B-Movie Legend Roger Corman Could've Made A TMNT Film – With The Wildest Cast Imaginable
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have endured in the pop culture consciousness for well over 30 years now, in no small part thanks to the '80s animated TV show and, perhaps more importantly, the wildly successful 1990 blockbuster live-action "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film. Directed by Steve Barron, that movie was truly the point of no return. The Turtles became superstars and, arguably, for a time, the most popular superheroes in North America. But things could have been quite different if an early pitch for a film adaptation had been received more warmly.
/Film's Ben Pearson recently spoke with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" co-creator Kevin Eastman in honor of the home video release of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem." During the conversation, Eastman recalled a pitch from none other than B-movie maestro Roger Corman in the '80s for a low-budget movie featuring Donnie, Leo, Raph, and Mikey. The craziest part? Who Corman had in mind to play the Turtles.
"Back in the earliest days, [before] the first Turtle movie, there was a pitch from Roger Corman's company, New World Pictures, which was like, I think it had a bunch of comedians like Sam Kinison and a couple [of] others that were going to be the turtles' voice [and] just basically paint their faces green and wear a shell. But it was a really low-budget, crazy idea that [co-creator] Peter [Laird] and I were not impressed with [laughs], so we said no. And wisely so, I guess."
Indeed, the idea was to have legendary comedian Sam Kinison as part of an ensemble that also would have included other big comedians of the day such as the watermelon-smashing Gallagher, "Police Academy" star Bobcat Goldthwait, and Billy Crystal, per The Ringer.
A fascinating alternate history
Corman has more than 500 producing credits to his name dating back to the '50s, with everything from "Little Shop of Horrors" to "Carnosaur" under his belt. He even produced a low-budget "Fantastic Four" movie in 1994 that never officially saw the light of day. The man is a legend — and he's a legend who absolutely has a brand. He makes B-movies for very little money, plain and simple. In the '80s, before the animated TV show truly took off — and especially before the 1990 movie — it's easy to imagine Corman seeing the Turtles as a property worth tackling.
That being said, the original live-action film had a $13.5 million budget which, 33 years ago, was sizable. New Line Cinema didn't skimp and that helped turn the movie into a hit that grossed more than $200 million worldwide. The studio took it seriously while remembering to keep things fun, and that led to a gigantic franchise that spawned sequels, an infamous appearance on "Oprah," and even the "Coming Out of Their Shells" live tour. That simply wouldn't have happened under Corman's watch.
That having been said, it's hard not to wonder what the heck a "Ninja Turtles" movie with Billy Crystal playing, say, Donatello, might have looked like. Filtered through that '80s New World Pictures cheese, it would have surely been something to behold. Would it have been better for the franchise? Almost certainly not, but it's difficult not to have a sense of morbid curiosity about the whole thing. Fortunately, Eastman and Laird had the sense to hold out for something better.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" is now available to buy or rent on Digital.