New Teen Titans movie?

[Daikun]

Greg Cipes and Tara Strong mentioned something interesting on Twitter...

https://twitter.com/GregCipes/status/504351397395972097

Tara Strong: Hopefully one day I'll book enough on camera roles to keep the voice over roles I've helped bring to life.

Greg Cipes: O you mean the new Teen Titans animated movie they have offered to other people who aren't the real Teen Titans cast?

Hmmmm...

 

[Otaku-sempai]

This reinforces my impression that this may be a project based on the Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans rather than a continuation from the Cartoon Network show. If this does not represent a revival of the Teen Titans: The Judas Contract movie then it may be a different adaptation or even an original story. The New Teen Titans: Games graphic novel would be the right length to adapt into a DTV animated movie with a minimum of fuss.

 

[Hero Supreme]

If this is an alternate continuity, then it does make sense to recast. That takes nothing away from the incredibly talented Tara Strong, but new properties need to distinguish themselves. Brave and the Bold was better for not having Kevin Conroy reprise his role even though he is phenomenal. Having said that, it really is a shame that talented voice actors are being over looked more and more for big name live-action actors. I mean, isn't the point of voice acting supposed to be that you don't recognize the voice? Ideally they should be hiring the voice, not the name. If it does turn out that this a movie based on the original Teen Titans series or on Teen Titans Go! then I agree that recasting is absurd.

 

[BigFatHairyDeal]

It's kind of awkward to read some of these comments from the Teen Titans cast. There have been how many Justice League continuities? While there's a bit of a "go-to" cast animation relies upon, there still are a lot of different crews recruited to do voices. I understand the TT cast's frustrations, but as an outsider, I think they're taking out their frustrations in kind of the wrong way.

Now, if it's in continuity, that changes everything. Fans would want to see continuity in casting and story.

 

[JoeMabbon]

It's kind of awkward to read some of these comments from the Teen Titans cast. There have been how many Justice League continuities? While there's a bit of a "go-to" cast animation relies upon, there still are a lot of different crews recruited to do voices. I understand the TT cast's frustrations, but as an outsider, I think they're taking out their frustrations in kind of the wrong way.

Yeah, they kinda come off as protective fans more than anything. I know that Teen Titans gave us the definitive versions of the Teen Titans, but recasting isn't new in superhero adaptations. I remember being somewhat concerned when I learned that they recast some of Phil LaMarr's old roles back in Young Justice, especially Vergil Hawkins, when they had LaMarr on tap. However, the new VAs wound up doing great so I can't argue with the results, at least in that case.

 

[TheSkeletonMan93]

Something tells me Cipes wasn't supposed to talk about this...

 

[Goldstar!]

I basically agree with what Hero Supreme said: if this new Teen Titans project is going to be a separate continuity from Glen Murakami's TT for Cartoon Network, then it makes sense to recast the characters. I know that a lot of fans have grown attached to the TT:TAS cast, but DC and Warner Brothers can't and shouldn't just recycle the CN show forever. I'm personally ready for a different take on the Teen Titans universe.

 

[Silverstar]

I know that Teen Titans gave us the definitive versions of the Teen Titans, but recasting isn't new in superhero adaptations.

The Glen Murakami Cartoon Network show isn't the definitive version of the Teen Titans, at least not to me; for me, that'd be the Founding Five, and if there really is going to be a new movie or DTV I'd like to see some variant of that team (with some updates to make it less 60's like swapping out Speedy for Artemis and/or swapping out Garth for Kaldur for gender and racial balance, respectively) as opposed to yet another take on Wolfman/Perez team. Of course now we have kids coming up who think the team from the CN show are the original Titans, which isn't the case, but I have to keep in mind that a sizable portion of TT's fanbase has never picked up a comic in their lives. Still, I'd prefer new characters in addition to new voices. I agree with Goldstar Neo: Warner can't and shouldn't try to milk the Murakami TT forever.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I'm sorry, but I think the cast are being incredibly unprofessional about all this.

It sounds to me that they heard through the grapevine that a new Teen Titans animated project was in development and assumed that they would be involved. If this is out of continuity with Teen Titans Go! then they have no right to be this entitled or childish. A new project with new designs and new producers invariably results in a new cast. Tara Strong does NOT own Raven and has NO monopoly on her.

That's like Kevin Conroy or Susan Eisenberg throwing a tantrum on Twitter anytime somebody else is cast as Batman or Wonder Woman. In fact, Eisenberg congratulated somebody recently on booking a Wonder Woman gig. Would she have wanted it? No doubt, but it's professional courtesy to at the very least remain dignified.

Is Tara Strong ticked off that she didn't get to voice Harley Quinn in Assault on Arkham as well?

 

[Frontier]

I can understand being frustrated and angry at the prospect of being re-cast in a work that was in continuity with either the original cartoon or Go!, but when you work in a business or genre that has multiple and often different animated iterations of certain characters that necessitates different casts, I don't think there's much reason to get up and arms about it .

Granted, Tara and Greg have played Raven and Beast Boy for a long time, but that certainly doesn't mean they "own" the character. Pfeiffer-Pfan sums it up nicely .

Heck, just look at all the Dick Graysons we've had over the years .

While I love the original Teen Titans cartoon, and those portrayals of the character, I'm also willing to see different takes on the characters or the team in general. So if that's what this new movie ends up being, then all power to it. Would be cool if it means we get to see more classic Teen Titans characters animated, like Donna Troy .

I'd also be fine with seeing more of the Titans who were in Young Justice getting more spotlight in animation .

Now that I think about it though... maybe the movie is going to be based off the current New 52 roster, which has Raven and Beast Boy on the team?

 

[BigFatHairyDeal]

Is Tara Strong ticked off that she didn't get to voice Harley Quinn in Assault on Arkham as well?

I was also wondering if Arleen Sorkin was upset that Tara Strong did Harley Quinn's voice for the Arkham stuff.

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

To be fair there is a stigma not only with fans but with voice over actors in general about professional VAs constantly having to fight for their jobs against celebrities who studios like hiring more now due to the names being more recognizable, thus making the average person want to go see the film. This is especially true of animated films, even DTV flicks that don't appear on the big screen. And it is rather annoying that you wouldn't even be considered for a role you still are technically playing in one sense and being passed over for someone else. And even if it isn't a celebrity, most voice over actors keep applying more often then even regular actors for jobs due to VA work generally paying less so they always are looking for the work, and that would of course include replaying characters they have before.

Still though it is rather unprofessional to be shown being so annoyed by it. Especially as yeah the Justice League cast from the original animated series has been "recast" several times for various movies due to other DTV projects wanting to go in a different direction with the voice or wanting to place it within a different world and thus have a different sound. And they haven't really raised a fuss about it. Also though the cast of TT is great and still does good work on TTG (whether or not you like the show you can tell they care about voicing the characters and enjoy the direction the series is going in) none of them are the iconic take on the character, even within animation. Granted that rarely ever happens as I think the only two to attain that status are Kevin Conroy's Batman or Mark Hamill's Joker but people really only associate them with that take on the team, and not with others. Heck this isn't even the first time the Titans have even been recast as besides just Robin, there's been various other uses of Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy and even Raven in other series/DTV and video games and no one complained much there from what I heard. So what makes this exactly so different?

 

[Trombone77]

I'm not sure why they are complaining. Greg has Michelangelo from TMNT and Tara is almost the definitive child/little girl voice actor. They act like not getting one gig is the end of their career. Besides, what do they think will happen when they are past their prime and new people have to come voice Raven and Beast Boy? Also, aren't these two worried about WB or DC seeing their tweets and taking that into consideration of their position in TTG?

 

[Yojimbo]

Now that I think about it though... maybe the movie is going to be based off the current New 52 roster, which has Raven and Beast Boy on the team?

It's possible. Casting is one of the first things they do for the DC Universe slate. For example, consideration for the cast in Batman: Assault on Arkham, amid recording for Son of Batman, began January 13, 2013. And the movie released August 12, 2014. They could be casting for the 2016 slate already.

 

[the greenman]

I'm guessing if Romano is casting it, they will more than likely be tv stars in the roles replacing the old actors. What I kinda wonder is if the film would call for the likes of the original v.a.'s. They kinda lean more comedic than serious. Not that they couldn't do serious, but that may have been a factor.

 

[W.C.Reaf]

The TT cast are great for those versions of the characters, but I'd imagine a Teen Titans DTV is going to be very tonally different than both TT shows. It'd be better with a new cast than one that reminds the audience of the light and fun TT shows as peoples heads get blown off.