Many fans have been wondering about the attitude of Casey Jones in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. As the film nears its eventual release, we have learned a lot more about the character from trailers, clips and interviews with the star Stephen Amell. In one of his most recent interviews, Amell spoke with IGN about the role and clarified something that shellheads everywhere have been concerned about. The relationship between Raphael and Casey Jones has always been a tumultuous one, so you can imagine that this is something that fans dearly want to see continue in the latest film. According to Amell, we have nothing to fear.
“He’s got a slightly adversarial relationship with Raphael. But that’s sort of Raphael’s personality and Casey’s personality. With Michelangelo, Donatello, and Leonardo, he’s much more amicable, but it’s a little bit confrontational with Raphael.”
When Casey and Raph first meet in both the original comics and the 90’s movies, their attitude toward one another is notably combative. Although they eventually become good friends, the two hotheads don’t necessarily like one another at first. Casey Jones and Raphael have always been a yin and yang for the franchise; they are two sides of the same coin. Originally, Casey was a character who hated criminals and literally wanted to beat them to death. This is where Raph came in and tried to convince him to change his ways, resulting in a fight that is of absolute importance to their characterization.
It’s nice to see that they haven’t veered too far off course for the origin story of Casey Jones – and according to Amell, this movie does attempt to build a new origin for the character:
“…it’s sort of an origin story for Casey Jones, and it’s certainly left in the position where if the franchise were to continue and be successful, that he could certainly come back.”
New poster artwork for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Source: Paramount Pictures.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is shaping up to be a huge hit at the box office, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Stephen Amell return as Casey in a third film of this franchise. That being said, I know that a lot of fans would also prefer to see a darker film (or potentially a television series) that focuses entirely on the character of Casey Jones.
This is a character with a fairly dark background that is worthy of exploring. I think there is potential for a movie that digs into the full story of this vigilante hero. With the success of films like Deadpool, I think it’s time for the studios to start thinking about taking a chance on a more adult version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe.
Whatever happens, it’s nice to know that Jones will at least have the same kind of role in these new movies as he has had from the very beginning.
7 comments
Is it just me or do the TMNT seem to be having a better 2016 than DC or Marvel?
I would love to see a more adult take on the TMNT universe. I think that would be awesome! Although I think they’ve struck a very good balance between being adult friendly and kid friendly with the current movie and show.
“adult friendly and kid friendly with the current movie and show.”
How so? I don’t see anything remotely balanced about the current movies. They’ve pretty much made clear in interviews how they deliberately avoiding anything remotely dark or mature,
you are right that they avoid anything dark or mature, what I meant by that was that they have found a balance that pleases adults and kids. The show and movies are both filled with nostalgia that keeps adults watching. Not to mention that there are many reasons adults love TMNT without it being dark or mature. And kids love it for obvious reasons, I wasn’t implying that they have made it dark or mature, but that they find a balance without it.
I agree. I think both the Nick cartoons and IDW comics walk that line between being appropriate for a younger audience and more adult themes. Oftentimes we have to read between the lines a little, but that’s ok with me. One example is the story between Saki and Yoshi, in the cartoons, or the relationship between Splinter and Leo. There are some really brutal moments between these characters and I think the full implication of some of those scenes is missed by kids. Having said that, I would be all about a more mature take on TMNT. As far as Casey, I like his darker past, but we haven’t really seen it delved into very much, with the exception of the comics. I wish they would acknowledge where he came from a bit more.
YES! That is exactly right! That is the thing about TMNT. Because it relies heavily on the young child demographic, the general public perceives it as a little kiddy thing. But there are big moments that I don’t think kids fully understand. And like, there is a reason that I can walk into a barnes and noble and find TMNT merch right next to Game of thrones merch. TMNT has an incredibly involved deep story that I think more people should know about. And a darker show/movie would do just that. (thanks for chatting Elisa you’re a true TMNT fan) 😉
I’d love to see a more grown up version for those of us in our 30’s. With that said, I’d also love less CGI. I enjoyed the earlier movies much more when actors were in costume.
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