Veteran character actor William Fichtner is famous for playing bad guys. He’s well-known for his extended cameo as a crooked banker and early victim of The Joker in The Dark Knight (a role that echoed his very similar performance in Michael Mann’s Heat) and will be taking on the role the main antagonist in this summer’s The Lone Ranger.



Well, now he can add “The Ninja Turtles’ arch-nemesis” to his resume.





In an interview with Huffpost TV Canada focusing on his upcoming lead role on NBC’s cop drama Crossing Lines, Fichtner confirmed that he’ll be playing the pivotal role of Shredder, the main bad guy in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot.



After a good amount of casting speculation, the only hard evidence as to what Fichtner’s part entailed was that he was a lead with “iconic stature in the Turtles’ mythology.” Further reports refuted that statement and claimed that the actor would actually be portraying “Dr. Baxter Stockman, the evil scientist who creates “Mousers,” little robots designed to kill sewer rats. He also transforms into a large, humanoid fly-creature after an incident he had with a transporter device.”



Not so, apparently.



William Fichtner has personally let slip confirmed that he will be taking on the iconic role of the Ninja Turtles’ badass main adversary, the leader of the deadly Foot Clan, Master Shredder himself. When asked about the reboot, Fichtner said:




We knew Megan Fox would be playing April O’Neil, we knew Arrested Development‘s Will Arnett had been cast as her cameraman, and we knew Whoopi Goldberg would probably be playing April’s boss… but until now, details on just who would portray the Ninja Turtles’ most famous villain have been under wraps.



And what of the reports that the Turtles’ new story would highlight the more sci-fi aspects of the canon? Unconfirmed – and long-since rejected – versions of the script apparently featured Krang, the Technodrome and Bebop and Rocksteady from the cartoon, but it looks like most of those elements won’t be included in the final product.







Hardcore fans know that in the very first comic book appearance of the Ninja Turtles (a far darker version than the kid-friendly cartoon series which has become the touchstone for modern audiences), Shredder was simply killed at the end of the story, rather than temporarily vanquished. Can we expect something similar in the reboot?



At this point, it’s anyone’s guess what’s in store for this new incarnation of everyone’s favorite heroes in a half shell (turtle power!) – though we wouldn’t be surprised if it was a cross-section of different elements from the beloved animated series, the live-action movie series, and the comic book series.