“Best way to market a movie can’t wait to see it,” a fan wrote of the video, which features the viral star — now 26 — donning his legendary face paint in an interview about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
Paramount Pictures has dropped what may be one of the most creative film promos of all time.
On Thursday, the studio released a 30-second teaser for the upcoming film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem — featuring a very special and totally unexpected cameo from the Zombie Kid — AKA the kid who “like[s] turtles,” Jonathon Ware — from the 2007 famous viral video.
And get ready to feel old because Ware is no longer a kid, but a 26-year-old man.
If you need a refresher, back in May 2007, a 10-year-old Ware was interviewed by a KGW, a local Portland, Oregon news outlet while at the 2007 Rose Festival. A KGW reporter asked Ware — who just had his face painted like a zombie — what he thought of his face paint.
His simple reply? “I like turtles.”
The video went viral on YouTube, with Ware’s iconic — and hilarious — line going on to become known around the world. And is still famous to this day. The YouTube video, above, which was posted 16 years ago, has over 72 million views.
Meanwhile, the new TMNT promo put a modern spin on the viral video, with a now-adult Ware — again rocking zombie face paint — being interviewed by a news reporter outside of a movie theater. The reporter, like the original video, pointed out Ware’s face paint, but instead of asking him what he thought about the face paint job, she asked him for his reaction to seeing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
And, of course, Ware replied, “I like turtles.”
The TMNT movie Instagram account shared a new teaser for the film online Thursday morning — and it’s safe to say fans were loving the cameo from the turtle aficionado.
“We found the Zombie Kid a.k.a Jonathan! He still has an awesome face paint job and is here with the first review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: #MutantMayhem!” read the post’s caption.
“Best way to market a movie can’t wait to see it 👏,” a person commented on the video.
“LETS GOOO HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF ONCE AGAIN !!!,” a fan wrote.
“HE DID IT, WHAT A LEGEND. I LOVE THIS, THE PROMOTION IS INSANE,” another said, while another user added, “THE LEGEND IS BACK.”
Meanwhile, when a user asked if the man in the video was, in fact, the Zombie Kid, the account replied, “oh yeah, he’s back.”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem hits theaters August 2.
