The Movie Alan Ritchson Said Made Him “Hate Life” Is Leaving Netflix Soon

The release of the 2014 reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleswas hit with tremendous controversy even before its release, as many longtime fans of the franchise were displeased with the direction that producer Michael Bay seemed to be steering the series. Beyond the unusual changes to the origin story, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles seemed to be making the same mistakes as Bay’s Transformers films; they replaced the kid-friendly mischief with more lewd and adult humor, and put an inordinate amount of attention on the human character. While the film was not received warmly by fans and critics, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was an absolute nightmare for its cast. The production was so miserable that Alan Ritchsoncalled it “the worst experience of my professional life,” and revealed he had sent countless emails to the President of Paramount Pictures that were never responded to.

It was announced early on that the cast of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would feature Ritchson as Raphael, Jeremy Howard as Donatello, Pete Ploszek as Leonardo, and Noel Fischer as Michelangelo. All four actors appeared on set to capture the motion-capture movements of the characters, and also provided the voices (except for Ploszek, who was replaced by Johnny Knoxville). Despite being promised an “Andy Serkis level of exposure” for their work, the actors cast as the turtles were mistreated on set and not given an opportunity to do press for the film.

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Was Brutal on Its Cast

Ritchson’s account of what the cast experienced during production is quite jarring, as he reported that the actors cast as the titular characters were essentially treated like props by the studio. Ritchson and his co-stars had to work nightmarish hours in hazardous conditions, were denied the chance to take studio vehicles, and forced to accept substandard wages, meal options, and safety precautions, all while not receiving overtime. The actors were powerless to protest the studio given their contracts, but at least held on to the hope that they would get to promote their work in the film. However, none of the press junkets scheduled allowed them to participate, as all four actors were cut out of the marketing material all-together. Although they were promised a better situation for the sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, Ritchson revealed that nothing improved, and that they never received the supposed back-ends that would have boosted their salaries.

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Ritchson went on to explain that he was actually relieved when Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows underperformed, as it allowed him to avoid what would have surely been another terrible experience making a third film; despite having initially accepted the role because he felt that it would mean something to his kids, Ritchson stated he was disappointed that they never got to see their father honored for his work playing a superhero. Although the treatment that the cast received is unacceptable by any standards, it’s disappointing because the best parts of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films were the actors, who had strong chemistry together and felt like a believable set of friends. The issues of the film came from the ugliness of the computer-generated designs and the convoluted nature of the script, but the actors all delivered their best work under the circumstances. It’s no coincidence that the best moment in the film, which involves the turtles breaking into an impromptu song before a major action scene, was a moment solely reliant on the actors staying in character and homaging the source material.

Why Has ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Become So Controversial?

It’s safe to say that the treatment that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stars received was indicative of the fact that Paramount had no respect or understanding for the original comics and cartoons, and didn’t understand that the unique personalities are what make the turtles so compelling. Although the fact that subsequent animated shows and comics have been popular suggests that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is still just as popular as it has ever been, the underperformance of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows would indicate that viewers didn’t respond to the specific iteration of the characters that Bay and producer Brad Fuller had in mind. One of the many reasons that the recent film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem performed so well is that it emphasized the team nature of the story and took time to flesh out each of the characters.

It unfortunately seems like Paramount has taken every effort to sabotage their own success when it comes to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, as the studio has cancelled several projects set in the universe, and might be making more alterations given the recent acquisition by Skydance. Although a sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is still set for release in 2027, it appears that Paramount is risking its luck yet again with plans to make another live-action film. It’s sad to consider what has become of the franchise, given that the comics began as a subversive alternative to DC and Marvel, and that the original 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film is still one of the most successful independent releases of all time. Ritchson has thankfully been able to brush off the experience now that he’s playing another iconic character in Reacher, but it's disappointing that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans are in the dark about the attempts he made to homage the franchise.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Release Date

August 7, 2014

Runtime

101 minutes

Director

Jonathan Liebesman

Writers

André Nemec, Josh Appelbaum, Evan Daugherty, Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman