"'kids are going to believe one day these turtles actually do exist'"

The 47-year-old director-producer incited outrage among fans of the superhero franchise when he revealed at the Nickelodeon upfront presentation in New York last week that the pizza-loving, crime-fighting turtles would come from an “alien race” in a “Ninja Turtles” film he is producing.

According to franchise lore, mysterious radioactive ooze transformed the turtles into superheroes who battle evildoers.

“Fans need to take a breath and chill,” Bay said in a statement posted on his site Monday night. “They have not read the script. Our team is working closely with one of the original creators of ‘Ninja Turtles’ to help expand and give a more complex back story. Relax, we are including everything that made you become fans in the first place. We are just building a richer world.”

Read More | "Michael Bay tells ‘Mutant Ninja Turtles’ fans to chill after comment on origin of turtle power" | ?AP | ?Washington Post