First ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Live Action Trailer Arrives [Video]

For some the August 8 premiere of the new live action/CGI hybrid Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie can't come soon enough. For the rest of us, here's confirmation that the Michael Bay-produced, Jonathan Liebesman-directed take on Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's Green Machines is pretty much what you've been expecting ever since you found out the TMNT would have... lips. They just kinda look like a bunch of Shreks, man. Thanks for starting our day off right, Today show.

On its face, the film's official synopsis seems pretty fitting of the TMNT -- especially if you fancy the 1987–1996 animated series:

The city needs heroes. Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April and her wise-cracking cameraman Vern Fenwick to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan.

And yeah, Shredder (William Fichtner) and April O'Neil's (Mega Fox) dad have a tweaked, responsible-for-the-creation-of-the-turtles relationship, which is new but not a deal breaker. Still, the overall look of the Turtles still doesn't seem completely ideal -- awesome shell-based Fastball Special combat abilities notwithstanding (we concede it's a kind of neat to see a turtle nonchalantly thrown into a truck like a cannonball). Maybe this is just the kind of movie that'll require imbibing a pint of mutagen or two before an earnest viewing?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles opens on August 18. We'll update if the official trailer arrives online.

Here's Will Arnett eating pizza and talking about his character, Vern, who will actually probably be cooler than his animated counterpart.

[Via ScreenCrush]