Michael Bay Talks ‘Ninja Turtle’ Origins, ‘Transformers 4’ Designs

Michael Bay gave fans some quick updates on both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers 4 while promoting his new flick Pain and Gain.

The director used the opportunity to calm the nerves of nervous fanboys who are genuinely concerned about the future of the Ninja Turtles franchise.

Although much has been made about the characters’ alien origins, Bay told Moviefone that this aspect of the story can be found in the comic books.

Michael Bay explained:

“It’s the ooze! It’s from the original source material. These are from the original writers, and I never went out to correct myself in the press. I do listen to the fans and I do want this to be authentic. I think they’re going to be really happy with this movie. When I see the digital stuff, the turtles look great.”

Director Jonathan Liebesman, who is working closely with co-creator Kevin Eastman on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, also remarked that true fans of the series shouldn’t have an issue with the alien origin story.

“If everyone was such a die-hard fan, they would know that the TCRI canisters where the ooze comes from. That is alien ooze. We’re expanding [the story], and the expansion will be true to the mythology,” he explained.

This isn’t the first time Michael Bay has been forced with contend with an angry fanbase. Many people are still upset with how his adaptation of Transformers played out in theaters.

Bay told Moviefone about re-designing the characters:

“You know there are a couple of historians of Transformers. I would do my designs of the robots and they’re like, ‘What if you just add a little bit more ears to Optimus?’ But they’re really hands off. We’ve redesigned them in ‘Transformers 4,’ and there’s some really cool s-t in it. I’m literally redesigning every character, top to bottom. There’s a reason why they’re redesigned, but it’s also to keep it new and fresh to me. I think the fans will appreciate some of this new stuff we have in the movie and some of the new characters.”

Like it or not, Michael Bay is continuing to make a ton of money off your childhood. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is expected to arrive in theaters son June 6, 2014, while Transformers 4 should find its way into cinemas on June 27, 2014.

[Image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]