Comicbookmovie.com posted a nice interview with TMNT co-creator Peter Laird, where all kinds of Ninja Turtles topics are discussed: From the original cartoon series to Michael Bay’s controversial comment. And if you know Peter, you know what kind of answers to expect: Honest, right to the point, and sometimes even brutal.
Below are couple snippets from the interview courtesy of comicbookmovie.com:
Peter, you weren’t a huge fan of the 80’s animated series, but if you had to take a few elements from that show and apply it to a new live-action film, which would they be?”
If you are talking about elements of that show AS THEY WERE USED IN THE SHOW, I would say “nothing.”
Knowing that Kevin Eastman is working with Michael Bay and Jonathan Liebesman on the live-action film, does that make you more comfortable?
Not really. Given that one of the last things Kevin did when we were still partners was to push hard for the inclusion of “Venus de Milo”, the wretched “girl Turtle” in the live-action TV series “TMNT: The Next Mutation.” It’s safe to say that he and I have different views on what should and shouldn’t be done with the Turtles. That being said, his point of view on these things may have changed in the last twelve years. I don’t really know. I guess you could say it doesn’t make me more OR less comfortable.
You were very involved with the 2003 TMNT series on 4Kids TV and Volume 4 of the TMNT comics. In those two properties, we finally saw the Turtles really mature. It was a breath of fresh air. Do you fear that all of your hard work that went into updating the turtles will be stripped away for something more kid friendly like the 80’s animated series?
Not at all. I had a great time working on the seven years of that show, especially the first four seasons, and the “Turtles Forever” special, and feel like I got the TMNT TV show that we — or at least I, since I probably shouldn’t speak for Kevin — really wanted. Part of the process of selling the TMNT property was getting myself to a point where I could say goodbye to it and not have regrets about things not done… and working with Lloyd Goldfine and the crew at 4Kids on that show really went a long way towards satisfying that need.
To read the full interview, head over to comicbookmovie