The Kidd here...
Finding a kind thing TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES co-creator Peter Laird might have to say about Paramount's reboot of the material with Michael Bay producing and Jonathan Liebesman directing is really no easier than finding a needle in a haystack. While his former partner in crime, Kevin Eastman, has been laying down the positivity on what's planned for the relaunch, Laird has been incredibly critical about virtually every aspect. Needless to say, he's not a fan of what's going on here... and that continues with Laird sharing his opinion on Megan Fox being cast as April O'Neil.
When asked for his thoughts in the comments section of a recent blog entry, Laird didn't hide from his opinion that there were clearly better choices out there than who was chosen in the end.
"My only exposure to Megan Fox as an actress is through her role in two TRANSFORMERS movies and the wretched (but happily forgettable) JENNIFER'S BODY. It may not be fair to judge her range of acting skills just from those three movies, but I think it is safe to say that there are probably hundreds of better choices for the role of April O'Neil. Of course, her name has promotional value, and maybe that's what they want. Who knows? I can't get myself too worked up about it."
I think there is some legitimacy to Laird's words here, but, until we actually see what Fox can do in the role, it's difficult to say whether or not she's the right fit for the character. As Laird suggests himself, it's hard to know what Fox is capable of from her resume. Her two previous Bay films consisted of her yelling and running in slow motion, hardly a real display of her acting abilities. And JENNIFER'S BODY... well, there are some people who liked that one. Not me, but once again, I didn't see anything there that would have me leaning one way or the other on Fox's skills. And JONAH HEX...? She's in the movie for like five minutes, hardly enough time to make an impression as the rest of the film collapsed. There's been plenty of criticism of Fox over the years, but really no basis for it. I think TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES will be a make or break film for her, as, even with the Turtles front and center, there's going to be a lot for Fox to have to carry in such an integral role.
-Billy Donnelly
"The Infamous Billy The Kidd"
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