Cameos in remakes, reboots, and their sequels can be amusing and satisfying, but they can also take away from the movie as a finished product if not done well. This is especially true for actors who played the original version of characters in a reboot. Sometimes, such scenes end up on the cutting room floor but live on as Easter eggs and special features, one of which has emerged from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
Set photos from the sequel spoiled fans back in May 2015 when actress Judith Hoag, who played April O'Neil in the 1990 original live-action adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, appeared on-set for a surprise cameo. Hoag's scene ultimately did not make director Dave Green's final cut, but now fans can see what could have been.
Yahoo! Movies exclusively premiered the deleted scene (above), which will be part of the special features for the sequel's upcoming Blu-Ray and DVD release. It features Megan Fox as the new April O'Neil meeting Channel 6 head honcho Rita (Hoag), who offers O'Neil a big promotion. As if Hoag's mere presence wasn't strong enough of a reference to the April O'Neil parallels, the network head quips, "You and I, we're the same person."
The scene ultimately proved too on-the-nose and relatively inconsequential to the rest of the plot and was removed from the final version entirely. Another deleted scene that recently premiered by Fandango (above) shows another scene with Fox as April, this time with Casey Jones (Stephen Amell) trying to get O'Neil to kiss him to "create a diversion."
Considering that Hoag's appearance on-set had already been spoiled anyway, there is at least a payoff for those who anticipated the original April O'Neil's cameo. Hoag's brief performance is certainly strong enough to qualify as an interesting and rewarding special feature for fans of the original film who are interested in the Blu-Ray and DVD release. Plus, the film is not without its own Easter eggs, anyway.
The ultimate drawback with Hoag's cameo is that it took time and energy that could have been used more productively, on scenes that could have mattered more to advancing the plot. The film, which was a faithful adaptation of the 1987 animated series but generally agreed upon by critics as little more than a slight improvement over the disappointing first reboot, arguably suffered as a result. It's not necessarily Hoag's fault that the filmmakers wanted to make her cameo happen, but it certainly had to be disappointing for Hoag to see her only appearance ultimately cut from the film.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is now available on Digital HD and will be available on DVD and Blu-ray starting September 20th, 2016.