Bebop And Rocksteady May Make It Into A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sequel

By Nick Venable | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

bebop rocksteady ninja turtlesIt’s no surprise that a lot of people have a lot of different gripes about the different theatrical takes on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, from the hideous costumes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III to the oddball CGI designs of Jonathan Liebesman’s upcoming film. But one particular gripe has existed ever since the very first film: where the hell are those bumbling idiots Bebop and Rocksteady? Fans of the hench-mutants may finally see justice if, and only if, the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles gets a sequel. Is that what we want from this overly CGI universe, though?

While the Platinum Dunes production made a sewer-water splash at Comic-Con’s Hall H yesterday, ScreenRant culled this significant factoid out of Liebesman and producer Andrew Form. When asked about what audiences could expect from potential future films in the franchise, Form says that everyone had characters they wish could have made it into this first rebooted take on the material. While Liebesman was quick to mention Casey Jones, the hockey mask-wearing vigilante and Turtle ally, Form went deeper into it:

Casey Jones. Bebop and Rocksteady. We had those conversations throughout development of this movie but we’re launching this movie now in two weeks. Hopefully everybody feels the same way we do [about it]. We love them [Bebop and Rocksteady].

Due to rights issues, Bebop and Rocksteady didn’t make it into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze, and were replaced by the somewhat similar dimwits Tokka (a snapping turtle) and Rahzar (a wolf). (They were both voiced by icon Frank Welker, which is pretty cool, as that “Mama?” scene was pretty funny.) Given little fans have taken to the updated appearance of the performance-captured Turtles, I’m not sure seeing a giant warthog and rhinoceros in the same style is going to be very heartwarming.

However, I’m all about getting another version of Casey Jones back on the big screen. Elias Koteas was good in the 1990 film, but the romantic pairing with April O’Neil watered down the character. I’d like to see Casey turned into a paranoid maniac in a sequel, one who actually believes that evil can be conquered. And I hope he likes pizza!

casey jones ninja turtlesAlso, do you guys remember when Michael Bay and all involved said that the Ninja Turtles were definitely not aliens, in response to the universal backlash against that particular plot change? Apparently co-creator Kevin Eastman had a few choice words to say in reference to that, provoking some (like our sister site Cinema Blend) to think that they still might be, at least in terms of a deeper origin story.

Eastman says:

We’d been fans of Star Wars from the early days, starting with the ooze being an alien substance in the original comic books… It’s fun to keep the soul of the characters, but take a step to the left or the right.

Teenage (or Elderly) Mutant (or Alien) Ninja (or Wrestler) Turtles (or Tortoises) will hit theaters on August 8. Do you think it’ll be a big enough success to warrant a sequel?