Say Wha? Will Arnett Joins Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

It isn’t clear just how many magnitudes of skepticism are clouding people’s visions when it comes to Jonathan Liebesman’s upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, or whatever it’s called when you drop a mutant deuce on a beloved franchise. Admittedly, the newest cast member makes it hard to keep from smiling, hoping it’s not a trick. (“An illusion, Michael.”)

Will Arnett is joining the cast of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which sort of needs to be said just like that in order for it to sink it properly. When it was announced that Megan Fox joined the cast, it made some sort of cosmic sense, given Michael Bay’s involvement, even as it made eyeballs burst in frustration around the country. But Will Arnett is a different kind of entity in a movie like this, and though The Hollywood Reporter says his role is being kept secret, how much can we really expect to see of Arnett, given that he isn’t one of the turtles, nor will he be Casey Jones or presumably any of the other canon characters that might be involved. I would not be against him going completely camp as one of Shredder’s henchmen. Actually, that would be preferred to whatever dopey role he gets. Probably April’s creepy stalker.

Arnett joins the previously cast Pete Ploszek, Jeremy Howard, Noel Fisher and Alan Ritchson. Only Shredder, Jones and Splinter have yet to be cast by way of main characters.

Long before the CGI-hybrid TMNT rises from the sewers into theaters on June 5, 2014, you can catch Will Arnett when Arrested Development returns in May, and in his upcoming CBS sitcom with creator Greg Garcia, if it goes to series.

But before all of those things, you can watch Angry Video Game Nerd review the NES version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, expressing the amount of frustration that the Bay-produced film will no doubt inspire.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.