Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014: Everything We Know So Far

As the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie approaches a plethora of trailers, interviews, and projects have surfaced that, when combined, give fans a solid look at what is to come. Keeping track of it all is a bit difficult though, and so we've rounded up everything you need to know and all the tidbits you might have missed.

Since its announcement, the newest TMNT movie has drawn worry from diehard fans who want to know what will be changed, and what will remain faithful to the universe. To quell the worry, those involved with the movie have issued some promises through various interviews and Q&A panels. Director Jonathan Liebesman and Producer Andrew Form both recently answered fans' questions, spanning a range of topics that cover everything from pizza to origins.

For starters, yes, there will be pizza. "You'll see the world's most operatic pizza scene committed to CGI," said the producer. This came shortly before Pizza Hut took the wraps off its commissioned Pizza Thrower, which is destined for the San Diego Comic-Con and can fire pizzas to a distance of 30 feet.

The origin story was teased in one of the latest movie trailers, during which we were given a glimpse of the turtles as wee shelled creatures, some green ooze making its way through some tubes, and young(er) TMNTs in training. How the origin story will play out still isn't entirely known, but the topic was address by the movie's director, who said the turtles become mutants via Mutagen.

"We discussed, 'Should we do the exact Eastman thing?' The problem is, it becomes very complicated. People who aren't fans will just be like, 'What the f– is going on?' There's already so much complication in terms of Splinter being formed because he was Shredder's nemesis who stole his girlfriend. It's just that then you start opening a whole bunch of doors that became very complex to explore in this film."

The expanded world was also discussed, and could hint at what future movies would bring in. In a talk with Coming Soon, Liebesman talked about other characters in the franchise, saying in part that, "There are also [a] lot of characters in the canon that we would really, really love to work with ... We wanted more. When we were doing concept art for the characters, obviously, we can't afford every character in the first thing. But we definitely have drawings of them all!"

The turtles' personalities shine through, and as an example, it is said Donatello is an Internet and cat videos fan, and that he carries around on his shell a powerful mobile broadband apparatus to stay connected. Said Liebesman, "He's still a massive geek who lives in his basement and has the most powerful internet connection in all of New York City ... he has these Nintendo keypads that he's rigged into this little miniature holographic thing."

Shredder has also been mentioned, though details on him are still slight. William Fichtner isn't Shredder, according to the director, with the aforementioned character being played by someone else. Furthermore, he isn't all CG, and at some point in the film viewers will get a look at him sans armor. He has had a relatively small presence in the trailers, though we've gotten a full-body look at him at this point. Splinter also remains somewhat a mystery, but has had some brief spots in the newer trailers, as well.

As for the movie itself, viewers should expect it to be a bit under 100 minutes, and it has been teased that the original cartoon's theme song might make an appearance in the film — perhaps during the credits, which will have a "very, very fun song." As revealed earlier this week, the new movie will also have a rap single titled Shell Shocked, which you can hear for yourself in the video below.

Ultimately, says the producer, "You don't need to know anything about the Ninja Turtles and when you leave [the theater], you'll know everything."

The movie hits theaters on August 8.