If ever you thought three supremely bad films were enough to kill a franchise, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles might just prove you wrong. Our shelled vigilante buddies are returning back to the screen, and this time thanks to legendery action director John Woo.

Director John Woo and producer Terence Chang's Digital Rim Entertainment have signed a deal with Mirage Studios to develop and produce a new, computer-animated feature film based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, Variety reported. Woo plans to take the film down a different route from its predecessors. Avoiding the "cowabunga dude!" surf-talking approach of the early 90s films, Woo plans to return to the dark, edgy feel of the original comic.

Digital Rim has already produced a new animated Turtles TV pilot, which inspired the company to pursue the film rights, the trade paper reported. The pilot is currently being shopped at the networks. The third and last Turtles film was released in 1993. Woo hopes to bring the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie to cinemas around Christmas 2002.