How Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Went From Series to Movie

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the newest tv iteration of the world’s favourite terrapin heroes, generated quite a lot of buzz, from its preliminary announcement during its two seasons on Nickelodeon. While the present did obtain an arguably satisfying conclusion in 2020, it was later introduced that an unique Netflix movie would proceed the place the collection left off, bringing with it some shakeups within the Turtles’ workforce dynamic and the right introduction of a number of franchise mainstays into the Rise universe. With the movie set for launch on Netflix August 5, i09 sat down with co-executive producers Ant Ward and Andy Suriano, who steered the ships for each the TV present and movie, for his or her ideas.

It was deep into the manufacturing of Rise season two that the duo was requested by a Nickelodeon government to give you a storyline for a feature-length Rise movie. They acquired the telephone name on a Saturday morning, batted round story concepts through textual content over the weekend, and pitched their favorites that Monday. The story that bought the inexperienced gentle concerned a mysterious stranger arriving from the long run, warning the turtles {that a} nefarious alien species often called the Krang had been set to invade the planet. Leonardo, having been given the mantle of chief from his brother Raphael, should information the workforce in opposition to this intergalactic risk.

Interestingly, giving Leonardo his conventional position as chief of the workforce is one thing Suriano and Ward had deliberate from the present’s inception. “Leo and his journey is very much front and center,” mentioned Ward. “He’s on quite the arc, as it were.”

“The movie definitely was our opportunity to do that storyline justice,” added Suriano. “It bleeds into everyone else’s role. Raph was the leader for the series. Raph was the oldest. When that shifts to the younger brother suddenly in charge, that shifts everybody’s relationship.”

The shift is bound to be an fascinating one. Longtime Turtles followers know {that a} franchise staple is Raph butting heads with Leo over the latter’s management fashion, one thing that Ward assured will probably be a plot level within the movie: “We’re gonna see them butting heads in their own unique way that only Rise can bring.”

“We exploited the powder keg that was always there,” mentioned Suriano with amusing.

The movie additionally provides Suriano, Ward, and crew the chance to introduce iconic characters that had but to be seen in Rise—once more, permitting them to construct the universe as they’d all the time supposed to do. This consists of Casey Jones, the turtles’ longtime ally (and sports activities gear fanatic), who arrives from the long run to warn them of the approaching Krang menace. This will really be the second Casey featured in Rise continuity, the primary being the intensely energetic Foot Clan recruit-turned-ally Cassandra “Casey” Jones.

“Cassandra was always in the show and was always meant to be ‘Casey’,” mentioned Ward. “We had to ramp that reveal up from where it was originally going to be, so as we were doing that, we were also doing this new Casey. We love Casey in the movie. Haley Joel Osment absolutely crushes it. I think there’s a sense of responsibility that might not be front and center in previous iterations. There’s definitely a bit of ‘Goongala!’ in there. He’s not to be trifled with.”

The different iconic characters making their full Rise debut are the Krang, the pink, squidlike aliens who’ve seen vastly completely different portrayals from one Turtle iteration to the following. This time round, Suriano and Ward are pulling out all of the stops with these basic villains—no foolish gurgling noises, no comic voice actors, and no want for human exosuits to place up a good combat. These Krang are out for blood.

“Our intent was to create formidable adversaries to the turtles,” mentioned Suriano, “something that would be terrifying. That meant adjusting their proportions and designs slightly so that they could go toe to toe with the turtles without any aid from their mechs. There’s nothing funny about them. Up until this point, the Shredder was their biggest obstacle. There are the people that created the Shredder.”

“We went so big in the season [two] finale,” added Ward, “that we really had to make sure the Krang here were such a formidable threat that there was no question that the turtles were in for the fight of their lives.”

Going larger than ever actually is the secret for this movie, profiting from the medium to push animation and storytelling to ranges unachievable in TV collection format.

“Everything is a little extra,” mentioned Suriano. “The colors, the shading, even just being able to move the characters in ways perhaps we were [previously] budgetarily limited. Some of the plotlines and character beats that we had set up in the series, we got a chance to pay off, some of the stuff we didn’t quite get a chance to do in the series.”

“When we went in to do the show, we were focusing on an 11-minute format,” mentioned Ward. “I think with the very nature of an episodic schedule, you definitely have to make some creative concessions. Because of the kinetic nature of that kind of storytelling, it was very nice with the movie to let the characters breathe a little bit, let these epic events kind of unfold in more of a traditional runtime.”

At its core, beneath the epic combat scenes and wacky humor, lies the center of what makes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles particular: the theme of household bonds. Suriano and Ward intention to painting this extra absolutely with the Rise film. “As long as we do that, with any story, with any franchise, with any characters, I think it will resonate with viewers,” mentioned Suriano. “It’s not just a good Turtles movie. I think it’s a great family movie.”

It’s no shock that the theme of familial bonds resonates so strongly within the Rise movie. Virtually all the film was made throughout the pandemic, a Krang-like impediment that the present’s employees needed to bond collectively to beat. As Ward mentioned, “The crew really rose to the occasion.”

“I think I’m most proud of the family that we built,” Ward continued. “We pretty much had oil and water as far as a crew, and by the end of it, we were such a tight knit family that there was explicit trust at every level of the show, from coordinators through to supervising directors through to storyboard revisionists through to writers, really putting people outside of their comfort zone, but in an encouraging way of just trying to push the medium and push themselves as artists.”

“Everybody was empowered,” added Suriano. “Ant and I are big proponents to promote and empower every single person on our production crew. Like the series itself, and the characters within, it’s all about creating family, and that’s what Ant and I did with our team.”

It’s been nearly two years—and a world pandemic—since Rise aired its ultimate episode. One would possibly suspect that curiosity within the collection has waned throughout that timeframe, however curiously, evidently the alternative is true, particularly with the present not too long ago turning into obtainable on Netflix. “It is nice, a few years later, to see that engagement, to watch the engagement build with Rise,” mentioned Ward. “The audience seems to be growing. More people are trying it out and having a good time with it.”

“Everyone has their favorite version of the turtles,” mentioned Suriano, “and a lot of people are opposed to change. They had something preconceived in their head of maybe what it was and why it wouldn’t appeal to them. I’ve seen a lot of people reach out saying ‘I didn’t give it a chance, but then I watched it.’ A lot of the themes in there, I think, resonated with audiences.”

With a rising Netflix viewers and hype for the film intensifying, now is likely to be the proper time to leap on board the turtle prepare, no matter your relationship with the franchise.

“This is going to be such a great jumping on point for any Turtles fan,” mentioned Suriano. “For existing Rise fans, it will be a very satisfying payoff to a lot of the threads that we put into the series. Then, it’s just going to be a fun movie. I think it’s great for people who have never even seen any Turtles media. It’s going to be kinetic, action-packed, but also really funny, [with] a whole lot of heart. It’s a great journey. It was a journey making it, and it’s going to be a spectacle to watch. I hope people give it a look.”

And if the movie does effectively sufficient, Suriano and Ward would love a possibility to proceed constructing the Rise world with one among their different movie concepts. Word has it they could have some concepts for the Rat King…

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie premieres August 5 on Netflix.

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