremely glad to hear that, Pete! Sounds like you've got a good angle on what you want from this next film, and I can't wait to see where you take it!
ReplyDeleteI agree, that is some awesome artwork!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see that this wasn't the direction you were going in, because to me, it kinds of brings me back to the whole TMNT II : Secret of the Ooze movie. Been there, done that....
What would have been cool if you did persue is if Leo were the only one left unchanged. I think that would have been a cool concept: the leader, the one that trained to handle everything, looking afraid, as a menacing Shredder looked on... That's just my opinion, and of course, I'm sure it would be different if you put any turtle in that situation!
Anyways, awesome artwork all in all!
~Dinoff~
ReplyDeletepl said...
"Just to be clear -- while I really like the art and I very much appreciate the fact that there were people at Imagi who were still interested in the Turtles enough to be discussing this stuff, this is not the direction we will be heading in for the next movie."
Speaking of directions... Would the new movie be heading in a more PG-13 direction to keep pace other similar movies and with the new medium will we see a return to TMNT's Mirage roots, surpassing any other version of the turtles to appear on the big/small screen? While at the same time adding new plot and character developments that push the turtles beyond vol. 1.
Also, as someone who enjoyed the 2007 movie, and considering people at Imagi (which would include executve producer Felix Ip) are still interested in TMNT, is it possible to resume the franchise in direct to dvd form? With a new movie possibly looking at a 2011 release date, at the earliest, more visible high profile TMNT projects will be needed to help maintain TMNT's presence in the mainstream. And I feel the CGI medium has yet to be fully exploited without the restrictions of the MPAA.
"Dragon Turtle said...
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of directions... Would the new movie be heading in a more PG-13 direction to keep pace other similar movies and with the new medium will we see a return to TMNT's Mirage roots, surpassing any other version of the turtles to appear on the big/small screen? While at the same time adding new plot and character developments that push the turtles beyond vol. 1."
Of course we will make our best efforts to surpass what has come before, but as yet we have only had the most cursory of discussions about what the plot/direction of a new movie could be. Hopefully that process will start in earnest soon.
"Also, as someone who enjoyed the 2007 movie, and considering people at Imagi (which would include executve producer Felix Ip) are still interested in TMNT, is it possible to resume the franchise in direct to dvd form? With a new movie possibly looking at a 2011 release date, at the earliest, more visible high profile TMNT projects will be needed to help maintain TMNT's presence in the mainstream. And I feel the CGI medium has yet to be fully exploited without the restrictions of the MPAA."
It would definitely be cool to have some direct to DVD project(s), but as we discovered when we looked into that special adaptation of the first issue of TMNT Vol. 1, these things don't come cheap. I don't know if it is feasible, budget-wise, to do a CGI direct to DVD movie of sufficient quality to make it worthwhile. -- PL
Hi Peter,
ReplyDeleteIf a CGI direct to DVD film is out what about an original 2D animated film? Maybe something along the lines of what Warner Bros did with the new Batman Gotham Knights DVD, but have one company animate it. Perhaps a japanese anime studio like Gonzo or Madhouse that did Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust or an American animation studio work on the project of adapting the first volume and so on. I would love to see all of the issues adapted into animated form kind of like the 2K3 series but much much darker. Is there any chance this could happen?
Mikey-Sama
Well, this is where I travel outside the norm-- not only do I LOVE the picture, but I'd watch a Mikey saves the day bit. I'm sure it would not have been a 90 minute to two hour story, but still... I LOVE that piccie!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I guess also I'm the only one hoping that Imagi and Mirage actually team up again.
Cool piccie! Oh wait, I said that already.
Yeah Cyn you do travel WAY outside the norm...*snicker*
ReplyDeleteI'm not gonna repeat the majority comments, but I agree.
great art tho.
I'm not sure how much a CGI(of good quality)DVD project would cost, a 2D animated feature usually runs about 2-5 million. The Highlander anime produced by Madhouse cost around 5 million and a single TV episode of Afro Samurai produced by Gonzo cost about a million (way higher then your typical anime show of course, but something to compare in terms quality). I love anime, but I wouldn't mind seeing a western style animated film, maybe of the same or slightly higher quality of the 2k3 cartoon(although I can always dream of a Disney/Bluth quality film).
ReplyDeleteMaybe the movie studio or another partner can help defray some of the production costs.
Splinter's Iroonna said...
"Well, this is where I travel outside the norm-- not only do I LOVE the picture, but I'd watch a Mikey saves the day bit. I'm sure it would not have been a 90 minute to two hour story, but still... I LOVE that piccie!"
It would be great to have four 40 minute direct to DVD projects each spotlighting each turtle, sort of like the old vol. 1 one shots.
And Peter, I wonder if anyone had considered doing a "cinematic novel" style series based on Vol. 1, sort of like what DC is doing with Batman Black and White.
This story concept would make a pretty entertaining Tales story arch. I'm just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a cool painting, but it would be kind of lame if the main gimmick of the new movie was Shredder's special move from the old arcade game XD
ReplyDelete-Wil
I think it'd be an interesting take on it. If this story were to happen, I don't think all three should be demutated, but I do like the fresh concept for a movie.
ReplyDeleteNice piece. I'm glad you plan to break new ground with a different plot.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, this should be a comic book series not a movie!!!
ReplyDelete