After five years of voicing Michelangelo on Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Greg Cipes is sad to see the series coming to an end. That being said, it would appear that he’s also very hopeful for the future of the franchise. In a recent interview with Bleeding Cool, Cipes discussed his role and Nickelodeon’s immediate plans for the future of our half-shelled heroes. Although it’s clear that he probably won’t be involved, he took this time to once again express an interest in returning when and if the network decided to produce some kind of reunion special.
“Whatever Nickelodeon wants me to do or to be a part of for the voice, of course, I’m down to be a part of it. I’m always going to support the Turtle franchise and I’m always going to be a part of the Turtle family. So that’s the best part of it, knowing that my Mikey will always live on regardless. If they want me to do something else, I’m down to do that too.”
Cipes also noted that Nickelodeon has already brought back the old-school turtles a few different times during the past 5 years, indicating that they might be interested in continuing with this pattern when Rise of the TMNT is released in 2018.
“Much like the old-school Turtles showed up on our show, I got the feeling that our Turtles are going to show up forever also, and maybe coming back as a series again as our Turtles is the best-looking version that’s ever been and the best one. And I’m not saying that because I’m in it, but because it is so.”
If you’re like me, you’ll probably miss moments such as this. Image Source: Nickelodeon.
Needless to say, Greg absolutely loves this version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I’m sure many shellheads would disagree with him about this being the greatest iteration of the TMNT, but I’m actually inclined to agree. Regardless of his opinions, he has a point about Nickelodeon bringing back voice actors from the original animated series; if the network is willing to go that far for nostalgia, chances are that they will also be interested in bringing back the current crew several years from now.
In other words, this might not be the end for Greg Cipes, Rob Paulsen, Sean Astin and Seth Green. As Cipes said, they might even come back for a full series at some point! Even though it’s sad to see Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles come to an end, it’s nice to know that we could see them again someday. The Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady story arc will represent the final episodes of this series, and they are scheduled to air on November 12th, 2017. If you want to see this tale before it airs, you can actually buy the DVD set right now on Amazon.
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Speaking of potential TMNT reunions, I really hope Nickelodeon will bring back the 2003 animated Ninja Turtles someday for an interesting one. Seeing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the 2003 cartoon was how I first heard of them. Besides, I would love to meet and greet the four voice actors [Michael Sinterniklaas (Leonardo), Sam Riegel (Donatello), Gregory Abbey (Raphael), and Vinnie Penna (Michelangelo)] who voiced the TMNT in the 2003 cartoon series.
Same here. However, I believe we all want the 2003 version of Shredder to appear. That guy was incredibly evil and made for a great villain. The 2003 version of Bishop appearing would be incredible as well. I also want to point out how amazing that the 80’s villains still find a way to pop out in this day and age. Not even 80’s Megatron, Skeletor, Cobra Commander, and Mumm-Ra can say they did that.
Actually that’s what made that version of Shredder so one-dimensional. Neither version of Shredder is that good a villain, even in the comics. He only has 3 things working for him: a bladed suit, a grudge against Yoshii, and he’s a pretty good fighter. He’s never done anything though that leaves a mark on your mind. You’d never mistake him for the likes of Joker, Venom, Dr. Doom, Magneto, Green Goblin, Two Face, etc.
True. I guess I like the 2003 version because he was a stark difference to the 80’s version (only talking in cartoon standards that is). However, it was cool seeing the 80’s Shredder be lethal and in the final episodes with Lord Dregg.
I completely agree 2k12 is the best series. They’re all good but this is the best without a shadow of a doubt.
I grew up with the 80s series, loved the comics and films, but have to agree, Nick’s series is the best for me too, it seems to have captured the best parts of earlier iterations and added something new. Cipes as Mikey is one of my favourite parts of the series, had me belly laughing many times!
It was very ambitious, had a lot of good things going for it, and when it was good, there was almost nothing like it. HOWEVER, let’s be honest, this show became a mess since “Revenge of the Triceratons” and you can make a case it was that way even before that. Plus they left a lot of unresolved storylines on the table and there were easy ways they could’ve avoided that. The first 2 seasons were great but they didn’t keep that going. That being said, I can’t declare it a great action cartoon (only Samurai Jack, Gargoyles, Avatar, and Batman fit that bill). Despite having some problems itself, I have to go with the 2003 TMNT (barely).
I like that every generation has a tmnt series. For so,e its the 80s golden age, for people like me otz ghe 2003 series and for others its the 2012 show. I hope that this trend of great shows continue so every generation grows up with a high quality tmnt cartoon. While I think its a bit early to jump into another reboot I’m excited for what the future holds.
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