Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (film)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (formerly titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Half Shell) is an American live-action film, and a sequel to 2014's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was released to cinemas in the USA on June 3, 2016. The film was directed by Dave Green and stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Laura Linney, Tyler Perry, Gary Anthony Williams, Sheamus and Stephen Amell.
Produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Michael Bay's production company, Platinum Dunes and distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film was released on June 3, 2016 in 3D and 4DX formats. The film has received mixed-to-negative reception and was only moderately successful.
== Plot ==
Two years after their battle with the Shredder and Eric Sacks, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles still live in the shadows, having allowed Vernon Fenwick to take the credit for Shredder's defeat. When Shredder is being transferred between prisons by corrections officer Casey Jones, his Foot Clan–operating under the direction of scientist Baxter Stockman–attack the convoy transporting him. The Turtles, tipped off to the escape attempt by April O'Neil, fend them off. Stockman is still able to affect Shredder's escape using a teleportation device, but Shredder is hijacked mid-teleport and winds up in Dimension X. There, the alien warlord Krang gives him a mutagenic compound in exchange for his promise to find three components of a machine Krang sent to Earth in ages past, which when united will open a portal to his dimension.
Shredder recruits the two criminals that were being transported alongside him, Bebop and Rocksteady, and has Stockman use Krang's mutagen on them to transform them into powerful animal mutants. The snooping April witnesses their transformation, and is able to steal the vial of mutagen. Pursued by the Foot, she is unexpectedly saved by Casey. In the scuffle, the vial is lost and taken into police custody. Donatello deduces that the mutagen could be used to turn the Turtles into humans, enabling them to live normal lives above ground, but Leonardo refuses and insists that he keeps it as a secret from the others. However, Michelangelo overhears their conversation and tells Raphael. Raphael furiously confronts Leonardo for not telling them about the retro-mutagen and being honest with them, which results in Leonardo benching him and Mikey from the mission. Raph then recruits Mikey, April, Casey, and Vernon to break into the NYPD police headquarters to recover the mutagen. But the Foot arrive ahead of them and in the ensuing battle, the Turtles' existence is revealed to the police, who react with fear and hatred. The brothers escape, but April and Casey are arrested.
With Shredder's forces having already recovered two of the pieces of the portal device, the Turtles track Bebop and Rocksteady where they have recovered the final piece from a jungle in Foz do Iguaçu at Brazil. The Turtles intercept their jet on its return journey via a plane-to-plane skydive, and although the resultant battle crashes the jet, Bebop and Rocksteady are still able to successfully escape with the final component. The Turtles return to New York just in time to watch as Stockman and Shredder complete the portal device and open the gateway to Dimension X, through which Krang's modular war machine, the Technodrome, begins to emerge. Shredder betrays Stockman and has his men take him away, but upon entering the Technodrome, Krang betrays Shredder, freezing him and locking him away with his collection of other defeated foes.
The Turtles see no way to combat the threat from the shadows and must decide whether or not to take the mutagen and become humans in order to fight openly. Leonardo finally agrees to do as his brothers wish, but Raphael shatters the vial, realizing that they must accept who and what they are. Vernon recovers security footage that proves Stockman and Shredder's crimes and secures April and Casey's release, allowing them to facilitate a meeting between the Turtles and police chief Rebecca Vincent. With the acceptance and blessing of the police, the Turtles go into action, confronting Krang aboard the still-assembling Technodrome. Meanwhile, Casey keeps Bebop and Rocksteady busy while April and Vernon defeat Shredder's lieutenant Karai and take control of the portal device. Once the Turtles locate the beacon around which the Technodrome is assembling, they hurl it back through the portal, taking Krang and the rest of the Technodrome with it, and April, Casey, and Vernon shut the portal down, ultimately defeating the alien, but not before Krang swears he will return for revenge.
In the aftermath Bebop and Rocksteady are back in custody, Stockman remains at large and the Turtles are honored by Vincent and the NYPD, but elect to keep their existence a secret from the public at large, deciding that being normal isn't nearly as fun as being a turtle...
==Cast==
*Megan Fox as April O' Neil
*Will Arnett as Vernon Fernwick
*Stephen Amell as Casey Jones
*Tyler Perry as Baxter Stockman
*Laura Linney as Rebecca Vincent
*Pete Ploszek as Leonardo
*Alan Ritchson as Raphael
*Noel Fisher as Michelangelo
*Jeremy Howard as Donatello
*Gary Anthony Williams as Bebop
*Tony Shaloub as Splinter
*Sheamus as Rocksteady
*Brad Garrett as Kraang
*Brian Tee as Shredder
*Brittany Ishibashi as Karai
*Alessandra Ambrósio as Herself
*DeAndre Jordan as Himself
*Matt Barnes as Himself
*J.J. Redick as Himself
*Austin Rivers as Himself
*Spencer Hawes as Himself
*Carmelo Anthony as Himself
== Trivia ==
*Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be the fourth Nickelodeon Movies film to become a franchise, after The Rugrats Movie, The Wild Thornberrys Movie, and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
* Director Dave Green is also known for directing the science fiction family film, Earth to Echo for Relativity Media.
* The original cartoon's theme song is heard in the end credits.
* Film's composer, Steve Joblonsky, has frequently collaborated with Michael Bay.
* The word "sh*t" is said at least twice in the film.
* This is the fourth film from Nickelodeon Movies to be rated PG-13, and the second in the TMNT film series.
* Johnny Knoxville, the original voice-over actor of Leonardo from the preceding film, didn't return for the sequel film.
== Production ==
=== Development ===
After the 2014 film exceeded box office expectations, Paramount and Nickelodeon officially announced a sequel was greenlit, and set to be released in theatres on June 3, 2016,https://ew.com/article/2014/08/10/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-sequel/ with plans to incorporate the characters Casey Jones, Bebop, and Rocksteady.https://screenrant.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2014-movie-bebop-rocksteady-casey-jones/ Jonathan Liebesman and Bradley Fuller were also interested in doing a storyline that involved Dimension X and Krang.https://screenrant.com/tmnt-2-dimension-x-krang-aliens/ In December 2014, it was revealed Paramount was in early negotiations with Earth to Echo director Dave Green to helm the sequel, also revealing Jonathan Liebesman was no longer a part of the project.https://www.thewrap.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-eyes-earth-to-echo-director-dave-green-exclusive/ Known briefly as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Half Shell,https://variety.com/2015/film/news/tyler-perry-brain-on-fire-chloe-grace-moretz-1201544099/ Paramount revealed in December 2015 that the title had officially been changed to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadowshttps://www.superherohype.com/news/360585-first-footage-from-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-out-of-the-shadowshttps://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2015/12/09/sneak-peek-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-out-of-the-shadows/77052736/
=== Casting ===
Megan Fox and Will Arnett were confirmed to be returning as April O'Neil and Vernon Fenwick respectively; also confirmed were the Shredder's return, and Bebop and Rocksteady debut in the movie.https://www.slashfilm.com/ninja-turtles-2-bebop-and-rocksteady/ In an interview, William Fichtner stated that he would be returning as Eric Sacks, but for unknown reasons, he ultimately did not appear in the film. However, he could return in the third installment, considering he (along with the turtle actors, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Alan Ritchson and Pete Ploszek) signed on for three TMNT films.https://movieweb.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-shredder-fichtner/ Production was confirmed to start in April 2015,https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/34659/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-to-shoot-next-month along with the casting of Alessandra Ambrosio, and several members of the Los Angeles Clippershttps://www.slashfilm.com/alessandra-ambrosio-ninja-turtles-2/https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-2-Adding-Few-NBA-Stars-70536.html On March 31, Stephen Amell was cast as Casey Jones, after test reading alongside several different actors.https://variety.com/2015/film/news/stephen-amell-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-casey-jones-1201459533/ Amell acknowledged the character bore similarities to his Oliver Queenfrom Arrow. He stated the characters are "fundamentally different" from one another, but that Casey did resemble Oliver from older versions.www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/04/stephen-amell-talks-casey-jones-in-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2.html On April 23, Tyler Perry was cast as scientist Baxter Stockman, replacing K. Todd Freeman, who played the role in the 2014 film.https://variety.com/2015/film/news/tyler-perry-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-1201477655/ On April 27, Brian Tee joined the cast as the Shredder, replacing Tohoru Masamune from the first film.https://variety.com/2015/film/news/tmnt-2-shredder-brian-tee-1201480798/ On April 30, Laura Linney was cast in an unspecified role.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/laura-linney-joining-teenage-mutant-792392 On May 14, Gary Anthony Williams was cast as Bebop,https://deadline.com/2015/05/gary-anthony-williams-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-1201427329/ while on May 28, WWE wrestler Sheamus was confirmed to play Rocksteady.https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/445007-wwe-star-sheamus-confirmed-as-rocksteady-for-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2#/slide/1 On May 27, Minae Noji was replaced with Brittany Ishibashi in the role of Karai.https://deadline.com/2015/05/brittany-ishibashi-joins-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-jonathan-bailey-in-donald-crowhurst-film-1201433321/ In August 2015, CM Punk revealed that he lost the role of Rocksteady to Sheamus.https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/celebrity/ct-cm-punk-ninja-turtles-rocksteady-wwe-20150814-column.html In March 2016, it was announced that Fred Armisen would voice Krang in the film.https://deadline.com/2016/03/megan-fox-stephen-amell-wondercon-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1201726492/https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/03/26/krangs-voice-actor-and-7-more-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-out-of-the-shadows-details-learned-at-wondercon However, in May 2016, shortly before the film's release, it was revealed that Brad Garrett would voice Krang instead due to Armisen having schedule conflicts.https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/688631-brad-garrett-krang-voice#/slide/1 In April 2016, while promoting Elvis & Nixon, Johnny Knoxville revealed that he was not asked to return for the sequel as the voice of Leonardo.https://www.ramascreen.com/interview-johnny-knoxville-talks-to-me-about-elvis-nixon/
=== Music ===
On April 2, 2016, Steve Jablonsky revealed that he would compose the music score, replacing Brian Tyler from the first film.https://twitter.com/jablonsky_steve/status/716416742336118784 Mexican teen boy band CD9 performed an updated version of the original show's theme song for the film.https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1000283350093220The film score soundtrack was released on June 3, 2016, on digital platforms but excluded compact discs.https://soundtrack-movie.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-out-of-the-shadows/
=== Filming ===
Filming began in April in New York City and Buffalo, spending about $70 million in the state.https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-film-nyc-buffalo-article-1.2157366 Filming began on April 27, 2015, when the film crew was spotted filming in Midtown Manhattan and moved out to Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil.https://onlocationvacations.com/2015/04/29/first-look-at-teenage-mutant-ninja-2-filming-in-nyc/ Filming in Buffalo began on May 4, 2015, along the Kensington Expresswayhttps://buffalonews.com/city-region/buffalo/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-crew-thanks-city-for-incredible-experience-20150416/https://buffalonews.com/city-region/cowabunga-ninja-turtles-action-starts-monday-on-the-kensington-20150502/ and ended May 17, 2015.https://www.wivb.com/2015/04/15/buffalo-opens-up-for-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-but-shuts-down-some-roads/ Filming wrapped up in August 2015.http://www.jobsnhire.com/articles/23647/20150803/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-2-films-half-shell-updates-you-might-have-missed.htmhttps://web.archive.org/web/20151022121736/http://www.thestreet.com/story/13247406/6/viacom-via-earnings-report-q3-2015-conference-call-transcript.html Additional filming occurred in New York City on January 30, and ended on February 1. Farelly and Williams recorded additional dialogue for the film in February 2016.https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2016/02/sheamus-working-on-tmnt-607586/
== Future ==
=== Cancelled sequel ===
On August 16, 2014, Noel Fisher stated in an interview that he and the other Turtle actors had signed on for three films.http://www.movieweb.com/news/noel-fisher-talks-mikey-in-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-exclusive Megan Fox had also signed on for three films.https://movieweb.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-surprises-with-25-6-million-box-office-opening/ On May 20, 2016, Tyler Perry said that if a third film was made, his character, Baxter Stockman, would probably mutate into his fly form during the movie.https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/688895-exclusive-tyler-perry-talks-potential-return-as-a-fly-in-ninja-turtles-3#/slide/1 Pete Ploszek also expressed his interests in reprising his role in a third film as Leonardo.https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/pete-ploszek-interview-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/ On October 29, 2016, in light of the film's financial underperformance, producer Andrew Form indicated that a third film was unlikely.https://deadline.com/2021/06/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-cg-movie-reboot-from-nickelodeon-seth-rogens-point-grey-pictures-1202973764/
=== Animated reboot film ===
In June 2020, it was reported that Nickelodeon Animation Studio was developing a computer-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film for Paramount Pictures. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver would produce the film through their company, Point Grey Pictures. Jeff Rowe was set to direct the film, with Brendan O'Brien writing the screenplay. It was released on August 2, 2023.
==References==
==External links==
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Category:Movies
Category:Theatrical movies
Category:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Category:Nicktoon films
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