Anthony Francisco is a super-talented conceptual illustrator, who has recently worked on Marvel's
Guardians of the Galaxy and Paramount's
G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Back in 2011, Anthony was informed by
Martin Astles, the Head Sculptor at Illusion Industries, that Michael Bay was making a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. The special effects makeup studio that Martin worked for wanted to work on the project. So, Anthony lent his artistic talent to help design some pitch art for Illusion Industries. How close did they come? Well, Anthony says, "
We did get a chance to meet with the producers and the meeting went well but we did not get the gig."
As you can see below, these designs are quite a departure from the traditional look of the Turtles that fans have grown fond of. Anthony gave them smaller shells so that their ninja-like moves would be more fluent. Though, they could've been even smaller as he wanted to make them "
like little backpacks." Though, I'm sure most of you won't care too much about the shells when you see the Turtles packing heat. Yes, Anthony decided to give them guns instead of their usual weapons.
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.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES directed by Jonathan Liebesman ("Wrath of the Titans"), and produced by Michael Bay ("The Rock"). The script was written by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, based on characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The cast includes: Megan Fox as April O'Neil, Alan Ritchson as Raphael, Noel Fisher as Michelangelo, Danny Woodburn as Splinter, Jeremy Howard as Donatello, Pete Ploszek as Leonardo, Will Arnett as Vernon and William Fichtner as Shredder. It lands in theaters August 8, 2014.