Each Ninja Turtle Brings Own Unique Skills in New Action Film TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE

From the start, the crux of Paramount Pictures' new, family-oriented action-adventure “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” was re-envisioning the Turtles. It was essential that the charisma and comic flair of these amped-up amphibians shine through while bringing something new, forging Mutant mythology with 21st Century filmmaking. Each member of the Ninja family brings his own unique skills and attitude.

LEONARDO: Named for the mind-bending Italian inventor and painter Leonardo Da Vinci, Leonardo is the cool, calm, Zen Master of the Turtles, who takes to heart the responsibility of being the oldest brother. Luckily, “Leo” stands 6’ 5” and wields his steel katana swords with deadly accuracy.

MEGAN FOX In a Heroic Alliance with the “TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES”

She rose to international stardom with her break-out role of Mikaela in Paramount Pictures’ “Transformers,” and the second film in the franchise, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” both produced by Michael Bay. Now, Megan Fox reunites with the blockbuster producer in the kid-friendly action-adventure “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

In the film, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles try to roam secretly in the sewers and shadows of New York, they are discovered reporter April O’Neil (Fox) who will become key to their attempts to free the city from The Shredder’s brutal grip.

Finding just the right actors to carry the human side of the story was essential. To play April, the filmmakers knew they needed someone who not only would have broad appeal but the plucky personality that makes the probing young reporter a great match with Turtles. It wasn’t long before they turned to one of today’s hottest leading ladies: Megan Fox. 

Turtle Power Rebooted in “TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES”

The one-of-a-kind heroes on the half-shell are back – as a new generation of Ninja Turtles emerges from the sewers of New York, in Paramount Pictures' kid-friendly action-adventure “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” They return in a fresh incarnation that fuses the Turtle’s gritty, underground roots with the feisty sense of merriment that turned them into the world’s most lovable action idols . . . bringing them cowabunga-ing into a live-action adventure that mixes in large-scale battles and leading-edge VFX.

The action-packed reboot, which tells the story of how the Turtles were born in a laboratory but came to be unbreakably loyal brothers, comes to the screen under the aegis of mega-producer Michael Bay. Known for box-office-busting event movies, Bay most recently metamorphosed a children’s toy into the multi-billion dollar Transformer franchise. Following on the rousing success of Nickelodeon’s animated TV series, Bay joined with his Platinum Dunes producing partners Andrew Form and Brad Fuller to return them to the silver screen for today’s audiences.

Ultimately, they would bring together a team of creative filmmakers, young actors and over 400 digital artists all determined to merge a real world of actors and sets with the mesmerizing fantasy of talking, battling, city-saving teenaged turtles.

“TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES” Main Poster Revealed

Paramount Pictures has just revealed the main poster art of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” showing our titular heroes jumping off a towering blast.

The new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” adventure is a modern-day iteration of the popular franchise that has captivated audiences of all ages for decades. Below is the film's official synopsis:

“The city needs heroes. Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O’Neil (Megan Fox) and her wise-cracking cameraman Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan.”

Based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, with a screenplay by Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec and Evan Daugherty, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is produced by Michael Bay (director and executive producer of the blockbuster “Transformers” franchise), Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Galen Walker, Scott Mednick and Ian Bryce, and directed by Jonathan Liebesman (“Wrath of the Titans”).

Opening across the Philippines on August 13, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Michael Bay, Back with New "Transformers," "Ninja Turtles" Movies

Summer is the season of Michael Bay.

As much as anyone else, Bay — in movies like "Armageddon," ''Pearl Harbor" and "Transformers" — has shaped what the summer movie is: its quick-cutting bombast, its visual-effects flourish, its capacity for mass destruction.

This summer, he'll release "Transformers: Age of Extinction," the fourth film in the franchise, with a revamped cast led by Mark Wahlberg. The 49-year-old Bay, who also produces "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" later in the season, is well acquainted with the scale of the modern blockbuster.

"I've been doing these movies a long time," said Bay in a recent break from the editing suite. "When all is said and done maybe 3,500 people will have worked on this movie. It's one day at a time. You can't panic. My pep talk to everyone is: This is when the pro (expletive) starts and separates the men from the boys."

"Age of Extinction" subs out the sometimes combative Shia LaBeouf with an older, more established action star in Wahlberg. It's planned as the first of a redesigned "Transformers" trilogy.

Bay and Wahlberg first connected on last year's comic crime caper "Pain & Gain," a relatively low-budget project for Bay and one of his most critically acclaimed films.

Wahlberg has already vowed that "Age of Extinction" will be the biggest movie of the year. While optimistic, it's not out of the question. The last "Transformers" film, 2011's "Dark of the Moon," made more than $1.1 billion worldwide.

"It feels fresher with the cast," says Bay. "It's like when you get the new 'Batman' franchises, things get dressed up in a different way. I think the franchise still has a lot more to offer."

The Paramount Pictures release will also have a leg up on the box office in China. "Age of Extinction" is a co-production with two Chinese film companies. A month of shooting took place there, and several Chinese actors were cast through a televised reality show talent search.

Such is the global natural of the big-budget summer movie, a sprawling operation that takes a unique acuity to assemble.

"I don't write notes," says Bay. "I put the movie in my head."

"Transformers: Age of Extinction” opens across the Philippines on June 25, to be followed by “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” on August 13. Both films are distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.