Omar Miller, Ben Schwartz, Josh Brener, Brandon Mychal Smith and Kat
Graham Star as the Series' Iconic Characters
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BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Nickelodeon today announced the voice cast of its all-new series, Rise
of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a reimagining that follows the
band of brothers as they encounter new allies and villains and discover
a mystical world they never knew existed beneath the streets of New York
City. The 2D-animated series stars the voice talent of Omar Miller (Ballers)
as Raphael, Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) as Leonardo, Josh
Brener (Silicon Valley) as Donatello, Brandon Mychal Smith (You're
The Worst) as Michelangelo and Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries)
as April O'Neil. The series is set to debut in 2018 on Nickelodeon.
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Nickelodeon's Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
"This incredible roster of voice actors provides a fresh take on these
globally recognized characters, and they are going to bring this version
of the Turtles to life in a whole new way," said Chris Viscardi, Senior
Vice President, Production and Development, Animation. "We have
reimagined the series to be filled with humor, loads of action and a
dynamic look, and it's packed with all new heroes, villains and
cityscapes for the Turtles to explore."
The highly comedic voice cast shapes the team in a fresh way and
breathes new life into the characters' distinct personalities,
including: Raphael, as the oldest and physically biggest brother, he is
now the leader and his enthusiasm and bravado puts him front and center
for most of their bizarre adventures; Leonardo, the self-professed
‘coolest' brother possesses irreverent charm and a rebel heart;
Donatello, an unflappable mechanical genius and tech wizard whose ninja
skills are second only to his coding; Michelangelo, the youngest
brother, an artist and awesome skateboarder with a wild colorful, and
imaginative personality; and the Turtles' most trusted ally, April
O'Neil, a street savvy native New Yorker who is always ready to join in
the fun. Additionally, Eric Bauza (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
joins the cast as Splinter, both father figure and sensei to the Turtles.
Veteran animation industry voice actor Rob Paulsen is voice directing
the series. Paulsen most recently voiced Donatello in Nickelodeon's
CG-animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and voiced
Raphael in the 1987 original series. With over 2,000 half-hours of
animation voice-over to his credit, Paulsen's versatility is heard in
many series.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles follows Raphael,
Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo on all-new adventures as they seek
to unlock the mystical secrets of New York City. From the tallest
skyscraper to the dankest sewer drain, the Turtles will encounter absurd
new mutants and battle bizarre creatures all while enjoying their
favorite slice of pizza. Tapping into mystic, ninja powers they never
knew existed, the four brothers must learn to work together and navigate
the perils of the modern age and hidden realms in order to fulfill their
destiny to become a team of heroes.
The new 26-episode series is co-executive produced by Andy Suriano
(character designer, Samurai Jack) and Ant Ward (supervising
producer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) at Nickelodeon in
Burbank, Calif.
Andy Suriano is an artist, illustrator and performer, and an Emmy and
Annie Award-winning character designer and storyboard artist. His past
credits include: Star Wars: Clone Wars, The Fairly OddParents, Duck
Dodgers, Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, Disney's
Mickey Mouse shorts, Samurai Jack, and The Powerpuff Girls, among
others.
Ant Ward is an animator, writer and producer best known for his work as
supervising producer on Penguins of Madagascarand Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Emmy Award-winner was integral to
developing Nickelodeon's CG-animation pipeline.
Follow @TMNT for more Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
reveals and Turtle Power updates.
Considered one of the most popular kids' television programs of the
1980s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic, global property
created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It first debuted as a
successful comic book series and then became a hit animated TV show, a
live-action television series and later spawned numerous blockbuster
theatrical releases. The property is a global consumer products
powerhouse, winning in every category that has hit shelves to date—with
toys, apparel, video games, DVDs and more—and generating billions of
dollars at retail. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been the number-one
action figure for the past three years and the franchise is a previous
recipient of the Toy Industry Association's top honor for Property of
the Year at the TOTY Awards.
Voice Talent Quotes
Kat Graham (April O'Neil)
"I've watched TMNT since I was a little girl. I'm so proud to be playing
the first African-AmericanApril O'Neil. What an incredible honor for me
and milestone for this iconic cartoon. I'm excited for all the
adventures the Turtles and I will have!"
Omar Miller (Raphael)
"I used to sing the TMNT theme song daily on the bus on my way to
elementary school and Raphael was my favorite Turtle. To get to voice
this fictional character who had such a giant positive impact on my
childhood is an honor. And to boot, I'm being directed by the man who
voiced Raphael in my childhood."
Ben Schwartz (Leonardo)
"I have loved TMNT ever since I was a kid. I still have the action
figures and the enormous desire to eat an entire pizza in one sitting."
Josh Brener (Donatello)
"I've loved Donatello since I was old enough to love things. Even though
his color was purple and he just had a stick, he was always my favorite
Turtle...possibly because time is a flat circle and I somehow knew I'd
one day be lucky enough to voice him. I didn't know I'd be
so lucky as to do it alongside the coolest, funniest, all-around
greatest non-turtle human people! Turtle Power!"
Brandon Mychal Smith (Michelangelo)
"Being granted the honor of voicing my childhood superhero and growing
up watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series made this
opportunity that much more of a true dream come true. There is cool and
then there's this-becoming Michelangelo, which for me is absolutely out
of this world, spectacularly, magnificently, groovy, cool with a splash
of oooooo yeahhh!"
Eric Bauza (Splinter)
"For the past few years I've had the honor of voicing Tiger Claw, an
original character to the TMNT universe. Now, the honor continues as I
get to voice Splinter, in the brand-new series Rise of the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles. I couldn't be more thankful and proud to be a
part of one of the most iconic shows in animation history!"
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 38th year, is the number-one
entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by
putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes
television programming and production in the United States and around
the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and
feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more
than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids' basic
cable network for 22 consecutive years. For more information or artwork,
visit http://www.nickpress.com.
Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks
of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171102006193/en/
Media:
Nickelodeon
Katelyn Balach
Katelyn.Balach@Nick.com
or
Sydney
McCormick
Sydney.McCormick@Nick.com
Source: Nickelodeon
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