Paramount Pictures has pushed back the release date of the Michael Bay-produced remake movie from December 2013 to May 2014.
- June 16, 2012
AceShowbiz -
Michael Bay-produced "Ninja Turtles" is facing a trouble. Paramount Pictures has decided to delay the production of the effects-heavy film project, which was originally set to be released in the U.S. in December 2013. The movie, which was in pre-production stage in Vancouver, has now been pushed back to May 2014.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the abrupt decision was made due to the script issue. Insiders said that Paramount is now temporarily laying off the film's crew and telling them that the work stoppage is "indefinite." Another source revealed that the project has been pushed by ten weeks.
"Ninja Turtles" is a joint production between Paramount and Viacom's Nickelodeon. Back in May, when announcing the project, Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman gushed, "Our pipeline is extremely strong. We're developing more new [episodes] of our popular series and more exciting series. And of course, we're particularly excited about the revival of the [Teenage Mutant Ninja] Turtles franchise."
While Bay served as the producer, "Wrath of the Titans" helmer Johnathan Liebesman was tapped to direct the live action/CGI combo movie which was predicted to cost an estimated $100 million to produce. Providing the script, meanwhile, were Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec.
The project had grabbed attention from fans, especially since Bay revealed his plan to put some twists to the original plot line. Instead of presenting Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael as mutants, the "Transformers" helmer said that the quartet will appear as aliens in the planned film.
"These turtles are from an alien race and they are going to be tough, edgy, funny and completely lovable," so he said while attending the 2012 Nickelodeon Upfront in March. "When you see this movie, kids are going to believe, one day, that these turtles actually do exist when we are done with this movie."
As for Paramount, this is not the first time the studio halts the production of its potential tentpoles. The studio, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, has delayed the release dates for Channing Tatum's "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" and Brad Pitt's "World War Z" due to script issue.
