Chalk this victory up to our collective nostalgic outrage. Since Bay was announced as the producer for the TMNT reboot, their origin story has received most of the press.
In May of 2010, Michael Bay officially becomes attached to the Turtles reboot.
Deadline breaks the news:
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon have brought Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form on to produce Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Then in March 2012, Bay annonces the Turtles are now an "alien race."
During an upfront for Nickelodeon, Bay states:
When you see this movie, kids will believe one day that these turtles do exist, when we're done with this movie. These turtles are from an alien race, and they're going to be tough, edgy, funny and completely lovable."
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Peter Laird is not amused, taking to his blog to issue a statement:
Just so it's absolutely clear — I think a planet of turtles is not, in and of itself, a bad idea for some kind of science fiction/fantasy story. But as a way to explain any aspect of the backstory of TMNT, I think it is awful and unnecessary.