Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: News from Comic-Con 2006

San Diego, CA -- With a release date set for March of 2007, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has left behind its childhood days of men in rubber suits in favor of CGI, darker themes, and a more authentic comic book feel.

While the teaser shown during the Comic-Con panel was brief, the animation is highly detailed, and the Ninja Turtles themselves more closely resemble the characters from the original comic book, promising a grittier feel than previous movies. According to writer and director Kevin Munroe, audiences can look forward to seeing the turtles in a realistic world, dealing with real-life problems and character conflict, particularly pertaining to the conflict between family and individuals. However, unlike both the previous turtle movies and the animated cartoon, Shredder will not be the main antagonist despite a strong Foot presence in the film. Also, while it has been revealed that Japanese voice actor Mako (Aku from Samurai Jack) will be voicing Splinter in the new film, the voices for the four turtles will not be revealed until the end of August at the earliest. While unwilling to reveal the voice actors at this time, Munroe does promise that the four turtles will not be "celebrity driven."