Credit: Nickelodeon Movies / Paramount PicturesThe new TMNT: Mutant Mayhem movie is described as one of the best in the franchise, and our review of the film has joined the legion of fans praising the franchise’s new direction. Despite what is being said about it, director Jeff Rowe recently revealed the early iterations of the reboot had nearly copied Christopher Nolan’s Batman, which would have been a mistake.
Related: ‘TMNT: Mutant Mayhem’ Succeeds Where Other Reboots Failed
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are certainly superheroes in their regard, and they have also teamed up with Batman, but they are also far separate from the threats that DC superheroes face. The Turtles have threats like Shredder wanting to take control of New York City with the Foot Clan and sometimes Krang from Dimension X. Though they often save the day, it’s not based on threats that would threaten the very lives of all humankind.
The TMNT has existed only to deal with its own contained big baddies, which has always been one of the franchise’s best aspects. Through the years, Shredder has always ensured that he takes control of the city versus world domination. That’s not to say that it’s his ultimate goal, but he generally only wants to stop the Turtles.
Because of this, the Turtles and their relationship with Shredder have always been able to push the element of humor and zaniness. If that formula were messed with, it would ruin this team’s uniqueness. Jeff Rowe spoke more about this in a new interview and how the team had nearly copied Christopher Nolan’s Batman run.
Jeff Rowe Reveals ‘TMNT: Mutant Mayhem’ Nearly Grounded the Turtles
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, writer and director of TMNT: Mutant Mayhem Jeff Rowe revealed the direction they nearly took with everyone’s favorite Half-Shelled heroes. According to Rowe:
“There’s been a little bit of a trend with superhero films, and it probably really kicked off with Batman Begins, but it’s to take the preposterous elements of the franchise and the lore and make them black and tactical and grounded and whatever the realistic version is. And so we had thought about that early on, like, ‘Okay, how would you actually strap a sword to yourself and do these things?’ And we were like, ‘That’s just not the Ninja Turtles. They’re wacky. The designs are silly. That playfulness is what I loved about it as a kid, so let’s embrace that.'”
Rowe has an excellent point: their wackiness and designs make the TMNT unique. The art style for Mutant Mayhem is one of the best aspects of the reboot, simply because they took broad swings in combining a style that brings stop motion and almost dumbed down drawings into something special.
With how the Turtles are displayed, they would likely not be taken as seriously in a more grounded story. That’s not to say the franchise will not be going in that direction, as The Last Ronin is doing so and is arguably one of the better stories to come out of the franchise. Still, the current version of the Turtles is special because the characters are all finally kids. The film might not have worked if they acted and behaved like Nolan’s Batman.
Christopher Nolan delivered a Batman world that was far more grounded than its predecessors and took a much darker turn. He knew precisely the type of Batman he wanted to see on screen, which worked. The Dark Knight (2008) is arguably the greatest superhero movie ever made, but it was because of Nolan’s choices that altered Batman’s story.
Noaln’s Batmn trilogy is special because it was vastly different from anything produced before. No one could replicate what he did and succeed in the same way. Matt Reeves is doing something similar, but that’s a conversation for another time.
The TMNT: Mutant Mayhem movie brings together the elements of acceptance and being a teenager so well that had it gone darker and more grounded, the film would have alienated itself. Mutant Mayhem allows the Turtles to be identifiable, especially with their contemporary references and issues that people can sympathize with. Had they been turned into these dark figures that stalked the Foot Clan, kids might not have been able to enjoy it as much.
Related: ‘TMNT’ Joins Marvel by Creating Its Own Cinematic Universe
We would love to see the TMNT team up with Batman in another animated film, but not if that film will be trying to replicate Nolan’s genius.
What do you think about TMNT: Mutant Mayhem nearly making the story more grounded? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!