John Fusco to Pen TMNT Film Script

LOS ANGELES: TMNT Productions has signed screenwriter John Fusco to create the script for the new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles motion picture, slated for a 2011 theatrical release.

Fusco’s credits include the original Young Guns and its sequel, as well as Hidalgo and The Forbidden Kingdom, starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan. He also recently completed the script for a contemporary version of the classic Seven Samurai for The Weinstein Company. Fusco also has a background in martial arts to lend to the film.

He joins the creative team with producers Scott Mednick (300, Superman Returns) and Galen Walker (TMNT) for a film that retells the origin story of the half-shelled foursome co-created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Laird, Gary Richardson, Frederick Fierst, Eric Crown and Napoleon Smith III will serve as executive producers of the film. The project is being funded through Lightbox Productions, and 4Kids Entertainment will handle all licensing activity on TMNT movie-related merchandise.

"It is always exciting when you can come aboard a project that bridges the worlds of what you do with what you love," said Fusco. "I have always been a fan of the Turtles and the world of martial arts is my lifelong passion. I look forward to this great opportunity."

“John brings to our team the perfect blend of talent, expertise and enthusiasm for the property and the genre,” commented Mednick. "We are committed to bringing to the screen a vital, vibrant and contemporary effort that is the next chapter in this venerable franchise."

“Working with the original comics created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman will allow both the new and first generations of fans to experience the Turtles in a whole new light,” added Walker. “Tapping into the rich of history of these heroic and loved brethren should prove to be a phenomenal collaborative adventure for us all.”

“From the first stages of planning this movie, we were committed to finding a group of the most passionate, creative and experienced individuals who appreciated the history and myth of the TMNT, to craft a new vision of the Turtles for Mirage to share with current fans and to captivate a whole new generation,” said Gary Richardson, the CEO of Mirage Studios.