…what the what? It appears that the de facto leader of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the blue-masked, katana-wielding Leonardo, will be voiced by none other than Jackass star Johnny Knoxville in Jonathan Liebesman’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot. This is a bit odd, considering Knoxville’s known for his wacky shenanigans whereas Leonardo’s known for his… anti-wacky shenanigans. If anything, Knoxville would have fit more naturally as Michelangelo, the dude with the ‘tude. However, this isn’t my way of saying Knoxville can’t portray Leonardo in a fitting way, especially if the film’s script calls for a less serious Leonardo, or if Knoxville can be firm and wise in playing the part.
Also joining the voice cast is Monk‘s Tony Shalhoub as the turtles’ father figure, Splinter. His casting is more fitting, as Shalhoub’s turn as Monk is much more in line with Splinter. I know there were worries that Splinter wouldn’t be in the film due to his lack of screen time in the first trailer, but what’s a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film without Splinter or pizza? Then again… there was a distinct lack of pizza in the trailer, too.
Now that the first two voices have been announced, it’s only a matter of time before we find out who’ll portray the rest of the brothers in the Michael Bay-produced reboot. Are there any actors out there that you’d want to portray your favorite turtles? Let us know!
[via /Film]