Paramount Pictures has delayed its planned "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" reboot, TheWrap has learned.
The film was set to be released in December 2013, and pre-production was under way in Vancouver. Shooting would have started in the fall. An individual with knowledge of the project said the delay is due to issues with the script and the studio did not want to further inflate the budget given its dissatisfaction.
A spokeswoman for the studio said the film is now slated for a May 16, 2014, release and declined to comment further.
The core team, including director Jonathan Liebesman (“Battle Los Angeles”) and the writers, are still slated to remain on the project. Platinum Dunes, the production company of frequent Paramount collaborator Michael Bay, is producing.
With a budget well north of $100 million and an indefinite delay, Ninja Turtles is just the latest in a string of major projects Paramount has pushed. “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” initially was set to bow June 29, but will not hit screens until March 2013 because of a crowded summer schedule and the need for more Channing Tatum, among other reasons.
The studio has also pushed “World War Z,” starring Brad Pitt, to next summer so it could rework the script and stage re-shoots.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news of Ninja Turtles as well, the budget for “Z” has spiraled to $170 million.
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