San Diego got a major infusion of Turtle Power today as the Comic-Con panel for franchise revamp Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles took fans behind-the-scenes, sneaked never-before-seen clips, and revealed the new trailer and premiere date: Monday, September 17! The panel featured new voice cast Omar Miller (Raph), Ben Schwartz (Leo), Josh Brener (Donnie), Brandon Mychal Smith (Mikey), Kat Graham (April O’Neil) and Eric Bauza (Splinter), co-executive producers Andy Suriano and Ant Ward, and legendary voice director Rob Paulsen; moderated by Keely Flaherty of BuzzFeed.
Nickelodeon has also let new guest star info and character art slip out of its shell. The lineup of new mutants and bizarre villains includes Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) as Big Mama, a gigantic spider mutant; John Michael Higgins (Pitch Perfect) as Warren Stone, a former news anchor turned mutant earthworm; Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Albearto, a singing, birthday-loving rampaging robot; Sam Richardson and Tim Simons (Veep) as Muninn and Huginn, gargoyles who are never far from their master, Baron Draxum (voiced by WWE Superstar John Cena); John Rotten Lydon (Public Image Ltd. and Sex Pistols) as Meat Sweats, a power-hungry mutant pig; Rhys Darby (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) as Hypno-Potamus, a mutant magician/hippo; and Jorge Gutierrez (El Tigre) as Ghostbear, a human pro-wrestler champion with a taste for cheating.
“Playing an arch-fiend in the TMNT universe finally means I have arrived!” said Higgins. “First, I got a gold-embossed letter from SAVNeT (Society of Arch Villains of the Ninja Turtles) and then we all did our Caribbean cruise, and of course the Mini-Golf Tournament. Though Warren Stone is an incorrigible criminal and a thoroughly rotten character, I have great respect for him. He takes his broadcasting career very seriously and will leave no Stone unturned to cheat someone out of what is rightfully his. Also, I’m glad the show is animated because everything that happens to Warren Stone looks like it hurts like crazy.”
Plus, Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche reunite as Foot Lieutenant, the de-facto leader of the sinister Foot Clan; and Foot Brute, his right-hand man.
The 26-episode series is co-exec produced by Andy Suriano (character designer, Samurai Jack) and Art Ward (supervising producer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) at Nickelodeon in Burbank.
The 2D-animated action-comedy follows the Turtles on all-new adventures as they master new powers, while bizarre and mutated creatures and villains emerge to take on Raph, Leo, Donnie and Mikey in battles across New York City. From the tallest skyscraper to the dankest sewer drain, the brothers learn to work together and navigate the perils of New York City and the hidden realms below to fulfill their destiny as heroes.
The half-hour launch episode “Mystic Mayhem” sees the Turtles discover that, much to their surprise, they’re not the weirdest New Yorkers around… Fans can catch a sneak peek of this adventure on Friday, July 20 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon. Additional episodes will be available on the Nick App, nick.com and Nick On Demand. Rise is set to roll out on Nickelodeon channels and branded programming blocks in more than 170 countries and territories following the Sept. 17 debut.
Read more about Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the August ‘18 issue of Animation Magazine (#282).
