Todd W. Langen

Last updated

Todd W. Langen is an American screenwriter and former engineer, best known for his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles .

Contents

Early life

Langen was born in Detroit and earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan. [1]

He was 30 years old and working on the Space Shuttle for Hughes Aircraft Company when he decided that what he really wanted to do with his life was to be a screenwriter. [1] His first sale was an episode of Pursuit of Happiness, a television comedy series that lasted less than two months. [1]

Career

He soon became a regular writer of The Wonder Years . His biggest success would come when Langen was hired to work on the film adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The original treatment of 1990's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was written by Bobby Herbeck; Langen was called in to do a "Page One rewrite," that is, a complete revision based on a screenplay that a studio had deemed interesting bur unworkable as submitted. Langen and Herbeck did not work together and did not meet until the film opened. He is listed first in the credits. [1] Langen would return to write the sequel in 1991.

Awards

Related Research Articles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, sometimes abbreviated to TMNT, is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers trained in ninjutsu who fight evil in New York City. Supporting characters include the turtles' rat sensei Splinter, their human friends April O'Neil and Casey Jones, and enemies such as Baxter Stockman, Krang, and their archenemy, the Shredder.

Donatello (<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i>) Fictional character

Donatello, nicknamed Don or Donnie, is a superhero and one of the four main characters of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and all related media. He is the smartest and often gentlest of his brothers, bearing a purple mask over his eyes. He wields a bō staff, his primary signature weapon in all media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Eastman</span> American comic book artist and writer

Kevin Brooks Eastman is an American comic book artist and writer best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman was also formerly the editor and publisher of the magazine Heavy Metal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Gordon</span> American actor

Barry Gordon is an American actor and political talk show host. He was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, having served from 1988 to 1995. He is perhaps best known as the original voice of Donatello and Bebop in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> (1987 TV series) American animated television series

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated television series produced by Fred Wolf Films, and based on the comic book characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Set in New York City, the series follows the adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their allies as they battle the Shredder, Krang, and numerous other villains and criminals. The property was changed considerably from the darker-toned comics, to make it more suitable for children and the family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">April O'Neil</span> Fictional character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe

April O'Neil is a fictional character from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics. She is the first human ally of the Ninja Turtles. Her main love interest in the series is Casey Jones.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze</i> 1991 American film directed by Michael Pressman

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze is a 1991 American superhero film directed by Michael Pressman and written by Todd W. Langen. It is the sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) and the second installment in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles original film series. The film stars Paige Turco and David Warner with the voices of Brian Tochi, Robbie Rist, Adam Carl, and Laurie Faso.

John Du Prez is a British musician, conductor and composer. He was a member of the 1980s salsa-driven pop band Modern Romance and has since written several film scores including Oxford Blues (1984), Once Bitten, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), and the final Carry On film, Carry On Columbus (1992). He contributed to The Wild (2006) soundtrack.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> (1990 film) 1990 American film directed by Steve Barron

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1990 American superhero film directed by Steve Barron from a screenplay by Todd W. Langen and Bobby Herbeck. It is the first film adaptation of the comic book characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It stars Judith Hoag and Elias Koteas with the voices of Brian Tochi, Robbie Rist, Corey Feldman, and Josh Pais.

<i>TMNT</i> (film) 2007 film by Kevin Munroe

TMNT is a 2007 computer-animated superhero film written and directed by Kevin Munroe. It is the first animated film in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise and a standalone sequel of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993). The film features an ensemble voice cast featuring Chris Evans, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mako, Kevin Smith, Patrick Stewart, and Ziyi Zhang with narration by Laurence Fishburne. The story sees the four Turtles —— Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo —— having grown apart after their final defeat of their arch-enemy, the Shredder, but are set to reunite and overcome their faults to save the world from evil ancient creatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Tochi</span> American actor (born 1959)

Brian Tochi is an American actor. During the late 1960s through much of the 1970s, he was one of the most widely seen East Asian child actors working in U.S. television, appearing in various TV series and nearly a hundred advertisements. He is best known for his characters Toshiro Takashi from the Revenge of the Nerds film franchise, Cadet Tomoko Nogata from the third and fourth films in the Police Academy film series, and as the voice of Leonardo in the first three live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films. He is also known as Brian Keith Tochi.

David Wise was an American television and animation writer, tutored by writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Frank Herbert, Harlan Ellison and Theodore Sturgeon whilst attending the Clarion Workshop.

Joshua Sternin is an American television writer, television producer, and screenwriter. He is the oldest son of Alan Sternin and Esther Sternin, and married to actress/performer Paige Scurti Sternin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Mendelsohn</span> American screenwriter

Jack Mendelsohn was an American writer-artist who worked in animation, comic strips and comic books. An Emmy-nominated television comedy writer and story editor, he had numerous credits as a TV scripter, including Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Three's Company, The Carol Burnett Show and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Among his work for feature films, he was a co-screenwriter of Yellow Submarine (1968). In 2004, the Animation Writers Caucus of the Writers Guild gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in film</span> Superhero characters in film

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a fictional superhero team created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, have appeared in six theatrical feature-length films since their debut. The first film was released in 1990, at the height of the franchise's popularity. Despite mixed reviews from critics, it was a commercial success that garnered two direct sequels, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1991 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III in 1993, both of which were modest successes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Schwartz</span> American actor and comedian

Benjamin Schwartz is an American actor and comedian. He has guest starred as Jean-Ralphio Saperstein on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation and Clyde Oberholt on the Showtime series House of Lies; voiced Randy Cunningham in Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, Dewey Duck in DuckTales, and Leonardo in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; and appeared many times in the CollegeHumor web series Jake and Amir.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> (2012 TV series) Animated series

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American computer-animated television series developed by Ciro Nieli, Joshua Sternin, and Jennifer Ventimilia. It is the third animated series in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, based on the characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The series aired on Nickelodeon in the United States from September 28, 2012 to November 12, 2017. It was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and LowBar Productions. Bardel Entertainment handled layout and CG animation services. The series begins with the Turtles emerging from their sewer home for the first time. They use their ninjutsu training to fight enemies in present-day New York City.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> (2014 film) 2014 superhero film directed by Jonathan Liebesman

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 2014 American superhero film directed by Jonathan Liebesman and written by Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, and Evan Daugherty. Based on the comic book characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, it reboots the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film series. The film stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Danny Woodburn, Abby Elliott, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, and Alan Ritchson, with the voices of Johnny Knoxville and Tony Shalhoub. In the film, four mutated reptilian warriors rise from the sewers to join forces with fearless reporter April O'Neil to save New York City from the Shredder and his evil minions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Herbeck</span> Actor

Robert William Herbeck is an actor, film producer and screenwriter, known for writing the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.

<i>Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> 2014 American film

Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 2014 documentary about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise directed by Randall Lobb.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "'Turtles' screenwriter nearly lost in space". Calgary Herald. Knight Ridder. 8 April 1990.
  2. Champlin, Charles (20 March 1990). "Writers Guild Awards Banquet Dishes Up Food for Thought". Los Angeles Times.