A lot has been made over Michael Bay’s announcement that his reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film franchise would feature our favorite pizza-eating reptiles as aliens from another universe, instead mutants exposed to radioactive green ooze. Fans of the franchise – myself included – were all like, “WTF Bay? What did we do to deserve this?” And of course Bay responded, “Chill bro daddies, it’s all good in the gated neighborhood.”
Now Bay has received some support from an unlikely party – TMNT comic book co-creator Peter Laird.
In a post, Laird encouraged fans to “swallow the ‘chill pill’ Mr. Bay recently suggested they take, and wait and see what might come out of this seemingly ill-conceived plan.”
“It’s possible that with enough truly creative brainpower applied to this idea, it might actually work,” he continued. “I’m not saying it’s probable, or even somewhat likely… but it IS possible. However, as I have pondered this further, I have realized that in one way it IS truly a genius notion.” (Via Entertainment Weekly)
Just so we’re clear, Laird is saying that Bay’s decision to change the origins of Leonardo and Co. from mutants to aliens is genius. I mean, if that’s genius, then changing them from turtles to tortoises must be f*cking MENSA-level sh*t.
Alas, not everyone is scrambling to Bay’s defense these days. Remember that whole firing Megan Fox from Transformers because she called Bay an asshole thing? Well, actor Chris O’Dowd sure does.
Last week, O’Dowd said this of the director he’s never worked with:
“I don’t know the ins and outs of it but it’s all down to having a fallout with Michael Bay. But who wouldn’t have a fallout with him? It’s one of the sexist things (sic) I’ve ever seen. She called him an a**hole. Well, he is a f**king a**hole. She’s not the only one who has said that. Why has she been singled out?” (Vis the Toronto Sun)
That’s a burn. But O’Dowd, who I thought was painfully bland in Bridesmaids, has come to his senses and is sorry for hurting Bay’s feelings.
“Chris O’Dowd here, are as you probably know me, that loudmouth Irish shit. Or even more likely, Chris O’Who?,” the letter starts. “Please know this, I never called you an asshole. For one, I don’t know you, and secondly, in Ireland, we say Arse,” writes O’Dowd, who goes on to explain that he wasn’t calling Bay sexist, but the handling of Fox’s firing. O’Dowd explains: “What I actually said was; ‘The way the Press gleefully dealt with the firing of a young woman was one of the most sexist things I’ve ever seen. People shouldn’t revel in seeing anyone lose a job. The dismissal of an old male actor would never have been welcomed with the same joy and ridicule.’ It was naive of me to assume a remark aimed at the sexism in the entertainment press would reach its target in the entertainment press. I’m new to all this and that was stupid of me.” (Via Hollywood.com)
You know who else is sorry, O’Dowd? El Tigre Magnifico, who is about to send a SCUD where the sun don’t shine.