Thirteen new analogues of diterpenoid alkaloids were synthesized from the potassium ion channel blocker talatisamine (1) by means of the ring-distortion strategy. Most of these derivatives are unique by featuring differentiated CD rings compared to the corresponding naturally-occurring alkaloids. Remarkable transformations including a novel rearrangement (1→7 and 13→7), an intriguing fragmentation (16→8), together with the preparation of an unprecedented C-homo-d-nor derivative 12, were disclosed in this study. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.