San Diego Comic-con 2017 was a blast, but it was also somewhat bittersweet. While we once again got the opportunity to see the cast and creators of Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it was with the knowledge that they were there to talk about the final season of the show. We still don’t know if any of them will be brought on board for the new series, but that didn’t stop them from talking turtles with us! We sent Machelle Noel (AKA April O’Neil) of GeekRockTV to the convention to speak with the creative minds behind this franchise and ask them a variety of questions about our heroes in a half shell.
During this SDCC interview, we heard from Kevin Eastman, Ciro Nieli, Rob Paulsen, Greg Cipes, Eric Bauza, Stan Sakai and Yuki Matsuzaki. Although the subject of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did come up, all Ciro Nieli could say was that it wasn’t his show and he was passing on the reigns to a new creator. It’s definitely sad to see him leave the franchise, but he seems genuinely appreciative of the opportunity he was given. Nieli and his fellow shellheads all seem very upbeat about the new animated series, and that’s definitely a good sign.
Kevin Eastman also spoke up, expressing that he was happy to see the network give Nieli and his fellow creators an opportunity to have some fun with the final season. Considering the fact that they were able to bring Usagi Yojimbo into the universe and there are plans for a three-episode crossover with the 80’s turtles later this year, it’s safe to say that Nickelodeon has indeed provided a wonderful send-off for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
In addition to this interview, Machelle also spoke with some of the most well known actors behind the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – Jason David Frank and Walter E Jones. You may remember them as the Green Ranger and Black Ranger, but they’re also fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When asked about why both franchises tend to draw the same loyal viewership, Jones suggested that it was a love of martial arts that binds both fan communities. Jason also mentioned the turtles, noting that fans would always confuse the franchises at the time he was working on Power Rangers. He also enjoyed the crossover event, indicating that it was very cool and he loved the TMNT at the time.
These interviews were a lot of fun to watch and you can tell that they were pretty fun to conduct as well. In addition to the nerdy discussions, we also get to see co-host Jimmy Blu Mendez taking part in the festivities. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to experience SDCC first hand, there’s nothing quite like seeing it through the eyes of a fellow shellhead.
Of course, conducting interviews isn’t always easy, so there were also plenty of bloopers which have been posted for your enjoyment. In this video, you’ll find plenty of excerpts from interviews related to hit TV shows and popular franchises such as Gotham, Supernatural, Flash, Krypton, IZombie, Riverdale, Teen Titans Go!, Justice League Action, Unikitty, Black Lighting, Supergirl, Once Upon A Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and more!
Machelle Noel and her co-host Jimmy had a lot of fun hanging out with these turtley awesome dudes at SDCC 2017! Image Source: GeekRockTV.
If you want to see everything else Machelle has been up to, check out her work on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter @MachelleNoelTV and @GeekRockTV. Special Thanks to Machelle Noel, Jimmy Blu Mendez, Leticia Ruiz, Matthew Weatherson, Mike Jeffs, Mason Banks, Matt Beck, Emily Beck, Susy Botello (Int’l Mobile Film Festival), Raymond Montemayor (A Star War Toy Story) and GeekRockTV.com.