Helgeland has a knack for compelling characters and crime stories, so hopefully something good will come of this collaboration. And it also marks a reunion for the filmmaker and Jones, who previously worked together on ‘Finestkind’.
The film follows a former Chicago mob enforcer (Cube), who after being released from prison, is a man intent on changing his life. Disappearing into rural Texas, he finds work under a skilled furniture craftsman and retired Texas Ranger Gus Wanamaker (Jones).
As Ruben and Gus form an unlikely friendship, that bond is jeopardized when both men’s pasts threaten to catch up with them.
When will ‘Outside Man’ be in theaters?
That’s a question right now –– the combination of Jones, Cube and Helgeland is currently in the process of being offered to studios and streamers to see who will pick it up. So stay tuned on that front.
Ice Cube stars in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’
(L to R) Ice Cube and Kevin Hart in ‘Ride Along’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Preview:
A third ‘Ride Along’ movie is in development.
Ice Cube, Kevin Hart and director Will Packer may all return.
Writer Daniel Gold has come up with a new script.
It has been 10 years since ‘Ride Along 2’ hit screens, so naturally Universal has been trying to get another one into development.
Per Deadline, the studio has a new script in the works with writer Daniel Gold (‘Workin’ Moms’), and if it all lines up, the lead duo of Ice Cube and Kevin Hart are likely to return.
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In addition to the actors, director Tim Story may also come back for the putative third outing.
(L to R) Kevin Hart and Ice Cube in ‘Ride Along 2’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
In ‘Ride Along’, security guard Ben Barber (Hart) must prove himself to his girlfriend’s brother, top police officer James Payton (Cube). In doing so, Ben rides along with James on a 24-hour patrol of Atlanta.
In part two, the duo head to Miami to take down a drug dealer who is supplying drugs to Atlanta.
There are no details yet on the story for the new movie, but Gold’s concept has reportedly got the main players excited to return after years of rejected ideas.
When will ‘Ride Along 3’ be on screens?
Universal has yet to confirm the new movie is in development (it made no mention of it at the studio’s recent CinemaCon presentation), but if the script is as good as hoped, expect this one to be fast tracked.
(L to R) Ice Cube and Kevin Hart in ‘Ride Along 2’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
(Left) Thandiwe Newton in ‘Rogue’. Photo: DirecTV. (Right) Steve Zahn in ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
Preview:
Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahn are aboard the new ‘Anaconda.’
Jack Black and Paul Rudd are starring.
Directors Tom Gormican is rolling the cameras now.
While the original is certainly funny intentionally in places, the 1997 giant snake thriller ‘Anaconda’ is mostly remembered for being ridiculous even when it tries to be horrific (and let’s be honest, a lot of that is due to Jon Voight’s leery schmuck).
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Now, though, Sony’s Columbia arm has a new take on the concept, and this time the focus is firmly on the funny, with Jack Black and Paul Rudd aboard to star.
Jennifer Lopez in 1997’s ‘Anaconda’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
The original movie starred Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Ice Cube and Voight, and followed a National Geographic film crew who is hunting for the world’s largest and deadliest snake, only to find the tables turned.
As you might expect, there is a lot of giant snake action.
That first outing didn’t strike critics well but grossed $136 million at the global box office and went on to quickly reach cult classic status.
‘Anaconda’ was followed by a series of films, including 2004’s ‘Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid’, which also did good theatrical business, before a plunge into schlock fare with two movies that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2008 (starring David Hasselhoff) and 2009.
1997’s ‘Anaconda’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
As you might expect given the presence of Black and Rudd, the aim is for the new movie to go a more comedic route.
Tom Gormican, who last brought us Nicolas Cage spoof ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’, co-wrote the script with collaborator Kevin Etten and is now rolling the cameras in Australia to take advantage of tax breaks via the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy.
The new story, according to The Hollywood Reporter’s sources, involves a group of friends facing mid-life crises who are remaking their favorite movie from their youth.
They head to the rainforest, only to find themselves in a fight for their lives against natural disasters, giant snakes and violent criminals.
Black will play an erstwhile director, a man stuck in his job as a wedding videographer, while Rudd will play an actor who did a stint on a cop show but sees his Hollywood dreams slipping further and further away.
Newton and Zahn are other childhood friends that join the two on the ill-fated adventure, while Mello will play a Brazilian animal wrangler. Skye is playing Black’s wife.
Where have I seen the new recruits?
(L to R) Thandiwe Newton and Angela Sarafyan in ‘Westworld’. Photo: HBO.
On the small screen, beyond her Emmy-winning turn on ‘Westworld,’ she’s been seen on ‘ER,’ ‘Line of Duty’ and ‘The Slap’ and is heard as Mona on Netflix series ‘Big Mouth.’ She’ll continue her association with the streaming service by showing up on ‘Wednesday’s second season this year.
Brazilian actor Mello is currently found starring opposite Fernanda Torres in Walter Salles’ political drama ‘I’m Still Here,’ which has been doing well this awards season.
Working as an actor since childhood, he last year starred in another Brazilian movie, ‘Bury Your Dead,’ and is also a director, with one of his movies, ‘The Clown,’ serving as his country’s submission for the best foreign language film at the 2013 Oscars.
When will the new ‘Anaconda’ slither on to screens?
With Fully Formed, the company run by producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, producing the movie, it has now secured a December 25th release date. Happy Snake-mas!
(L to R) Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube in 1997’s ‘Anaconda’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Jack Black and Paul Rudd may star in a new version of ‘Anaconda’.
Jennifer Lopez and Jon Voight headlined the 1997 original.
Tom Gormican is attached to direct the new movie.
Movie studios love dipping into their archives to find old titles they can slap some remake/re-imagining/legacy sequel paint onto and push into theaters to earn some fresh cash.
Sony is doing just that, having kicked off development of a new take on 1997’s ‘Anaconda,’ which, as you can guess, focused on a snake. In this case, a massive snake.
Jennifer Lopez in 1997’s ‘Anaconda’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
The original movie starred Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Ice Cube and Jon Voight, and followed a National Geographic film crew who is hunting for the world’s largest and deadliest snake, only to find the tables turned.
As you might expect, there is a lot of giant snake action.
That first outing didn’t strike critics well but grossed $136 million at the global box office and went on to quickly reach cult classic status.
‘Anaconda’ was followed by a series of films, including 2004’s ‘Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid’, which also did good theatrical business, before a plunge into schlock fare with two movies that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2008 (starring David Hasselhoff) and 2009.
The Reporter’s sources are pointing to the new story involving a group of friends facing mid-life crises who are remaking their favorite movie from their youth. They head to the rainforest, only to find themselves in a fight for their lives against natural disasters, giant snakes and violent criminals.
But the details are foggier when it comes to the roles that the new actors are considering. There are competing accounts: one has Black playing an erstwhile director, a man stuck in his job as a wedding videographer, while Rudd is an actor who did a stint on a cop show but sees his Hollywood dreams slipping further and further away. It might, however, be the other way round.
What is the plot of ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’?
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the four Turtle brothers (Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon) set out on a quest to be accepted as normal teenagers by the people of New York City through acts of heroism. With the aid of their new friend April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), the brothers go on a hunt for a mysterious crime syndicate, but trouble arises when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
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Who is in the cast of ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’?
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Jeff Rowe about his work on ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,’ what he wanted to adapt from the source material, developing the animation, having the actors record together, and how the classic video game ‘Tony Hawk‘s Pro Skater’ inspired the music for the film.
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ director Jeff Rowe.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Rowe, Ice Cube, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about developing the screenplay with Set Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and what were some of the elements of the source material that were really important for you to include in this movie?
Jeff Rowe: I mean, I think it’s a lot of things, you got to have Splinter, and you got to have the turtles. They have to essentially be their personalities that they’ve always been. But the biggest initial pivot was like, “We need to make them teenagers. We need to make them feel like real teenagers,” which means the situations they’re going to encounter are going to be relatable to actual teens, as much as possible with a crime plot in the film. Then also, they need to respond emotionally to things like the way a teenager actually would. We love so many of those mutant characters and designs. We found a way to incorporate a lot of things that I thought were cool into the film, but it all just started with we’re going to make them authentically teens.
(L to R) April O’Neil, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo in Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies in a Point Grey Production ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’
MF: What was the look and style that you were going for with the animation and what were some of the lessons you learned on ‘The Mitchells vs the Machines’ that you were able to apply to making this movie?
JR: We just wanted to make it look different and make it unique. It’s a new version of the characters and we wanted them to have their own visual identity in the world, and hopefully in a way that supports the characters. So much of the story is about them feeling alienated, wanting to be accepted and feeling flawed that to make them slick and cool looking and perfectly designed, just felt dishonest to them. ‘The Mitchells vs. The Machines’ taught us that this is technologically possible. I think studios used to hide behind technology as like, “Oh, well you can’t do that. The computers aren’t there yet.” But in a post ‘Spider-Verse’ world, and post ‘Mitchells,’ it’s like, no, we can, I know what the machines can do and they can do this, so let’s make it happen.
(L to R) Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo in Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies in a Point Grey Production ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’
MF: Why was it important for you to have all the actors record their performances together?
JR: It made it crackle with electricity. It made them so alive and it just let them be relatable and talk to each other. So much of the interaction when you’re a teenager, it’s like your friend says something and you’d roll your eyes and you make a comment about it, or you make fun of them and they make fun back and it’s so hard to script that. But when you get them recording together, it just happens naturally. Then the job became, how do we capture that? How do we edit that? How do we keep the story going while maintaining the loose improvisational nature?
(L to R) Micah Abbey, Brady Noon, Nicolas Cantu, and Shamon Brown Jr. star in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’
MF: Finally, can you talk about the music in the movie and taking inspiration from the music of ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’ video game?
JR: It wasn’t necessarily inspiration from ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,’ but we had a bunch of different things and I love the ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’ games, and we had hip hop, we had some punk songs and some metal songs in there at one point that kind of dropped out and we’re like, “Why does this fit together?” It’s just because all of the songs feel rebellious. They’ve got this kind of anti-authority energy to them, which is quintessentially teenage, and then that plus the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score, it just felt like things that you wouldn’t naturally think to put together, but as Tony Hawk proved, can coexist.
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies Present ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’
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Ice Cube attends the LA Premiere of the Paramount Pictures title ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’ at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on January 19, 2017 in Hollywood, California.
Forget Cher or Barbra Streisand, there is a strong argument to be made that Ice Cube is the most successful musician turned actor of all time!
The former member of N.W.A. made his big screen debut in director John Singleton’s ‘Boyz n the Hood,‘ and since then has created and appeared in such beloved franchises as the ‘Friday,’ ‘Barbershop‘ and ‘Ride Along‘ series.
Melanie Ballard (Natasha Henstridge) is a hard nosed police chief in the year 2025. She and a police snatch squad are sent to Mars to apprehend dangerous criminal James Williams (Cube). Mars has been occupied by humans for some time and they have set up mining facilities. The mining activities on Mars have unleashed the spirits of alien beings who gradually possess the bodies of the workers. It soon turns out that catching the dangerous fugitive takes a back seat as the alien spirits begin to rid their planet of the ‘invaders’.
Bucum Jackson (Cube) is a bounty hunter with a lot of attitude and no interest in taking on a partner. Working at Martinez Bail Bonds, Jackson has unorthodox methods of tracking down low-life criminals, but they work, and one day he hopes to become his own boss and open up his own private investigation firm. Reggie Wright (Mike Epps) is a slippery con artist who is avoiding the law, and Jackson. During a cat and mouse chase, the two stumble on a multi-million dollar diamond heist. Hiding from Jackson, Wright finds himself in the thieves’ getaway van and ends up having to escape from them after they discover their booty is fake, much to the displeasure of their ruthless boss (Tommy Flanagan). When Wright meets up with his girlfriend (Eva Mendes), he discovers that his recently purchased lottery ticket is the sole winner of $60 million. Unfortunately, his wallet, which held the ticket, was left in the thieves’ van, so he persuades Jackson to help him get it back.
Vusi Madlazi (Cube) returns to the South African village he left as a young boy to bury his father. He meets up with his brother Ernest (Sechaba Morojele), who tells him their other brother Stephen (Eric Miyeni) couldn’t be contacted. Vusi goes to Johannesburg to find him, but at first can only find his neighbor/girlfriend, Karen (Elizabeth Hurley), a stripper. Vusi proceeds to learn how conditions have changed since the end of apartheid, not always for the better for black men.
Biker Cary Ford (Martin Henderson) is framed by an old rival and biker gang leader for the murder of another gang member who happens to be the brother of Trey (Cube), leader of the most feared biker gang in the country. Ford is now on the run trying to clear his name from the murder with Trey and his gang looking for his blood.
Two Arkansas firemen, Vince (Bill Paxton) and Don (William Sadler), get hold of a map that leads to a cache of stolen gold in an abandoned factory in East St. Louis. What they don’t know is that the factory is in the turf of a local gang, who come by to execute one of their enemies. Vince sees the shooting, the gang spots Vince, and extended mayhem ensues. As Vince and Don try to escape, gang leader King James (Ice T) argues with his subordinate Savon (Cube) about how to get rid of the trespassers.
The journey of Manolo (Diego Luna), a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears.
A streetwise man (Cube) flees South Central Los Angeles, heading to the suburbs and his lottery-winner uncle (John Witherspoon) and cousin (Mike Epps), to avoid a neighborhood thug (Tommy “Tiny” Lister Jr.) with a grudge who has just escaped from prison.
Set in the dazzling world of the LA music scene comes the story of Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross), a superstar whose talent, and ego, have reached unbelievable heights. Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is Grace’s overworked personal assistant who’s stuck running errands, but still aspires to her childhood dream of becoming a music producer. When Grace’s manager (Cube) presents her with a choice that could alter the course of her career, Maggie and Grace come up with a plan that could change their lives forever.
The fledgling romance between Nick (Cube), a playboy bachelor, and Suzanne (Nia Long), a divorced mother of two, is threatened by a particularly harrowing New Years Eve. When Suzanne’s work keeps her in Vancouver for the holiday, Nick offers to bring her kids to the city from Portland, Oregon. The kids, who have never liked any of the men their mom dates, are determined to turn the trip into a nightmare for Nick.
A “National Geographic” film crew is taken hostage by an insane hunter (Jon Voight), who takes them along on his quest to capture the world’s largest – and deadliest – snake.
Ice Cube as Superfly in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,’ which opens in theaters on August 2nd.
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers (Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon) set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri) helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Malik (Omar Epps) is an African-American student attending on a track scholarship; academics are not his strong suit, and he goes in thinking that his athletic abilities will earn him a free ride through college. Fudge (Cube), a “professional student” who has been at Columbus for six years so far, becomes friendly with Malik and challenges his views about race and politics in America.
Darius Stone’s (Cube) criminal record and extreme sports obsession make him the perfect candidate to be the newest XXX agent. He must save the U.S. government from a deadly conspiracy led by five-star general and Secretary of Defense George Deckert (Willem Dafoe).
In high school, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) was a dork and Jenko (Channing Tatum) was the popular jock. After graduation, both of them joined the police force and ended up as partners riding bicycles in the city park. Since they are young and look like high school students, they are assigned to an undercover unit to infiltrate a drug ring that is supplying high school students synthetic drugs.
Follows veteran police officer Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson), the last of the renegade cops, as he struggles to take care of his family, and fights for his own survival.
For the past two years, high-school security guard Ben (Kevin Hart) has been trying to show decorated APD detective James (Cube) that he’s more than just a video-game junkie who’s unworthy of James’ sister, Angela (Tika Sumpter). When Ben finally gets accepted into the academy, he thinks he’s earned the seasoned policeman’s respect and asks for his blessing to marry Angela. Knowing that a ride along will demonstrate if Ben has what it takes to take care of his sister, James invites him on a shift designed to scare the hell out of the trainee. But when the wild night leads them to the most notorious criminal in the city (Laurence Fishburne), James will find that his new partner’s rapid-fire mouth is just as dangerous as the bullets speeding at it.
A day in the life of a barbershop on the south side of Chicago. Calvin (Cube), who inherited the struggling business from his deceased father, views the shop as nothing but a burden and waste of his time. After selling the shop to a local loan shark, Calvin slowly begins to see his father’s vision and legacy and struggles with the notion that he just sold it out.
A group of American soldiers (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Spike Jonze and Cube) stationed in Iraq at the end of the Gulf War find a map they believe will take them to a huge cache of stolen Kuwaiti gold hidden near their base, and they embark on a secret mission that’s destined to change everything.
‘Boyz n the Hood’ is the popular and successful film and social criticism from John Singleton about the conditions in South Central Los Angeles where teenagers are involved in gun fights and drug dealing on a daily basis.
Craig (Cube) and Smokey (Chris Tucker) are two guys in Los Angeles hanging out on their porch on a Friday afternoon, smoking and drinking, looking for something to do.
(L to R) April O’Neil, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo in Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies in a Point Grey Production ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’
Striking animation and its rapid dialogue make ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ a fun watch in theaters. The heroes in a half-shell take on the powerful Superfly while juggling their desire to fit in with the human world in the latest animated feature by Paramount.
In ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,’ teenage turtle brothers Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michaelangelo are sheltered within the sewers of New York, longing to be like normal teenagers. They meet April O’Neil, an inspiring journalist who asks for their help in taking on a mysterious crime syndicate. They soon realize there is a much more dangerous threat that could bring harm to New York City.
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Who is in the cast of ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’?
One of the most eye-catching elements of this movie is the animation style. It resembles the style we see in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,’ mixing 3D animation and 2D hand-drawn design. It’s very distinct and perfect for the quippy dialogue and fast-paced action scene. The film includes plenty of references for dedicated Turtle fans, yet it is modern and hip for the new and younger audience as well.
Story and Direction
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ director Jeff Rowe.
The film is directed by Jeff Rowe and Kyle Spears and gives the iconic turtle teens a fresh start. Opening the movie with an introduction to scientist Baxter Stockman and his work with mutation, the agents of T.C.R.I storm Stockman’s lab in order to steal his research. Stockman’s mutated fly fights back to in order to protect him, resulting in the lab being destroyed and some of the mutagen leaking down the sewer. This quickly establishes the antagonist, later named Superfly, as well as other well-known mutants such as Bebop and Rocksteady. This also builds the foundation for the inevitable battle between the Turtles and Superfly.
While long-time fans are familiar with the origin of the turtles, there will be new audiences who are just meeting them for the first time. The film quickly sets up the dynamic of the brothers through their wisecracking banter and their undeniable bond. Although we know the Turtles to be crime fighters in past iterations, the movie doesn’t have the brothers battling villains right off the start. It focuses on the “teenager” part of the movie title and shows that although they don’t complain about running basic errands for their dad, they also long to stay above the sewers to enjoy normal things like a drive-in movie or see a concert, which gets them in trouble with Splinter who often warns them about the humans.
Through a quick and hilarious exposition montage by Splinter of his and the Turtles’ origins, we understand why Splinter often cautions the brothers against being among the humans. Reluctantly, the brothers stay hidden in the shadows, away from humans and the world they long to be a part of.
(L to R) Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo in Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies in a Point Grey Production ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’
Past ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ movies and TV shows often cast adult actors as the leads, but in ‘Mutant Mayhem,’ the voice talents behind the four brothers and April O’Neill are, in fact, teenagers. This provided the characters with an authentic youthful energy. Combined with their use of modern lingo and endless references to pop culture, this energy carries through the entire film, making the movie quite fast-paced.
The first two acts of the movie doesn’t focus too much on Superfly, even though he is the villain of the story. Instead, it focuses on the Turtles’ desire to be a part of the human world and do normal teenage things like go to high school. It also tells the story of why Splinter is so strict about the Turtles being seen by the humans, as he recollects his bad experience of being shunned and chased by humans. Aside from the awesome action sequences, the larger story is about the desire to fit in and be accepted for who you are.
Ice Cube as Superfly in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,’ which opens in theaters on August 2nd.
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtes’ has been around since the 80s, starting out as a comic book created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Since then, many iterations have been created, from animated series to live-action movies. Fans heading into ‘Mutant Mayhem’ will need to keep their eyes and ears peeled for easter eggs and references. A segment of the “Ninja Rap” from 1991’s ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II’ can be heard in one of the scenes. Other familiar phrases like “Cowabunga” can also be heard in the movie.
This animated film also includes many modern references, as the Turtles long to be a part of the humans and learn what they can through social media since they can’t interact with humans. The brothers referred to current musicians and media such as Beyonce, BTS, ‘Attack on Titan,’ the ‘Avengers‘ movie, and more.
Final Thoughts
The movie’s vibrant animation and hilarious writing make this an entertaining watch. The witty and rapid banter between all the characters keeps the energy high and the laughs coming throughout the whole movie, though at times, some jokes were repeated too much that it grew tiresome. Seeing the Turtles somersault between building and hitting their iconic poses will take you down nostalgia lane. This movie gave the well-known franchise a fresh start without erasing the good of the previous movies and series.
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies Present ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’
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What is the plot of ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’?
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the four Turtle brothers (Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon) set out on a quest to be accepted as normal teenagers by the people of New York City through acts of heroism. With the aid of their new friend April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), the brothers go on a hunt for a mysterious crime syndicate, but trouble arises when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
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Who is in the cast of ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’?
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with actor and musician Ice Cube about his work in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,’ joining the popular franchise, his love for the Turtles, playing the villain Superfly, the recording process and bonding with his co-stars.
Ice Cube stars in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Ice Cube, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, and director Jeff Rowe.
Moviefone: To begin with, were you a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before joining this project and what does it mean to you to be a part of this franchise?
Ice Cube: Oh, yeah, a big fan. I’ve been checking them out since the ’80s and I took my kids to the movies and dealt with the lunch pails, the bedspreads, the action figures and all that. Remember when Kevin Durant went to the Warriors and they was already champs? It’s kind of like that. It’s like joining a championship franchise and getting a chance to make a difference. So, it was a dream come true for any actor.
MF: How would you describe Superfly in your own words and was it challenging finding the character’s voice?
IC: Superfly is the King of New York. Everything that’s bad, you’ve got to run through him. You’ve got to check in, for sure. But he has a heart. He don’t want to be an ugly Superfly. He wants friends. He wants acceptance. He just wants people to like him. He just wants to go to happy hour and eat his bowl of sugar and smoke a cigar, man. You know what I mean? It’s one of those things where he’s a guy you can understand, and if you don’t give him that, he tears up New York.
Ice Cube as Superfly in ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,’ which opens in theaters on August 2nd.
MF: I understand for this film, the recording process was done differently than on other animated movies as you actually got to work with the other actors you were performing with. Can you talk about that process and what was that like for you?
IC: It seemed like all animation should be done this way. You get a different kind of performance when you’re in the room with other actors who can match your timing, and you guys can kind of bounce off each other. It’s why the film feels so real and natural, and it doesn’t feel like the standard animation where you can tell somebody’s in a pristine studio, and they’re by themselves, and they’re trying to make it sound like they’re part of a group. This is the way to do it.
MF: Finally, did that process allow you to bond with the four actors playing the Turtles, and what was it like for you working with them?
IC: Very cool. All of them have great energy. All of them have great voices. When you think of animation, you think of people with amazing voices. How do you have a voice that’s perfect for a cartoon, especially when they’re young? I’m always amazed at these perfect voices that are chosen in animation, not just ‘Ninja Turtles,’ but most animation, they find the people with the most unique sounding voices that’s usually perfect. So, I like listening to them talk.
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Like the brick-built Bruce Wayne, “The LEGO Batman Movie” has been fortunate in its choice of rivals. The three movies that opened wide this weekend didn’t really stand a chance of beating “LEGO Batman,” with its estimated $34.2 million. Nor were they likely to outsell “Fifty Shades Darker” (which whipped up an estimated $21.0 million), even with the sadomasochistic sequel’s loss of 55 percent of the business it earned during last weekend’s premiere. “The Great Wall” and “Fist Fight” didn’t do great, either, while “A Cure for Wellness” did a little worse.
Why wasn’t the star power of such reliable box office draws as “Great Wall’s” Matt Damon enough to challenge the two star-free top box office draws? It could have to do with the audiences each movie is chasing. For instance, there’s…
1. The Discerning Audience Reviews may not matter much, unless they’re uniformly excellent or horrible. Right now, according to Rotten Tomatoes, “LEGO Batman” has the best reviews (91 percent “Fresh”) of any movie in saturation release (more than 3,000 screens). Then again, “Fifty Shades” has some of the worst reviews (9 percent “Rotten”), which may help explain its steep second-weekend drop.
Reviews for the three new wide releases are all poor, ranging from 32 to 38 percent fresh. Word-of-mouth is no better, judging by their CinemaScore grades: lackluster B grades for “Great Wall” and “Fist Fight” and a dismal C+ for “Wellness.” No wonder that horror film opened in 10th place with an estimated $4.2 million, even falling short of the low $6 million bar analysts had predicted.
You’d have thought “Fist Fight” would have been able to muster better than a fifth-place opening, with an estimated $12.0 million. Not only has Cube been a solid draw in recent comedies like the “Ride Along” movies, but “Fist Fight” also had the comedy marketplace all to itself. So it seems clear that the weak reviews and word-of-mouth must have hurt.
2. The Minority Audience There have been a lot of grumblings about whitewashing regarding “The Great Wall” — why does a Chinese-made movie set in ancient China need a white American star? None of these complaints seem to have stopped Asian-American audiences from going to see the historical fantasy adventure, which debuted in third place with an estimated $18.1 million.
According to exit polls, the “Great Wall” audience was 15 percent Asian, or nearly three times the percentage of Asians among the American populace.
Interestingly, “Great Wall” also drew an audience that was 23 percent Hispanic, also a higher fraction than the Hispanic percentage among the populace (nearly 18 percent). Is Hollywood underestimating potential sales among Hispanic viewers? Almost certainly.
After all, this weekend also saw the release of “Everybody Loves Somebody,” a bilingual romantic comedy set largely in Mexico, distributed by Pantelion, the Lionsgate division that’s had several hits in recent years with similar films. “Everybody” debuted at No. 14 with an estimated $1.0 million, even though it played on only 333 screens.
3. The Young Adult Audience
“Great Wall” did a better job than “Fist Fight” in cultivating young adult viewers. Some 50 percent of “Great Wall” viewers were under 30. Just 39 percent of “Fist Fight” viewers were under 25, in part because of the film’s R rating.
4. The Female Audience Neither Matt Damon’s monster-slaying adventure nor Ice Cube’s schoolyard brawl proved much of a draw for women, who made up just 41 percent of the “Great Wall” audience and 46 percent of the “Fist Fight” crowd. Most women at the multiplex were probably still lining up to see “Fifty Shades.” That may, in turn, have kept them away from “Wellness,” which, as a horror film, was the new release that should have capitalized the most on the female audience.
Then again, there have been an awful lot of horror movies over the last two months, so even if “Wellness” had earned positive buzz, a female audience that had had its fill of horror might still have stayed away.
5. The Foreign Audience Maybe the other reason few cared about the casting of “Great Wall” is that they just weren’t interested in a movie that — Damon aside — wasn’t really made with American viewers in mind. In fact, the movie has already earned a stunning $245 million abroad, including $171 million in China alone. No movie since last summer’s “Warcraft” — another effects-driven fantasy adventure that did extremely well everywhere but here — illustrates how little consideration is given to the American audience anymore.
The film cost a reported $150 million to make, but it’s sold so many tickets overseas that its profitability is assured, no matter how little it sells here.
“Great Wall” is one of several movies already in 2017 whose foreign earnings make their domestic earnings look like sofa-cushion change, including “Fifty Shades Darker,” “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage,” and “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.” Even “La La Land” has made more than $200 million abroad, about 1 1/2 times what it’s earned domestically.
Maybe “Fist Fight” and “Wellness” would have done better if they’d had more Chinese appeal. Or at least no one would care about their lackluster domestic debuts.
So far, LEGO Batman has been no match for LEGO 
Reviews may not matter much, unless they’re uniformly excellent or horrible. Right now, according to Rotten Tomatoes, “LEGO Batman” has the best reviews (91 percent “Fresh”) of any movie in saturation release (more than 3,000 screens). Then again, “Fifty Shades” has some of the worst reviews (9 percent “Rotten”), which may help explain its steep second-weekend drop.
There have been a lot of grumblings about whitewashing regarding “The Great Wall” — why does a Chinese-made movie set in ancient China need a white American star? None of these complaints seem to have stopped Asian-American audiences from going to see the historical fantasy adventure, which debuted in third place with an estimated $18.1 million.
Neither Matt Damon’s monster-slaying adventure nor Ice Cube’s schoolyard brawl proved much of a draw for women, who made up just 41 percent of the “Great Wall” audience and 46 percent of the “Fist Fight” crowd. Most women at the multiplex were probably still lining up to see “Fifty Shades.” That may, in turn, have kept them away from “Wellness,” which, as a horror film, was the new release that should have capitalized the most on the female audience.
Maybe the other reason few cared about the casting of “Great Wall” is that they just weren’t interested in a movie that — Damon aside — wasn’t really made with American viewers in mind. In fact, the movie has already earned a stunning $245 million abroad, including $171 million in China alone. No movie since last summer’s “