Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is packed with villains. Not only his Shredder returning from the first movie (now played by Brian Tee), but he’s also accompanied by his daughter, and together they will hire scientist Baxter Stockman to mutate Bebop and Rocksteady into their animalistic forms. If all that wasn’t bad enough, the movie will also feature an alien invasion, led by the pink blob known as Krang. It was originally reported that Saturday Night Live alum Fred Armisen would voice the extraterrestrial villain, but now that job has been taken over by Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett.
Despite Armisen being announced as Krang’s voice earlier this year at WonderCon, Paramount never confirmed his casting, and the comedian eventually had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Now The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Garrett will voice Krang in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Just like the original Krang, the movie’s version will be an alien from Dimension X who was banished from his home world, stripped of his body and reduced to the pink form seen above. Now armed with the Technodrome battleship and maneuvering around in a mechanized body, he’ll invade Earth with his full might, and only the Turtles stand in his way.
While Brad Garrett has proved himself as a talented actor over the years, casting him as Krang is a strange choice. In the 1980s animated series, Krang’s voice was shrill and annoying, almost the exact opposite of Garrett’s, which is extremely deep, though certainly comical in the right situation. However, he may strike the right tonal balance for what the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel is going for. Maybe they wanted an actor who could sound naturally intimidating, but also has the comedic chops to make Krang sound like a fool whenever necessary. This will be Kang’s first theatrical appearance, although he was most recently adapted as an entire alien species in the Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series.
Brad Garrett is best known for playing Robert Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond, though he also starred as Eddie Stark on Fox’s ’Til Death. His more recent live action work includes Fargo, Manhattan and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but he’s also made a name for himself as a voice actor, working on projects like A Bug’s Life, the Night at the Museum movies, Planes and more. With only a few weeks left until Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows’ release, it’s possible that Paramount won’t offer a taste of Garrett’s Krang voice in the remaining previews, leaving audiences to be surprised when they’re watching in the theater.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows arrives in theaters on June 3.
