Alan-RitchsonJonathan Liebesman’s anticipated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot has been developing nicely in recent weeks. Late last month, we heard that producer Michael Bay would be reuniting with Megan Fox for the TMNT movie, with Fox announced as the first cast member, taking the female lead.

Now Deadline are reporting that Alan Ritchson (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) has been cast as the first of the four teenage mutant ninja turtles, taking the role of Raphael.

With Fox expected to be playing April O’Neil, and Ritchson now set to play Raphael, we can’t wait to hear who will be starring alongside them as the other three turtle brothers, along with the rest of the cast. We’ve got villains to look forward to, and quite likely Casey Jones. Not to mention Splinter! So much to get excited about.

Liebesman is directing from a script co-written by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol), and production is expected to get underway in a few months’ time.

Ritchson had a recurring role over the years in Smallville as Aquaman, and will be coming off the back of playing the tribute Gloss in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire at the end of this year.

The upcoming Turtles movie is set to be a live-action/CGI film, and will use performance capture to bring the leading quartet to life on the big screen. Given the estimated $125m. budget, smart money says the effects are going to be cutting edge.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is set for release on 6th June, 2014, and we can’t wait to see how this plays out. With production set to begin soon, we should have more news on the casting front to bring you very soon.