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Ubisoft gets turtle power

French publisher lands rights to make games based on upcoming CG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been a Konami gaming property dating back to the original cartoon's breakthrough success in the late '80s. But after Konami's lengthy monopoly on the license, another publisher is getting a chance to show what it can do with the characters. Ubisoft has picked up the rights to make games based on the Turtles' next cinematic outing.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be entirely computer-generated by Hong Kong-based Imagi Animation Studios (Zentrix, the upcoming Highlander anime). Once finished, the movie will be distributed by Warner Bros. in the US and internationally by The Weinstein Company (started by former Miramax founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein). The film will be directed by Kevin Munroe, whose previous directorial work includes a short film for ABC Family Channel and Midway's Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube racing game Freaky Flyers.

While the movie will carry the same PG rating as its predecessors, the filmmakers are aiming to take a "grittier" tone more true to the comic book source material than previous Ninja Turtles movies. This might seem to preclude the return of one-time heartthrob and original The Surreal Life star Corey Feldman to the role of Donatello. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is due for a theatrical release in the spring of 2007.

49 Comments

  • Kbs64

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 10:01 pm GMT

    even after 17 years .. this comes to show you that you can't keep a good turtle down

  • big_pimpin_99

    Posted Jan 12, 2006 10:47 am GMT

    Turtles on GEN was crazy, but i havent heard of this director, but im happy they are going for the gritty ooption. Hey if its got feldman it might be a stand by me turtles, where Raphael discovers himself LMAO

  • fenriz275

    Posted Jan 12, 2006 8:52 am GMT

    Wow. You guys are a lot more optimistic about this then I am. I can already hear this sucking. I really hope it's decent but I know it's going to both suck and blow. ::quietly hopes against all odds anyway::

  • lilweightlifter

    Posted Jan 12, 2006 6:05 am GMT

    The old turtles catoons are way better than the new ones

  • M-Yu

    Posted Jan 12, 2006 5:23 am GMT

    The newer TMNT's are awesome, It's more darker and grittier than the cartoons in the 80s

  • boo_dat

    Posted Jan 12, 2006 1:16 am GMT

    Okay seriously...if you're going to make a Ninja Turtles film then at least do everyone a favor before you make it...get some lighter fluid and a box of matches...then you might have something

  • chokehead

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 9:53 pm GMT

    ubisoft rules.

  • hush404

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 7:17 pm GMT

    Sweet Ninja Poop! Maybe we'll get a good TMNT game now! Konami has slaughtered the Turtle franchise more so then the new cartoon.

  • Orasion_Seiz

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 6:24 pm GMT

    wow a new Ninja Turtles game! i hope its gonna be good

  • JussCaca

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 5:54 pm GMT

    WOW TMNT new one i hope it good so far they been ok for me

  • LAcacota

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 5:53 pm GMT

    o man im so excited, cant wait. loved the three last ones. dam i feel so wet. yea turtle power

  • townsenda1

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 4:22 pm GMT

    I hope this one is better than the previous titles. The old school game titles werre great and as they went on it got worse. Let's hope for the best.

  • NeoJedi

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 4:19 pm GMT

    If they can make a good TMNT game for once, maybe it will sell and refresh this dying license.

  • dante_123456

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 3:43 pm GMT

    am i the only 1 who like the new show?

  • _Glitch_

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 3:04 pm GMT

    This is gay.

  • ghsacidman

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 2:20 pm GMT

    The movie doesn't look like that.... atleast I hope. The graphics on those screenshots is terrible. Anyway, GO UBISOFT. Finally, no more Konami. The stopped making good games years ago.

  • nemes1s3000

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 2:15 pm GMT

    Old school always were the best.

  • CaptainSmirk

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 2:03 pm GMT

    Please stop making crappy Prince of Persia games... thanks.

  • gdogg4210

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 1:58 pm GMT

    I have faith in Ubi, i think the game will atleast be decent

  • VFA-102

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 1:35 pm GMT

    Still a big fan of the Turtles even though I'm 26 and married. I just hope the movie and the new games don't blow the big one like the last ones. Glad someone else took over at last.

  • dru26

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 1:33 pm GMT

    If anyone can restore some credibility to the Turtles its Ubisoft.

  • Timstuff

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 1:28 pm GMT

    The new show is pretty cool (well, the first two or three seasons were, at least), but the games based on it suck. They don't come close to living up to the original games.

    As for the movie, I wish they had made a new live-action movie with a PG-13 rating. They could have gotten Weta to do all the creature effects, costumes, and props. Could you imagine how cool it would look? Oh well, maybe in another 10 years...

  • Digital-Devil

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 1:20 pm GMT

    Why do they have to come back an ruin TMNT (even more than the recent games)
    i love the old games an the movies are cheesy yet...just fun

  • Carbopower

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 1:16 pm GMT

    This is a translation of Kaji_ryoji's post: (YA no se le puede sakar mas a la pobres tortugas ninjas ,dejenlas vivir su vejez en paz, ahhhh !!!! esos tiempos kuando era niņo y era fanatiko de estos amigos verdes ,pero ya no son lo mismo....hay ke mandarlas a jubilar ).

    There's nothing that can get out of the poor TMNT, let them live their retirement in peace, ahhhh!!!! Those times when i was a fan of the green buddys are no more, they're not the same... they just got to send them to retirement.

    In my opnion, i kind of agree with him.

  • Timstuff

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 1:14 pm GMT

    Hopefully Ubi-Soft comes through. They did an awesome job with King Kong, and they are also sitting on the Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia engines, either of which could be applied quite nicely to the TMNT franchise. I just hope the movie turns out good. None of the people involved really have much track record to go on...

  • CJL13

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 1:04 pm GMT

    Weren't there 3?

  • offsprnvid24

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 12:50 pm GMT

    The second tmnt movies was good not as good as the first on but good

  • benotts

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 12:43 pm GMT

    UGH!! not another TMNT Movie. Wasn't the second one bad enough?

  • LordOfMidnight

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 12:42 pm GMT

    I just hope this version of the "heroes in a halfshell" is better than the last few.

  • wingchunstudent

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 12:39 pm GMT

    TMNT, yet another franchise that should have died along time ago.

  • killa-k

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 12:38 pm GMT

    this 1 wicked series back in the day i think this should b preety good.

  • Optimusv2

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 12:31 pm GMT

    I think ubisoft will tear the roof off with this one

  • anthony_basic

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 12:07 pm GMT

    actually he was the voice of donatello. Google it yourself.

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) (voice) .... Donatello

  • blackIceJoe

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 12:06 pm GMT

    I love TMNT I loved getting all the guys back in early 90'S.I still have my Leatherhead that now sells for some nice money if still in the perfect box.

    Now on to the real stuff I loved the games for Sega and Nintedo back then like the one when you would fight back in time or some when you would be fighting on the surfboards.THat was really SWEET.It was nice to go to arcades and play thoughs games with three other friends.

    New games do not give the good feel that they did back in the day.
    THey all feel like they where rushed onto the market and I do not like that.

    They do not even show them eating Pizza or say Cowabonga any more how can there do that.

    I hope this will be a good move for the better.I do not want to see them sink even lower.

  • Barkchip

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 12:00 pm GMT

    "The Surreal Life star Corey Feldman to the role of Donatello."

    umm he played Raphael not Donatello lol.

  • Flat_Line_____

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:54 am GMT

    Hey ya'll know that back in the day TMNT was the **** I mean at the time it came out it was really cool. The movies were at that time using the latest in prosthetic and animatronic tech out there and the arcade games got ALOT of play too back then.

    Now the latest games to have come out for xbox weren't that great at all but i think they tried to keep that same feel from the old arcade machines.BUT with Ubisoft doing a game on it ...(imagine Far Cry or Splinter Cell type graphics) I have some hope.

    Plus from the shot of the movie poster it kinda looks like they are going with how the characters looked in the original comics. If that is the case I think we can expect a lil more than the "child friendly" versions we got of TMNT back in the early 90's which would be MUCH cooler.

    GO NINJA GO NINJA GO!! LOL

  • natethegreat235

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:53 am GMT

    Kaji....ingles por favor. Todos no hablan espanol...solomente hable ingles aqui.

  • NomadMarvel27

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:52 am GMT

    Why are they making this an all CG movie? If done right, with the advancements in technology we have, it could be a CG and real-life adaptation...like those Scooby Doo movies... as for Ubisoft buying the rights, well hopefully it'll be a better game than those new cel-shaded games based on the TV series... I think the most shocking part is it said this movie will be in theatres?

  • tenorio_rotc

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:48 am GMT

    The old games were the best, and the first two movies were great. But it looks like this is aimed more toward kids, unlike the first movie.

  • Viquist

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:46 am GMT

    The last 3 games have sucked, the old games rocked - And by the way I just so happened to like the first 3 movies. But I'm older now so maybe this movie that's supposed to be grittier will appeal to me and the original fans of the old cartoon show as well

  • Kaji_ryoji

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:44 am GMT

    YA no se le puede sakar mas a la pobres tortugas ninjas ,dejenlas vivir su vejez en paz, ahhhh !!!! esos tiempos kuando era niņo y era fanatiko de estos amigos verdes ,pero ya no son lo mismo....hay ke mandarlas a jubilar

  • THF2

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:40 am GMT

    I'm going to give this a big WTF...but I have faith in Ubisoft to at least deliver a good game.

  • DarthUltima

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:36 am GMT

    Hope it does the classic days of the series justice.

  • timts

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:24 am GMT

    I've seen two recent TMNT game. The graphic isn't bad but the action isn't that decent and the game is so repetitive.

  • Donkeljohn

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:24 am GMT

    I hope the movie is better than the original TMNT movie. and I hope Ubisoft delivers a quality Prince of Turtles title.

  • paradyme777

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:19 am GMT

    I think Ubisoft will make a killer TMNT game.

  • Lungz5

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:19 am GMT

    I agree that they jsut arent the same anymore; this looks awful, game could be good if those are the graphics, but if that is what the movie will look like, I'll pass.

  • frankeyser

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:18 am GMT

    hmm... i would like to play a good ninja turtles game again. i remember back in the day my freinds and i could not get enough of turtles in time.

  • Adam_B

    Posted Jan 11, 2006 11:17 am GMT

    Man, I used to love the Ninja Turtles. The new ones just aren't the same.

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