Transformer Movie???

[MacGuffin]

Independence Day for Transformers

Optimus Prime has a prime release date: The Fourth of July.

Transformers, the long-planned, live-action movie based on the robot-morphing cartoon, comic and toy franchise, will roll into theaters July 4, 2007, DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures announced Wednesday. Michael Bay (The Island, The Rock) will direct; Steven Spielberg will executive produce.

Children of the 1980s likely will be champing at the tie-in lunchbox.

"The diehard fans will like it as long as it stays true to Transformers roots and doesn't stray too far from the ideals that we grew up with," Brendan Reilly, co-Webmaster of The Transformers Archive (www.tfarchive.com), said in an email interview about the movie announcement. "The casual or un-familar fan will need to see something awesome to win them over, although a 40-foot robot is usually pretty cool."

Cool-looking robots who convert themselves into battle tanks and other vehicles in order blow up things real good are at the mechanical heart of the Transformers, the classic tale of good automaton (the Autobots) versus evil automaton (the Decepticons) in a battle for control of Earth. Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots; Megatron, the dark lord of the Decepticons. Both Autobots and Decepticons hail from the planet Cybertron. All this backstory and more was revealed in Transformers, the syndicated cartoon series launched in 1984 with the help of toy-maker Hasbro, which simultaneously--and savvily--launched a still-thriving merchandise line.

No less savvy today, the makers of the new Transformers movie have already begun a full-scale offensive. The new official Website (www.transformers.com) went up Tuesday. Transformers: Cybertron, the latest animated series, launched this month on Cartoon Network. Burger King cooks up a monthlong action-figure promotion beginning in August. And this weekend in San Diego, on the occasion of Comic-Con International, the geek world's largest annual gawkfest, an 18-wheel truck touting the franchise's considerable wares will be beached in the convention hall.

In theory then, this thing ain't going to be Transformers: The Movie.

Transformers: The Movie was the little-loved 1986 animated feature that gave Optimus Prime, Megatron, et al., their first crack at the silver screen. Much as Fox is planning to right past cinematic wrongs with an all-new, A-list take on He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, another 1980s cartoon/toy phenomenon that spawned a cheeseball 1980s film, the new Transformers crew is looking to take its property upscale.

In a message board Monday post on his personal Website (www.donmurphy.net), Don Murphy, a Transformers co-executive producer, said Spielberg, DreamWorks and Hasbro are committed to making a film that is no less than "GREAT" (the capital letters are all his).

"It will be GREAT," Murphy continued, "and then we will make sequel after sequel. There is no doubt that this is true."

With excellence promised, the powers that be now need only to lock in actors and writers--none were announced Wednesday--and start cameras rolling. Time, after all, is of the essence. In publicly staking claim to July 4, 2007, DreamWorks and Paramount become the first studios to reserve that holiday date for their own. Currently, the only other release on the 2007 calendar is Spider-Man 3, set for May 4 of that year.

Until Transformers debuts in theaters, and after Comic-Con wraps, its considerable fandom can busy itself with BotCon (www.transformersclub.com/conventions/frisco/), described by organizer Brian Savage as being "like a giant group hug for everyone who enjoys Transformers."

Scheduled for Sept. 22-25 in Frisco, Texas, the latest edition of BotCon--the event is more than 10 years old--is expected to draw as many as 5,000 devotees of the shape-changing robots. "The whole movie announcement just adds more fire and fuel," said Savage, director of Hasbro's official Transformers Collectors Club.

The way Savage sees it, the unlikely secret to the Transformers' success is: Personality. Anyone, he said, can make a transforming robot.

"But guess what? It's not Optimus Prime."

[Ravi]

With all these big screen adaptations of TV shows, comic books, and now, a toy, I'm waiting for Apple Jacks: The Movie.

[MacGuffin]

Spielberg Talks Transformers!
The official film site is now online.
 
The official film site for the live-action feature film version of The Transformers is now live.

There is a weblog, a message board, a news section, a photo gallery of fans at Comic-Con, and a production notes section, which just advises fans there's nothing to report now except that the film is in pre-production.

The site's biggest attraction is a video introduction by Transformers executive producer and DreamWorks honcho Steven Spielberg. After intially discussing his love of the concept and the Hasbro toys, Spielberg spoke about the film:

"We're now starting our first but certainly not our last Transformers movie that I hope will be an enduring franchise and we're going to be making many, many more Transformers movies in the future. But we're going to make the best one first because we want the best one to inspire everybody to not only play with these toys but to want to know about the further adventures of all of these characters, both human and machine alike. So I'm just really privileged that I get to be part of this."

[Tryskadekafobia]

Get ready to blame Asperger's on Transformers: The Live Action Movie.

[72teeth]

Maybe they can sign up Mark Wahlberg to do a rendition of "The Touch" for the soundtrack.  

Wahlberg Shmahlberg. Marky Mark aint got nuthin on....

http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2670533

[mogwai]

you've posted that link in two seperate threads now. give it a rest, thanks.

[72teeth]

Sorry, it just hurts so good!

[Ghostboy]

There was a post up on AICN the other night that got pulled after an hour or so, talking about how Transformers was suddenly in danger of turnaround after The Island's performance. Apparently, producer Don Murphy went on a rant about it in the forums on his website and someone copied and pasted them and sent them to AICN. Just a bunch of muckraking, but anyway, word on the street supposedly is that this movie is all of a sudden in trouble.

[MacGuffin]

From I, Robot to Transformers
Which actor is poised to join the film?

The Allspark first reported that 19 year-old actor Shia LaBeouf (Constantine, I, Robot) is in the running to play human protagonist "Sam" in the big-screen version of The Transformers. IGN FilmForce has now confirmed via reliable sources that LaBeouf is indeed in negotiations for the role.

A casting breakdown making the rounds online describes the human characters as follows: "Sam - teenage male, somewhat nerdy, but ultimately heroic. Miguela Barns - teenage female, Sam's love interest. Cpt William Lennicks - 30s male, leader of the military. Maggie - female, really hot, really smart, works as a codebreaker for the government. John Kellar - 50's/60's male, US Secretary of State. Glen Whitman - 20's male, technogeek, comic relief."

Michael Bay is directing The Transformers for Paramount (it was a co-venture with DreamWorks until Par bought the studio). Steven Spielberg is exec producing the film.

Shia LaBeouf's credits include The Greatest Game Ever Played, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and The Battle of Shaker Heights.

[Kal]

2nd bomb for Bay...

I thought for a second they were talking about Will Smith... but of course not

[MacGuffin]

Huge Transformers Exclusive
The cast is coming together.

IGN FilmForce has learned which actors are poised to join the previously announced Shia LaBeof in the cast of the DreamWorks-Paramount live-action feature film version of The Transformers. (LaBeof will star as "Sam," the unlikely teen hero of the movie.) IGN has confirmed through multiple sources that Oscar winner Jon Voight is in talks to reunite with his Pearl Harbor director, Michael Bay, as "Keller." A casting notice online describes Keller as the U.S. Secretary of State. Voight and LaBeof previously starred together in Holes.

Another Bay veteran, Armageddon's Michael Clarke Duncan, is closing in on the role of "Figueroa." This character is described in a casting notice posted at Sneak Peek TV as being "Dominican by way of the Louisiana Bayou. Chief Warrant officer in the Army. Spirited fellow who loves to sing. Close team member of Lennox."

And who is Lennox? Sources indicated that Vegas star Josh Duhamel has a lock on the role of the young military commander.

Bernie Mac is the frontrunner for the role of "Bobby Bolivia." A casting notice said Bolivia "could sell ice to an Eskimo. Tries to get Sam to buy a car. Your typical wheelin' dealin' used car salesman."

IGN has also learned that the following actors are being lined up for roles: Tyrese as "Epps"; John Turturro as "Simmons"; Rachael Taylor as "Maggie," previously described as a super-hot and super-smart codebreaker for the government; Megan Fox as "Mikaela," referred to in a casting notice as Sam's love interest; Travis Van Winkle as "Trent"; and John Robinson as "Miles."

There is still no word yet on who will be voicing the Autobots and the Decepticons.

Transformers is slated to begin filming next month for a July 4, 2007 release. It is being produced by Angry Films' Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto, Ian Bryce and Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay are exec producing. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (The Island) wrote the latest draft of the screenplay; John Rogers (The Core) penned an earlier draft.

[MacGuffin]

Transformers Cast Confirmed
You heard it here first!

IGN FilmForce first reported a few weeks ago that the cast of the live-action Transformers movie was shaping up to be quite an ensemble, with the likes of Oscar winner Jon Voight, Josh Duhamel, Bernie Mac and John Turturro leading the contenders to play the human roles in the film.

Variety has confirmed that Voight has been cast, and "Josh Duhamel, Bernie Mac, John Turturro, Megan Fox and John Robinson are expected to round out the cast. Travis Van Winkle and Shia LeBeouf have already been announced."

The trade adds that "many of the rumored names are not likely to end up in the film." Well, by Variety's own count 7 of the 10 names we mentioned (excluding Michael Clarke Duncan, Tyrese and Rachael Taylor) are now confirmed so that can hardly qualify as "many." That darn "new math" must be to blame.

The DreamWorks-Paramount project, which bears a $100+ million price tag, starts filming later this month under the direction of Michael Bay.

The Transformers is slated to open July 4, 2007.

[MacGuffin]

Transformers Teaser Online
More than meets the eye.

The teaser trailer for Transformers, the forthcoming CG/live-action feature film, is now online at the official site! It's been previously reported that the preview would first appear in theaters with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest on July 7th, so this early online debut is a surprise treat for fans.

The preview begins with footage of a rocket launch and a robot rover scooting around the Martian landscape -- the story idea is that the Beagle 2 Mars Rover launched in 2003 did not actually crash. The teaser reveals that the rover's final transmission, which we learn has been classified, shows it was destroyed by what only fans will know is a Decepticon. And as the following title card says, "That was the only warning we would get." The Earth fades into view and it's at this point that a mind-blowingly cool series of transforming titles take over the screen displaying the film's logo and release date.

The big-screen battle between the Autobots and Decepticons arrives July 4, 2007. Action helmer Michael Bay is directing the flick from a script by John Rogers, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. The notable live-action cast includes Jon Voight, Bernie Mac, Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro and Zack Ward.

Watch the teaser here.

[Gamblour.]

Sweet! I love Michael Bay for once. That was a great teaser.

[Pwaybloe]

I guess it would be a great teaser if it didn't, y'know, promote a freakin' Transformers movie.