Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot to start shooting in April

Fans of the Heroes in a Half-Shell breathed a collective sigh of relief back last June when Paramount Pictures shut down production on producer Michael Bay (Pain & Gain) and director Jonathan Liebesman's (Wrath of the Titans) much-maligned Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot. However, it looks like that 'indefinite hold' period is now coming to an end, with Production Weekly reporting that principle photography on Ninja Turtles is scheduled to begin this April in New York City (how apt).

In theory the big screen return of the TMNT should be something to be celebrated. However, the new live-action reboot didn't get off to the best of starts with fans of the franchise when Bay announced that the new version would reimagine the Turtles as aliens. As such, both 'Teenage' and 'Mutant' were subsequently dropped from the title, while the leaked script drew heavy criticism online, forcing Bay to issue a response claiming the screenplay was an earlier draft written before he came on board (despite it being dated January 2012).

Assuming there are no further delays, Ninja Turtles will hit cinemas on May 16th 2014, so expect casting to start coming together soon.