Changes are afoot (afoot clan?) for the core characters of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which just released its first trailer last week. While the four heroes and other characters such as rat ninja mentor Splinter were embodied by actors in performance capture suits on set, director Jonathan Liebsman is dubbing their voices in post-production. The first two new tonsil jockeys have been named: you’ll hear Johnny Knoxville as Leonardo and Tony Shalhoub as Splinter.
This is apparently something that has been planned for a while, which means that the voice of Michelangelo (played by Noel Fisher in the movie) that you heard in the trailer may end up changing. As for Leo, Knoxville seems like a strange choice since the character is usually the straight arrow leader of the Turtles. Shalhoub makes more sense as Splinter, but it’ll be intriguing to hear how they both work on screen.
The new take on the Turtles has been hit with both delays and fan criticism over tinkering with the main characters’ origin story. We have to admit the trailer didn’t exactly inspire confidence, but the finished movie will be a different beast. With Megan Fox, William Fichtner, Will Arnett, Alan Ritchson, Pete Ploszek, Danny Woodburn, Jeremy Howard and Abby Elliott in the cast, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be out on October 17.