Michael Bay, who is producing the new live-action/hybrid Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, has confirmed on his blog that the movie will simply be called Ninja Turtles.  The movie, which Jonathan Liebesman is directing, is slated to debut in December of 2013 (see "'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Hybrid Movie").

 

Bay, who was stung by a wave of criticism from fans stirred up by his announcement that the movie would change the Turtles’ backstory to indicate that they were space aliens in origin (see “Are the Turtles Ninjas From Outer Space?”), quickly decided to put the blame for the name change on Paramount’s marketing department, stating on his blog: “Paramount marketing changed the name.  They made the title simple.  The characters you all remember are exactly the same, and yes they still act like teenagers.  Everything you remember, why you liked the characters, is in the movie.  This script is being developed by two very smart writers, with one of the original creators of the Ninja Turtles.  They care very much about making this film for the fans.  Just give them a chance.  Jonathan (Liebesman) the director, is a major fan of the whole franchise. He is not going to let you down.”

 

While it appears that Bay’s blog entries reflect a certain defensive desperation, maybe fans should cut the whizbang director/producer some slack rather than a new excretory orifice.  His tone indicates that he may have been sufficiently chastised by the outcry over the TMNT origin story changes, though his remarks also reveal that perhaps he and his crew don’t necessarily have a handle on the elusive elements that took the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic from its origin as a very niche comic book parody to a worldwide kids’ entertainment phenomenon that encompassed cartoons, live-action movies, stage shows, and toys as well as comics.