Heat Vision reports that Will Arnett has signed on for one of the leads in Platinum Dunes’ upcoming reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He joins a cast that includes Megan Fox as ace reporter/F.O.T. (Friend of the Turtles) April O’Neal and Alan Ritchson (Raphael), Pete Ploszek (Leonardo), Jeremy Howard (Donatello), and Noel Fisher (Michaelangelo) who will be portraying the Turtles themselves via the magic of motion capture.
Arnett’s role is unknown but the article states that he will not be playing Casey Jones, one of the Turtles’ allies and a vigilante hero in his own right (the role was inhabited by Elias Koteas in the original films). The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is being directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles) from a script by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) and has already been given the release date of June 6, 2014.
Given Arnett’s comedic sensibilities I would’ve expected him to play some goofy role like O’Neil’s boss, but since Heat Vision specifically says “one of the leads” I’m confused as to what the role could be. Is Platinum Dunes ballsy enough to make him Splinter or Shredder? Probably not, but I’ll just say “I called it” now as a preemptive measure. And here’s hoping this is the movie that finally gives Arnett more live-action movie work; I love the guy to pieces and he deserves giant paychecks and prominent roles. Let’s hope Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of the roles that gives him a little movie clout and makes enough money to make everyone forget that most movies he appear in tend to be flops. Also, here’s hoping this movie as a whole isn’t terrible as well.
Does the addition of Will Arnett pique your interest?