FILE - In this June 28, 2011 file photo, Executive producer and director Michael Bay attends the “Transformers: Dark Of The Moon” premiere in Times Square in New York. Bay incited outrage among many fans of the franchise when he announced at the Nickelodeon upfront presentation last week that the crime-fighting turtles would come from an “alien race” in a “Ninja Turtles” film he is producing. - AP Photo

LOS ANGELES: Michael Bay thinks ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' fans need to chill.

The 47-year-old director-producer incited outrage among fans of the franchise when he announced at the Nickelodeon upfront presentation last week that the pizza-loving turtles would come from an ''alien race'' in a ''Ninja Turtles'' film he is producing.

Bay said in a statement posted on his site Monday that ''fans need to take a breath and chill.''

''Ninja Turtles'' debuted as a comic book in 1984 before spawning a franchise that included toys, TV shows, films and video games. According to franchise lore, mysterious radioactive ooze transformed the turtles into a team of crime-fighting superheroes.

The new take on ''Ninja Turtles'' is set for release next year by Paramount Pictures under the Nickelodeon Movies label.