Bay: TF2 Not Bigger Just To Be Bigger

While on the red carpet for the Friday the 13th premiere in Hollywood, a relaxed Michael Bay discussed Transformers Revenge of the Fallen with ET and Collider.com, who managed to get the longest interview with Bay yet on TF2.

ET Online has a brief interview where he focuses mostly on Friday the 13th, but at the end of the video mentions that he "is leaving the editing room [for Transformers 2] right now to come to this premiere."

Relaxed and just having fun, Michael Bay also spoke with Collider.com, joking about buying the website and how he has access to anything he wants, including the Pyramids, thanks to his relationship with the Pentagon (mostly said in a joking manner). The video is below.

The highlights:
- Transformers 2 was the first film in 30 years to shoot at the Pyramids thanks to the help of Dr.Zahi Hawass who was a fan of the first movie.
- There are three scenes shot for IMAX release of the movie. Whether they are skyline type shots of The Dark Knight Bay didn't say but he did say "...it's different when you see Optimus Prime fighting in IMAX."
- Bay: "What I like about this movie, granted it’s bigger, but it’s not trying to be bigger just to be bigger. It's a great adventure. The thing I like about it is the robots have much more personality. ...We can really get these robots to emote. ...This movie is darker."
- "This one is epic in scale. The first one had to establish everything. ...this one you get taken on a ride...the characters get taken on a ride with these robots.
- On movie length, around 2 hours 20 minutes but still editing so that will probably change.
- On doing a third movie, "I can see myself doing a third. I just want to take a year off [before] doing a third. We'll see."

Thanks to Katie, Dan, and Gavin for the links used in this post.

Julie White Briefly Talks TFs

Julie White, who plays Sam's mom in the Transformer movies, briefly talked Transformers with New York Magazine. She confirmed the presence of a big Transformer in the movie but whether that is Scavenger seen in the trailer or Devastator remains to be seen. Thanks to Josh for the link.

So it was terrific, as always, to bump into [Julie White] at the Drama League's 25th Annual Gala at the Rainbow Room last night, at which she was still excited after two of her upcoming movies (Transformers 2 and Monsters and Aliens) were advertised during Sunday's Super Bowl: "It was a first for me," she told us. "I mean, I didn't appear in the commercials, but at least I knew I was somewhere tangentially related." So, given her tangential relation to Transformers 2, we asked if she could shed any light on the continuing fan speculation over which robots will actually appear in the movie. "No. I don't know anything about a Transformer. I call them all Megadad. But the big one is called, like, Mega-mega-megger-megalomania. But I always just called him Megatron, which made Michael Bay very mad, because his name is something else," she told us, probably referring to Devastator, we guess. "So no. I'm just, I'm still not up on my Transformers."

Deluxe Sideswipe Toy Gallery

The floodgate has opened; TF08.net has posted a bunch of pictures of the Deluxe class Transformers 2 toy for Sideswipe, one of which confirms (as if any doubt) of his Autobot status. Pretty darn good looking figure over all and solid looking vehicle mode. Below are a few pictures but bunch more (along with more Starscream) can be found here. Thanks to cypherXR for the link.

New Sideswipe, Megatron, Starscream Toy Pictures

Three new toy images, a new one of Sideswipe who remains the least known of the Autobot toys and new class images for Megatron and Starscream.

First up, from TF08.net, an image of Sideswipe in his Centennial Corvette vehicle mode to go along with the one image from last month. Sadly no robot mode pictures or packaging to verify officially that the name of the character is Sideswipe (the Hasbro Summit second hand information is not quite conclusive enough).


Next via TFW2005 is Megatron which may or may not be the Fast Action Battler tank mode. Looking at previous images, I think it’s the Deluxe class version as the legs and turret design don't look like the FAB version.

The-Arker.com brings us two new images of unknown class of Starscream, at least it doesn't look like the Voyager class to me. My best guess is it’s the Deluxe class but I really can't tell.

More Pictures of The Fallen Toy

TF08.net has posted an additional 15 pictures of The Fallen toy for the Transformers 2 toy line to go with the previous set. Of note is his Decepticon symbol on his waist and the red plastic pieces are removable which further highlights his Egyptian inspired facial features. Below are select pictures with the full gallery here.

Transformers 2 Starscream Video Toy Review

Via TFormers.com, a video review (Peaugh again or at least his friend) of the upcoming tattooed Voyager class version of Starscream from the Transformers 2 toy line to go with the hi-res pictures from the other day. Overall, he reviews it as a solid improvement over previous version.

Transformers Defiance #2 Cover

Artist Alex Milne has posted his cover for Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Defiance #2 which should be out sometime this month. The comic is a prequel to the origins of the civil war that gave rise to the Decepticons and Autobots. A full summary of issue 1 is here.

Brief Description on Friday the 13 Trailer

Over at the Superherohype forum, "Conebone69" has posted a brief and mostly detail free description of the full trailer that will be released with the remake of Friday the 13th that is coming out this Friday.

I talked to my friend that works at a local theater over here and he told me the new T2 trailer was with an early screening of the upcoming movie Friday the 13th! He said it went by very fast but he managed to catch a few things. Supposedly it starts out with Sam talking to Mikaela about how they can’t give up. He said it starts out slow but as it progresses it gets alot faster. Then towards the middle a series of clips are shown: a bunch of autobots jumping all over this huge decepticon but he just picks them up and throws them off, Bumblebee battling with ravage (im guessing it was ravage because he said it looked like a lion), some transformers crashing out of a high building and transforming in mid air. Then it ended with optimus prime talking to another autobot. He said it didnt show much more then what was shown in the superbowl spot but it was still epic. I cant wait for this trailer!

Don't blame the messenger for the lack of detail. I get the feeling the trailer is probably dense with short snapshot type scenes that only a die hard Transfan caught up on the latest rumors would have a snowballs chance of summarizing in one viewing.

Transformers 2 Starscream Gallery

TFW2005's GenZhao has posted a large gallery of pictures that shows of the Transformers 2 toy version of Starscream and lets you get a good look has his new tattoos that he will be sporting for the movie. The full gallery is here.

First Look At The Fallen

TFNet08.com has released the images of The Fallen toy. The images include the instruction book showing that the alt mode for the character will be a Cybertronian jet (bit of theme with that). This finally confirms that the title of the movie, Revenge of the Fallen, is referring to a literal character and is not a metaphor for the return of Megatron. As the first photo shows, the head matches exactly the enhanced poster image so now that little mystery is cleared up. Also I do believe that it is this character that is gave Optimus Prime that devastating blow to the head in the trailer. It is pretty clear that part of the film story is there is tie to the Transformers race and humanity via ancient Egypt and the pyramids (where The Fallen is probably found). I do believe that all the red plastic represent flames, probably a nod to the comic version that helped inspire the movie character. Thanks to all the site readers (cypherXR was first) for sending in the link and pictures.

Below is a comparison of the poster and The Fallen's face side by side. Obviously the toy doesn't have the same detail but it’s clearly the same face. The next image is point out a few similarities that help prove that the Fallen was in the Superbowl trailer. Notice the similarities in the symbol on the toy and the leg. Also the red plastic probably means hot or flames which is similar to the two hot spots on the knee that hits Prime in the head. Not conclusive but it strikes me as something Bay would do, sneak in the Fallen without actually showing him off.

Wheelie Confirmed for Movie

While literally asleep at the wheel, TF08.net posted the card backing for the Deluxe toy of Wheelie. With this last piece of information, a few things have been verified. One is that there is a transformer whose alt mode is an RC Truck indicating that Bay and company are thinking more outside the box then in the past. Another is the call sheets from Bethlehem has now been 100% verified. Wheelie is the one that discovers Jetfire at the Smithsonian. Thanks to all the people that sent me the link and pictures.

As for the character description, its seems that this Wheelie might have the potential to as annoying as the G1 version:

Autobot Wheelie never really wanted to be a Decepticon. It's just that, when people start yelling at him, he tends to do whatever they say. He's easily startled, and simple to scare. His tiny size makes him an ideal spy and even though he doesn't like or agree with the Decepticons, they scare him so much he doesn't know what to do except obey.

Bay: "You have so much of it wrong."

In a Shoot for the Edit thread regarding the phone survey post from this blog, Michael Bay posted a brief comment:

Guys please -- they don't have you surveys that read the plot of Transformers. Three people on the entire lot of Paramount read the script - and I can tell you they don't cold call people and ask them about the want to see of this movie. I love how you guys try to figure it out but it's not happening yet -- you have so much of it wrong.

Take from that what you want but I think the phone post is legit. Bay isn't apprised of everything the studio does much less the multitude of marketing departments from all the companies that do business with the studio on not just this but other movies such as the theatres themselves. At the end of the day the phone survey plot summary didn't so much as reveal new information as strenghten the arguments for many on what they thought the general plot of the movie is.

One the second part, I have to mostly agree with Bay. I do think all we have is a general idea of what the movie is about. However, on the many details that comprise a two hour movie I think we might have successfully worked out all of 20 minutes, if that, of the film. In a movie where anything can be changed with a creative click of the mouse over at ILM and Digital Domain, the only limitation is imagination and budget. I just hope that Bay gets that the guessing, discussions and speculation is a large part of the fun.

Autobots At Chicago Auto Show

Autoblog is reporting that they plan on bringing their fleet of Autobot cars to the Chicago Auto Show on February 11th. GM will hold a press conference scheduled to start at 10:15am CST at the Chevrolet exhibit at McCormick Place. The vehicles that may be there include the Chevy Camaro (Bumblebee), Chevy Volt (Jolt), Chevy Spark (Skids), Chevy Trax (Mudflap for now), and Corvette Centennial concept (Sideswipe). No indication if non-GM cars will appear (like Arcee and the Audi) but I doubt it. Thanks to Scott for the link.

Prime's Smackdown Close-up

Yep more screenshots from the trailer, this time showing a blowup of the devastating blow to Optimus Prime. The detail is extraordinary but it is still hard to tell exactly what is hitting him. It possible in the first image there are tank tracks and some hieroglyphics in the second but there is also a ton of rust showing so its hard to tell for sure. Mostly simply posting the pictures because they are so fantastic looking. Thanks to Lynx for the pictures.

Burger King Plans Transformers 2 Promotion

Burger King, as part of a press release regarding results of the second quarter of the 2000 fiscal year, revealed that one its planned promotions is for Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. Exactly what the promotion will involve such as the toys, images and the like where not part of the release. I imagine that the scale will be to plaster everything they can with images of Transformers and probably a contest much like they did with the first movie. Thanks to Chris for the link.

Official Transformers Video Game Trailer (Updated)

Activision has officially released the video game trailer for Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. The game will be available on current consoles and PCs. The game will be similar to the first movies, in that you can play as Autobots or Decepticons and each Transformer will have abilities and weapons specific to them along with the instant Transformation switch. There will also be multiplayer modes to you can wreck havoc on each other. There is no release date yet, but I imagine it will come out about the same time as the movie.

It is good to hear Peter Cullen doing Optimus Prime. The graphics are solid but not sure if what was shown is in game graphics are not. Now most significantly is the end of the trailer where they explicitly merge the Decepticon logo into the face on movie poster indicating a clear link.

In addition below are a few pictures from IGN that show off the character models and also Bumblebee fighting off a Decepticon. One thing I noticed about the Decepticon is that its alt mode may look very close to the M270 Launch Rocket System which I think was one of the photos in -=boM=-'s gallery. A gallery that Paramount has since had pulled from the web (update below).



Thanks to Danny for the heads-up on the trailer and to Adam for the pictures.

Update: Thanks to anonymous fans, below are the two pictures of the rocket launcher taken by boM at White Sands. While I think a rocket launcher is likely the alt mode of the first Decepticon fighting Bumblebee, the pictures are not conclusive proof that the rocket launcher is anything more then a prop for the film rather then being used as a Decepticon. Makes you wonder though.

From Philly, More Car Chase Footage (Update)

PhillyFilmGirl has posted more footage from when Transformers 2 production was at Princeton over the summer. This footage is more of the Saturn Astra car chase that was filmed on the streets in the area. It includes multiple takes of the car performing a stunt in an intersection, few more moments of the Frenzy-thing, and the car hitting a pole. Thanks to KRandTFFan for the heads-up.

Update: Below are some additional pictures from the Princeton set as Shia and company prep for various scenes. Based on the books Shia is holding, I assume those where taken before another PhillyFilmGirl video, similiar shots also here. Thanks to Mauricio for providing the pictures and the photoshopped Megatron on the right as he towers over the Bethlehem set extras.

Transformers 2 Commercial Most Watched

According to a report from BayTSP, the Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Superbowl commercials was the most watched online with 3.6 million views and 721 copies. G.I. Joe was in second and way behind with 1.6 million hits and 279 copies. Overall, the group of Superbowl commecials where watched 28 million times since Sunday. (source)

Title Number of Videos Unique Views
Transformers 2 Trailer 721 3,674,500
G.I. Joe Trailer 279 1,681,896
Pepsi: Stay Forever Young 33 1,635,703
Career Builder: It’s Time 45 1,548,146
E-Trade Financial: Babies 30 968,060
Pre-released – SoBe: NFL Ballerinas 19 858,643
Angels and Demons Trailer 38 747,802
Fast and Furious Trailer 67 715,154
Pre-released – Pedigree: Adoption 21 705,562
Pepsi Max: I’m Good 14 657,941

Transformers 2 Shot in Jordan

Variety.com reports that Transformers 2 shot in Jordan, specifically in the ancient city of Petra, Wadi Rum valley, and Salt.

With a total crew of 160 technicians - 60 sourced locally and the remainder from overseas - the "Transformers" shoot was a huge challenge for Jordan's Royal Film Commission. The complete support of the commission's chairman, Prince Ali, helped the org meet the challenge. The Jordanian Air Force was enlisted to aid the shoot as Bay lensed in the ancient city of Petra.

"We were able to get Michael Bay and his crew up to the top of a mountain in Petra by sunrise and back down again by sunset with the help of five helicopters from the air force," says the Royal Film Commission's George David. "No one has ever shot there before."

Bay also lensed in the valley area of Wadi Rum as well as the famously fertile city of Salt.

"The entire experience of being in Jordan, from our scouts months ago to our recently completed shoot, has been a total creative and production success," says Bay. "The people have been incredibly welcoming, the film commission was a hugely helpful daily presence, and the country, especially Petra, inspired everyone in the cast and crew."

Petra may be familiar to many for its use in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Exactly what the areas in Jordan are being used for, the pictures are examples of the area, not set related, in the movie is unknown but I am sure it ties directly into the Egyptian shoot and a possible tie-in it seems the movie will establish between Transformers and human civilization. Thanks to Richard for the link, pictures and info.

Rather Odd Bay Related "Article"

Transformers 2 director Michael Bay reveals that the trailers leading up to the film will potentially give away most of the robots and plot of the movie, at least according to Rope of Silicon. However, the article is very tongue in cheek and labeled as satire so the quotes are manufactured. Click here to read the whole thing.

“A movie isn’t an actual movie unless things are blowing up and I blow them up with the best of them,” The Bay said. “Sure, you can have emotional moments and we have those with Megan and Shia, but when it comes down to it no one goes to a movie for the actual story as much as they go to see robots and things explode and we got that! I am the only director to have a direct line to the Pentagon. The Pentagon. Pentagon. You think Martin Scorsese can just call the Pentagon? Pentagon?”

When asked about the possibility of Constructicons showing up in the film I lost some steam because I didn’t know what they were and had not yet watched the Super Bowl trailer, but he did say, “It’s all bullshit. I am just toying with the fanboys.” He emphasized “toying” as if to pass a mocking nudge at how the toys from the film have created such an online stir. “Did you see all the articles about the Soundwave toy? Pentagon. So funny, my robots ain’t toys, they will kill you!”

Rather strange article overall, not really sure what the point of it is. Since June is far off, I am all for Bay revealing the Transformer cast through trailers. At least that way have cool eye candy to look at and discuss. Thanks to a site reader for the link.

Constructicon Toy Video Review

Below is a video review of the Constructicon toy from the Transformers Revenge of the Fallen toy line as seen in the trailer. The toy is smaller then I thought it would be but as the "peaugh" indicates; his size seems to be halfway between Voyager and Deluxe class toys. Overall good detail, creative transformation, and definitely a new unique way of designing Transformers (still not sure if I like the change). Amazingly enough this guy has three copies of the toy, not sure who his supplier from China is (where toys are in production) but they must be good. Thanks to Minime for the link.

Based on reading websites and the like, it seems that Transfandom has reached the consensus to call this character "Scavenger" after his G1 counterpart until a verified name is released. It’s a good a name as any so I will probably do the same.

TFLAMB Now On Twitter

Well I have finally caved and decided to give Twitter a go. I really don't have a clue how I am going to use it yet but simply work it out as a I go. To follow me click here or the Twitter logo. I have also added it to the right column "Subscribe" section.

Few More Commercial Stills

I had not planned on posting any more stills from the Superbowl commercial but I liked these pictures from the 1080p version so decided why not. Thanks to Nathan for providing them.

The RH400 Constructicon, right before it destroys a few helicoptors. Note the giant wheel behind its head and the attached axels so easy to swing that wheel underneath for increased mobility.


The RH400 is one ugly, but awesome looking Transformer. That wheel is now underneath allowing for on the move destruction.


Awesome freeze, this is what was being filmed back on August 28th at the Queensway Bridge and Shoreline Drive. Who would have though some explosions would turn into something like this? Optimus is about 1/3 its size. The level of detail is amazing.


Megatron holding Sam down (rather gently considering). I like the detail of hieroglyphics on the leg right above Sam's belly.


The 3 Arcees chasing the Decepticon Audi. One pink, one blue, other probably purple. All rather oddly shaped. What ever is planned Transformation wise, I get the feeling it will be astonishing.

Phone Survey Reveals Transformers 2 Plot?

Movie studios often like to poll people about their movies using focus groups, sneak peeks and the like so they can tweak their movies in an attempt to grab the largest audience possible. Apparently this can also use phone surveys where the questions can reveal hints about the movie they are calling about as "Compy" reports below regarding Transformers 2 which confirms many of our guesses on what the plot is about. As usual my comments are on parenthesis.

The plot of TF2:ROTF was told to me recently during a phone survey about upcoming movies.

First off, I love the blog. I usually just look at the photos since I would hate to stumble across spoilers. I hate spoilers. Unfortunately I was told the entire plot of the movie recently when I agreed to take part in a phone survey on upcoming movies. The survey was a week or so ago and I was also asked about the new Terminator movie, Night at the Museum 2 and another Ice Age movie. The survey person asked how likely I was to see these upcoming films, then they played an audio clip that outlined the plot, and then asked if my opinion changed. When they mentioned "TF2: ROTF" I stayed on the line. I wish I hadn't and I'm trying to block the memory.

Here's what I was told:
- Sam and his family attempt to return to a normal life (why parents visiting Paris)
- Sam is in college (see the filming around Princeton)
- Starscream returns to Cybertron to lead the Decepticons (read comic Reign of Starscream or plot summary here)
- He brings an army of Decepticons to Earth (ditto)
- They revive Megatron using a fragment of the All Spark (on going theory, fragment in film confirmed back in September)
- Megatron seeks revenge against Sam, his friends, and family (wouldn't you if they helped kill you?)
- Starscream and the other Decepticons seek to not only take over Earth, but the entire universe
- Optimus Prime assembles an Autobot army to battle to keep the universe free

So there you have it. The Fallen IS Megatron. The revenge is against Sam. Pretty basic.

Thanks,
Compy

More Arcee Toy Pictures

From 52Toys.com via TFW2005 are more images of blue Arcee toy from Transformers 2 toy line. This time the robot transformation has been modified to more match the images from the Transformers 2 commercial from the Superbowl (when Arcee was chasing the Audi). Below are a few images but the full gallery can be found here.

Now I know that Arcee is one or all three of the robots seen during the commercial. Her character, for the movie, remains mostly undefined. All we know is she is in the movie, she has a robot form and that form may or may not be three components. As Master Fwiffo points out, Arcee could be one of three robots, could be the combined name of the three robots (like Devastator is the name of the combined Constructicons), or she is a consciousness spread over three bodies. I am partial to a combo of the last two, which is Arcee is a combiner with a consciousness copied across three separate forms. Thanks to Lady Owl for the link.

More Constructicon Pictures

From TFW2005 are more pictures of the Voyager class Constructicon toy, now transformed to more closely match its look from the Transformers 2 trailer that aired during the Superbowl. Below are a few of the images but you can see the rest by clicking here. Thanks to Cenjor for the link.

Furman: No Dinobots

The writers and director of Transformers already said it and now Simon Furman has told MTV the same thing - there will not be Dinobots in Transformers Revenge of the Fallen.

Simon Furman was a consultant on the first film and has been writing comics for Transformers in the US and UK for about 25 years. He is also the creator of "The Fallen" concept used in comics that may or may not be part of the movie.

“I think that possibility was raised briefly and fairly comprehensively shot down,” said Furman. “Much as I love the Dinobots, I’m glad.”

“The movie-verse feels quite different to me, with its own audience and far more rooted in the real world, and Dinobots wouldn’t necessarily be a great fit. Sure, if they could come up with an appropriate rationale and integral reason for them being in there, fine, but it’d need to be good, otherwise it would all start to verge on the kitsch,” said Furman.

“I think story and character often get submerged in the crash, bang wallop, but who can argue with a $700 million plus box office tally?” said Furman, “What [the film] does best, I think, is make movie Transformers distinct from classic or animated or comic Transformers. It’s very much it’s own entity, and that’s how it should be.”

“What I love is that a new generation of kids is being exposed to Transformers in the way that maybe rivals the original ’80s phenomenon,” said Furman.

Thanks to Chris for the link.

A New Twist on Fallen Concept? (Update 2)

A new post LS2.com (via TFormers) adds an interesting twist to what "The Fallen" may be in the title Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. Currently there are two camps, either it’s a brand new character named "The Fallen" based on a comic book concept from a few years or it is symbolic naming for the return of Megatron (possibly renamed to Galvatron).

According to "-=boM=-", there now might be another potential meaning. BoM was apparently a military extra on the set when filming occurred at Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands in New Mexico around October. A claim supported by pictures from the set. Big spoiler warning for below and note this is completely unverified.

First post by -=boM=-:

"Can't wait...i'm in it as an extra. I am a Navy Seal doing a battle scene against the Decepticons. I filmed out at White Sands and on Hollomans flight line. Filmed for 4 days and had a blast. Tons of pics on my Facebook."

Follow up reply:

I had to chase a bunch of villagers out of the area because the Decepticons were attacking, then had to protect Optimus Prime's body. There were a shitload of us out there.

The food and catering was awesome. A lot of downtime. Just like a deployment.

I did an interview for the DVD. We will see if that is on it too. The asked me a bunch of questions about the military. The autobots are behind me on top of a sand dune. I did a GM plug. They liked that.

Micheal Bay loves the military. I got to speak with him very briefly. He gets so angry on set at the actors but doesn't dare yell or demean the military. It was a trip. He said something to me like do you want a job as a DA (Directors Assistant), I said hell yeah. He was getting pissed at his DA. His DA was like trust me you dont want this job.

I have two closeup shots if they do decide to put them in the movie. One was walking with the camera on the tracks going along with me but at a slower pace. The camera was right on the side of my face following me but at a slower rate. There were two others behind me. The other close up was while I was defending from a corner of a building on one knee. The boom camera went from the ground to over head of us all. I was up front in the scene. The camera came up to my face then began to ascend over the area. It was pretty cool.

Another scene was Optimus getting dropped off by a chinook. I had to run up to the area then stop as Optimus was getting dropped.

Another was with Josh and Tyrese when they argue with The President on the flightline. I am in the background.

As much time as I spent filming (9-10 hours a day for 4 days) I hope I am seen at least once. Hell I'll be happy to be on teh DVD.

If the post above is true then apparently Optimus Prime may possibly fall fighting the Decepticons and maybe return seeking revenge on them. The only problem I have with this idea is "revenge" would be very un-Optimus Prime like. I am inclined to dismiss this idea. However, Prime dying could have possibilities, or it simply could be Prime gets severely injured (commercial shows a possible beat down) and is unconscious requiring an escort during recovery.

Now to support that boM was an extra (but not the Prime plot point), he posted a HUGE gallery of pictures from the set that includes pictures of most of the Autobot vehicle cast including Ratchet, who has been missing from most of the sets leading to speculation that his character dies. Below are just 12 pictures out of 117 that he posted so be sure to go here to view them all.

Images removed per demand from Paramount Pictures.
Update: As read abobe, the Holloman set pics are getting pulled from the web by Paramount. My best guess is the pictures revealed a plot point since the vehicles have been known for a while now and the set itself was featured on ET and Insider. My best, mostly uneducated guess, for the reason behind the cease and desist is the shot of Josh Duhamel, Shia and Megan. In it Josh and Megan's body language seems to be of anguish or concern over a prone Sam, who is wearing a costume that is the same as the burnt and bloody costume from August. I guess this set is where Shia received those injuries for the film.

Update 2: To add fire to the above, according to the Latino Review, boM had initially used the word "corpse" instead of "body" when talking about Optimus. The change was made when a poster noted that they never actually referred to him as dead. Thanks to Ian and Chris for the info.

USA Today Rates Transformers Commercial (Updated)

USA Today did a second by second ad meter that tracks viewers from various demographics as they watched the 52 Superbowl ads. The Doritos crystal ball ad took the top spot with a score of 8.46. Transformers 2 commercial came in 37th with a score of 5.93 not exactly a something to brag about.

The exercise isn't exactly scientific, but going for Transformers is where most of the other ads leveled out quickly, Transformers kept climbing becoming one of the few to touch the fourth row. I have a feeling that if the ad had started straight into Transformer action instead of human character reactions the ad might have taken the top spot.

Update: Other websites ran their own polls and what not to score the Superbowl trailers.

From Richard, MovieTickets.com poll had Transformers on top among the movie related trailers. 83% found the Transformers the most memorable and 23% said it encouraged them to see the movie this summer. The remaining top five was Star Trek (79%), Monsters vs. Aliens (78%), Fast and Furious (77%) and Land of the Lost (75%).

Bloomberg also did its own ranking of the commercials and the Superbowl. As far as ratings, the game had 95.4 million viewers and 42.1% of US homes with TVs making it the second most watch Superbowl ever (last years was #1). According to Tivo, Transformers Revenge of the FAllen trailer was the fifth most watched commercial of the night, "was the first movie trailer to reach top 10 since 2003." Overall, considering the instant awareness the trailer clearly brought to the movie, I am thinking Paramount is pleased with the results of that $3 million commerical. Thanks to Chris for the link.

Official Superbowl Commercial for Transformers 2 (Update)

Here you go, the teaser trailer / commercial for Transformers Revenge of the Fallen that will premiere during the Superbowl. For those wanting to keep score, the commercial finally aired at 8:57pm EST when there was 2:11 left in the 3rd quarter with Pittsburgh owning Arizona 20-7. I guess appropriate since Transformers 2 filmed in Philadelphia, PA. The trailer is now up on Transformers official website...or just use the various methods below.

Download HD File: Superbowl Commercial | mirror 1 | mirror 2
View in HD: IO9.com | Vimeo
Screencap Galleries: DWTeam.org | Movie Chronicles | TFormers | Seibertron
Trailer breakdowns: Eoin on TFW2005

So what do I see (and probably missing much):
- Fireballs hitting a battle fleet (possible incoming Decepticon protoforms?)
- Shia and co looking very "oh s$@#!" at things
- A very big Transformer that looks exactly like the leaked Terex RH400 toy including the head, attacking the army.(Explains some of what was shot at Bethlehem, PA)
- Ravage, which matches the leaked design, looking creepy and dangerous.
- Decepticon Audi R9 (possibly Barricade) jumping out a building and then tumbling into vehicle mode.
- Behind the Audi, just for a brief second, can see three Transformers jumping down (picture below), Arcee perhaps?
- Starscream possibly getting revenge on Sam or one part is Starscream and the next is the claw of Megatron.
- Optimus Prime getting hit hard by somebody.
- The Terex RH400 trashing a bridge as Optimus jumps on him. (Explains the Queensway Bridge filming and explosions.)

Overall, as teasers go, very bad ass. Can't wait for the full length trailer coming on 2/13. Despite the RH400 TF in the trailer, I still think my source was right and he is the only Constructicon in the movie and not a component of Devastator.

From Anonymous, here are some screenshots from the commercial.

Here is a shot from Gregory that shows three bots chasing the Audi which seems like a scene related to the Wal-Mart footage from last year. For now the three robots are collectivily called Arcee but even with the toy leak, her exact nature remains unknown.

From low Hertz, below are more screenshots. The first two are good freezes that the Constructicon at the beginning and the end are the same. Third one is a good look at the Audi logo so verify that is the R8 being chased. The next is possible proof that it is Megatron holding Sam down and last is a Optimus Prime reeling from a blow to the head.

Here are more screenshots from Elis that help show off the Constructicon including that his wheel is what takes out the bridge and and transformation with a wheel behind him. In addition Ravage has a cannon in his mouth, a look at the Audi robot mode, Optimus reeling (cause cool if tragic to see), and what might be Megatron's lower left leg and right knee near Sam.

Thanks to all the site readers for links and info.

Updates: Be sure to re-check the above as have added screenshots, adjusted text, added links to HD downloads and screenshot galleries found on the web.

Preview Soundwave A Triple-Changer

Action-Figure.com has posted pictures of the preview wave of Deluxe Soundwave and Bumblebee in their packages which includes a nice CGI image their heads. It turns out that the theory that Soundwave's alt mode is a satellite still lives to fight another day as the package indicates he is a triple-changer. Those wing flaps in his Cybertronian jet could easily become solar panels for a satellite. Hopefully the backside of the package will be leaked soon to verify the various theories about the character. Thanks to Phil for the links.

Bay: Teaser Trailer Slot, Full Length Trailer Coming

Transformers director Michael Bay posted on his forums the slot Transformers Revenge of the Fallen teaser trailer is expected to air and when a full length trailer is due.

So,

The Super Bowl spot is coming Sunday in the third Quarter (few minutes into the quarter slot). The spot will be online a few minutes after that - The full length teaser trailer will only be on Friday the Thirteenth. It will not hit the internet until a week later. The Teaser really only teases stuff - I'm holding so much stuff back from the final trailers because I personally hate going to movies where you have seen it all.

Tell me what you think,

Michael

For those that don't know (say those that don't call football soccer), the Superbowl is the championship game for American football. The game usually starts about 6:00PM EST. While on paper a quarter is 15 minutes long, in reality due to commercials, time-outs, penalties, etc, they really last about an hour each. Half time is another 30 minutes. So grand total, my estimate of when the trailer will appear in the third quarter is around 8:15pm EST. That is a very rough estimate.

The main take away to me is that the teaser trailer will be online shortly after for worldwide fans and that a longer length trailer is coming in two weeks, 2/13/09. I might actually have to watch Friday the 13th now. Exactly where online the trailer will pop up first, I don't know but if history is a guide, I thinkYahoo! Movies is a likely candidate. Thanks to Firefrost and Gregory for the Bay forum link. Oh and thanks to Michael Bay for the heads-up, its nice to know I don't have to slog through the entire game now.

Ironhide, Twins and Megatron Robot Images

Thanks to Phil who sent me the below pictures that I think came from the Transformers The Game website joining the previous leaked pictures of the Twins. Nowadays its hard to tell but the detail isn't up to the level of Empire's Optimus Prime image making me think they are all based on ILM's designs but modified for the game's graphics engine. Ironhide looks slightly different, I just can't pin down why. The new angle on the Twins just makes them even stranger looking. As for Megatron, in the bottom right you can see potential tread and he has two claw-hands instead of a cannon arm, either a game design change or maybe the cannon is not permanent but a sub-transformation similar to his weapon in the first movie.

Update: Just a side note, as the below image proves, final verification that those images leaked back in September where related to "Mudflap". Apparently the buggy look eyes were related to his head design. Thanks to Phil for the image below.

First Look at The Twins

Activision has updated it's website for Transformers The Game with the first images of The Twins in their robot modes. An M&M package confirmed that the Chevy Beat (Skids) and Chevy Trax (name still unknown, Mudflap new rumor) were the alt modes of the Twins but this is the first good look at their robot modes which show a lot of similarities but they seem to be fraternal rather then identical twins. I think the image is from the game rather then from ILM (but probably based on their model) so its possible the final movie design could be futher modified. Something about their post and design that makes me think these are going to be hyper playful characters. Thanks to Gregory for the link and info.

Update: More images can be found here.

UK Toy Fair Revenge of the Fallen News

The UK Toy Fair 2009 started today and TFW2005 was provided some of the information that was revealed to some of the attendees there. Thanks to Gregory for the link.

- Devastator will be around about 2 feet tall and built like a gorilla.
- The Human Alliance Bumblebee that we have been seeing recently will be the first release in his range.
- No toys of the Fallen at present.
- There will be new Robot Replicas of Ironhide, Ratchet and Starscream.
- More information on the RPM - Robot Powered Machines - line. The cars are "Hot Wheels style" and are mainly Autobots, with their robot modes embossed on the bottom. The racetrack has tracks all over the place, and instead of the central "mountain" you sometimes see on these tracks, you've got Devastator!
- There will be a radio controlled Optimus Prime truck with Peter Cullen soundclips.
- The tank mode Megatron toy (which version is not specified) was on display, although nobody was available to comment on whether or not he is in the film.

Some footage, featuring animatics, was also shown. If you do not want to be spoiled, look away now!

- Devastator is... devastating! The mixing drum in his chest becomes a massive turbine grinder. It creates a turbine effect, sucking everything in Devastator's path up, and spitting it out of his back. (similar to previous rumor)
- Wheelie is effectively confirmed as a remote controlled car, in line with other rumors we have heard recently. (ditto)
- Legions of Decepticon drones, resembling Frenzy, will cause carnage in the Witwicky household.
- Sam fights for his life on top of a car against Pretender Alice.
- Captain Lennox also gets to see some serious action against the Decepticons, with full helicopter backup.

Official Bumblebee, Soundwave Toy Pics

Empire Magazine has posted a "first look" at the Deluxe toys for Soundwave and Bumblebee. The images are really nothing different then what we have already seen from leaked images. At least now though we do have official confirmation that at least initially Soundwave's alt mode is a Cybertronian jet. I also am assuming that these to toys are now confirmed for preview release ahead of the main wave as rumored otherwise why provide them to the press now versus other characters like Optimus Prime.

Legends in Packaging and More Bumblebee

More pictures of the Legends line are now online that helps show off the modes of Bumblebee, Jetfire, Optimus Prime and Springer. The full gallery is here.

For those that want a better look at Voyager Bumblebee with Sam, The Arker has posted bunch of pictures of the toy out of the box that provides a closer look at the new toy for the Transformers Revenge of the Fallen toy line. That entire gallery can be found here.

Sam's Parents On the Run Again

Thanks to Mauricio who found new footage by "Nosebleed" from the Transformers set in Philidephia, PA back in June that shows Sam's parents (Julie White and Kevin Dunn) on the run down an alleyway as Michael Bay directs it. It is essentially a new angle on previously footage and amazing enough has been online for 7 months now just no one was aware of it. The set is on Chancellor Street but is dressed as L'Arc de triomphe in Paris, France where the parents are on vacation before a probable Decepticon attack.

TRANSFORMERS 2

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Press Conference?

US Magazine is reporting the return of Transformers' Josh Duhamel returning from his honeymoon with new wife Fergie (Congrats!). Of note though is a little nugget of information they are reporting that, "Duhamel is due to attend a Transformers Revenge of the Fallen press event later today." I have no idea what that means or if it is true. It could just be a chance for the cast and crew to get a sneak peak at the upcoming Superbowl trailer. Thanks to Katie for the link.

Packaging Pics Hint At Megatron

More pictures via The Arker are online for the various Voyager Transformers that show off the packaging and character descriptons in greater detail then the previous pictures. Also apparently a new game will be released.

Voyager class Optimus Prime Gallery

From the moment Optimus Prime took Earth as a new home for himself and his people, he was rededicated to its protection. Since that day, he has focused all of his considerable will and power on rooting out the last few Decepticons and destroying them. To that end, he has upgraded and refined his sensor suite, and trained with Ironhide in tracking the evil robots.

Voyager class Starscream Gallery

The moment his sensor net registered Megatron going offline, Starscream knew that battle was over and the Allspark lost. He converted to vehicle mode and boosted for outer space, hoping to buy enough time to rally the Decepticon survivors. Returning from Cybertron bearing the marks won during his reign over the Decepticon army, he is cocused on conquest. With a new army behind him, he has the strength to pursue his own goals, and perhaps, when the time is right, bring Megatron back.

Bumblebee with Sam Gallery

Bumblebee and Sam were best friends almost from the moment they first met face to face. As they learned more about one another, that connection grew deeper and deeper. Now, whether Sam is behind the wheel, or standing side by side with his friend, they work together as a team. Against Bumblebee and his human friend, no Decepticon stands a chance.

Transformers: RoTF Missile Mania Gallery
From Milton-Bradley, a two player game that involves knocking opponents players with toy missiles.

I think the most significant piece of information, is the image of Megatron that is on all the packaging either in the background behind the toy, on the Missile Mania box and the side of the packaging as multiple readers pointed out from the previous set.

Now the question is how you know that is Megatron? It is a case of following the pictures. Earlier in the year, CGI pictures of a tank with a head image appeared online. Later an action pose of a robot with claw hands and a face nearly identical to the previous pictures appeared online. A post that is almost identical to the toy packaging. Last we have images of Fast Action Megatron in his packaging (therefore official), that has a tank mode and a face mold nearly identical to the previous images. End conclusion is thanks to the toy, we have official confirmation that all are images of Megatron. Now does this mean he returns in the movie? Michael Bay said no to Empire Magazine but who knows at this point.

More Ask Orci Answers

Transformers, Star Trek, Fringe, Eagle Eye, etc writer Roberto Orci did a stop by his thread on the Don Murphy forums and covered a few topics about Transformers 2 including writing, editing, and being a fan boy.

would you say that di Bonaventura’s latest comment that there are “40-odd” robots is a gross exaggeration?
No.

Will the name "Spike" be uttered by anyone in TF2?
No.

if the decepticons are in fact mostly CGI, would that give you greater flexibility in terms of rewrites, or not? would it also mean that ILM can still tweak their designs even till now?
It does give us some freedom. We can even add a scene or two, if need be, which we are mulling over.

now that you've had chance to (hopefully!) devote more screen time to him, how do you feel about the character of Starscream?
He has a much more g1 feel, finally.

Are these scenes which add and help the plot? Serve the fanbase some fanboy goodness? Or are to help with the humor aspect?
Serve fan boy goodness. One of the scenes we're mulling over was Bay's idea, and he pitched it as, "you and the fans are gonna love this..."

Will the camera angles & editing be a bit more steady in TF2? In TF1, people often felt the scenes involving the actual Transformers, where too chopped up to get a clear idea of what's onscreen. I mean, imo the better martial arts movies employ static camera's and continuous editing ; not needing quick edit cuts and weird angles to hide any potential shortcoming. Similar principle would apply to Transformers onscreen, right?
Yes, quite often. (I second this, please end the constant redux of the Bourne movies style. Quantum of Solace's taking it to the nth degree to horrible effect should finally put that filming style to bed.)

do you consider yourself a fanboy and are there things that you get giddy and excited about seeing, that when Bay says "alright cool..lets do it" or when he suggests fanboyish ideas that you think to yourself... "fuck yeah...this is gonna be awesome" and do you have a backlog of fanboyish ideas sitting in the back of your mind incase a good opportunity arises?
I think I am half and half. When Bay pitches a cool idea, he can sometimes get my inner fan boy going, but my professional screenwriter mind has to remain critical and active. Weird balance. If I weren't in this profession, I would be all fan boy.

Canadian Toy Fair TF Info

ActionFiguresNews.ca provides a brief summary of information about the upcoming slate of Transformers 2 and other Hasbro toys. Sadly no pictures however.

Transformers:
-RPMs (Robot Powered Machines), Hot Wheel type cars with robot designs molded onto the bottom
-Soundwave and Bumblebee are confirmed for the Revenge of the Fallen preview wave
-Tons of mock up Revenge of the Fallen toys behind the scenes to show retailers including a Bumblebee Voice Changer Helmet and train set

Chances are the preview will be the Deluxe version of those two characters (pic here). As for the train set, I hope it's new Transformers, maybe something like Hearts of Steel Prime. However, considering that Hasbro has already shown it is content to dip in their well multiple times with re-releases before the new toy line's first wave is even out, I doubt it. More likely, in continuing the combiner theme, the train set a repaint of Rail Racer or JRX from the Robots in Disguise line from 2001. (source)

Voyager Class Transformer Toys in Packaging

The Arker has posted a bunch of new pictures for Transformers Voyager class toys for some returning characters from the first movie. Ironhide returns with an even bigger gun, Bumblebee gains a passenger in form of Sam Witwicky action figure, and Starscream and Optimus Prime gets some modifications, sadly Starscream remains ugly.

Based on the pictures, it appears our returning favorites will remains very close to how they where in the first movie while the toys have been upgraded just a touch in the detail and gimmick department to make buying them all over again very tempting.

Vote For Best Fan Blogging

The Total Film Movie Blog Awards ends January 25th as Transformers Live Action Movie Blog is up for contention. This site did have a pretty good lead until Twilight Movie News got into the game and now commands a 66% lead. We can not have that wimp of a movie beat anything Transformers related.

So vote for me, or at least Transformers here.

Update: Well it appears that polls closed much sooner then expected. I guess I forgot to account for time zone differences. Oh well. Thanks for those that voted, the support is appreciated.

Hearts of Steel Optimus Prime

This has nothing to do with the movie, just some good old fashion Transformer goodness combined with Transfan know how. A few years ago a limited series from IDW came out called "Hearts of Steel" that is kind of an elseworlds story of the Transformers landing on earth sometime around the Industrial Revolution in the early 1900s. Famed Transformer artist Guido Guidi was able to redisign our favorite Transformers based on technology of the time period such as Optimus Prime as a locomotive.

I guess "griffith_76" took a liking to it because he built his own Optimus Prime Transformer that turns into a locomotive that looks pretty darn sweet, complete with a Nemesis Prime repaint. Below are just two pictures but the full gallery is worth the time to check out.

If you do like the toy and have money to spend, you can buy an unassembled kit for $125. For additional money you can get it pre-assembled ($80) and painted ($80). Full details are at Monoblog. It just shows that Hasbro isn't even close to taking advantage of the many iterations and possibilities of the Transformer brand.

Bruticus, Wreckage Repaints

It appears a few more repaints will join the Transformers 2 toy line in the form of Bruticus and Wreckage.

Bruticus is a repaint of the Transformers: Energon toy that came out around 2005. A full gallery can be found here.

Wreckage orginially was released with the first movie toyline, based on a character that had been part of early drafts and designs for the movie. Now the character will be mostly green. A full gallery of that toy is here.

Peter Cullen's Knight Rider Appearance

The episode of Knight Rider where Peter Cullen's reprises his role as the voice of KARR aired last night. Over all the episode was rather bland and considering the build-up, the appearance of the very Transformers-like KARR was just so-so and very brief. How he was defeated just stuck me as strange as if it was a either a stunt that had to be saved in the editing room or maybe they ran out of money.

Thanks to wickweezl, below are two videos. The first is a converted version of NBC's sneak peak and the second is a voice only video (for copyright reasons) of only the moments from the episode that used Peter Cullen's voice.

If you interested in watching the entire episode, click here or watch below. Peter's part in the episode starts at 35:05 point.

Kyle Busch M&M Transformer Car

If you're a fan of Nascar, Transformers, and M&M's you might be interested in the Kyle Busch #18 Diecast car that is for sale. It's the person's car with Optimus Prime colors, Transformers 2 logo and the M&M TF characters. Buddytoy's has it for "sale" at $62 for those interested. Sadly the car does not transform.

Update: Turns out that the above car isn't the only version that will be available. A 1/64 scale will almost be made and can be ordered here for $5.50. I don't know much but I am guessing that size is about Matchbox sized.

Autobot Fleet, Helicopter Painting Pictures

A few pictures from past Transformers sets have come up again. First up is a gallery of pictures that show the work that went into converting helicopters into the Shanghai police copters used for the Bethlehem set back in June. Below is a before, during, and after pictures but a whole lot more are at the full huge gallery here.
Thanks to Mike taking and providing the pictures for us.

Spoiler-TV posted to pictures Queensway Bridge, Long Beach, CA that shows off the entire known Autobot fleet (except for the always absent Ratchet).

Jolt Video and More Constructicon Toy Pictures

The toy pictures and such keep coming. For those thinking "who cares about toys!", the reason is hey we like toys and the toys provide hints on the movie characters and their design. They are basically plastic spoiler alerts.

First up is a video review of Jolt the Volt Fast Action Battler brought to you by the same person that did the great Audi R8 review.

More Construction RH400 pictures have popped up that show off the vehicle mode and head, still no confirmation of character name of if this is 1 of many. Below are a few pictures, the full gallery is here.

Possible Arcee Toy Bike?

TF08.net's mod yizhi521 has posted pictures of a blue Autobot bike that could be the robot form or a component of that form for the Arcee for Transformers 2. The current rumor is that Arcee is the merge of three different bikes colored blue, pink and purple that was custom made by RetroSBK. This idea has not been verified but is supported by the three identical dressed biker women seen on the Bethlehem set and also footage posted by Wal-Mart of the ladies on their respective bikes.

None of this is proof that the bike is Arcee. It could just be another miscellaneous character tossed in to the Transformers 2 toy line much like Depthcharge and Ransack probably are. It is interesting that I don't see any obvious hands and arms for the character however the there isn't a real transformation in the pictures. If the bike is one of three, that head sure is small. As usual, it's going to come down to more toy leaks, hopefully one in its proper packaging.

Audi R8 Video Review

We have seen plenty of pictures of the Audi R8 but now there is video review that also shows off the toy, provides comparison to other Transformers and shows off the "Mech Alive" feature that the Transformers 2 toy line will use. Thanks to cypherXR for the link.

Transformers Alliance #3 Cover

"Markerguru" has posted the cover to Transformers Alliance #3 that is coming out February 18th. Alliance is a four issue mini-series that bridges the gap between the end of the first movie and the beginning of the sequel (more or less).

As noted by the artist, the "the decepticon shown on this cover are: fracture, reverb, jetstorm, and gunbarrel. not in that order. i'll just let you guess which is which. it should be pretty easy now right? note: no new movie characters shown here. so to anyone who guess soundwave, you be wrong." The four characters are mostly Energon repaints re-released with the first Transformers movie line so probably will be cannon fodder in the issue.

More TF Audi Toy Pictures

Clearer pictures of the Deluxe Audi R8 from the Transformers 2 toy line are up on ACToys.net. They are similar to the previous pictures, but now with correct robot transformation. Overall, a very cool toy that will probably look equally excellent in full CGI rendering for the movie. Below are a few select images, the full gallery is here. Thanks to cypherXR for the heads-up.

TFW2005 has also posted more pictures, this time high resolution pictures on a red background so easier to pick out details on the toy who still reminds me a lot of Barricade. The gallery of those pictures is here.

Transformers Defiance Covers and Info

The first issue of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Movie Prequel: Defiance #1 will arrive in stores on January 21st and as part of that IDW has released multiple covers and a five page sneak peak. Also a sneak peak of issue number 4 cover (left) which looks very good. More importantly, Optimus Prime's opponent looks identical to the leaked image of Megatron complete with cannon and claw.

Defiance is the one with Megatron kneeling before some object that looks similar to the poster face. Below are two additional covers for issue #1. Click here for the sneak peak.

As for the story, according to mini-series writer Chris Mowry on his blog:

The series takes place before the events of the first TRANSFORMERS movie. It expands on the events from the first movie and this summer's sequel. If all goes well, it'll help expand upon the movie universe and set the stage for future stories as well.

It's an origin that's a bit different. Cybertron isn't the same planet that we know. It's flourishing. Characters are working together and not killing one another. The society is based upon peace and the expansion of their knowledge. Megatron serves as the planet's protector. With his soldiers, the planet has enjoyed peace for a long time. Optimus heads up the science and construction division. He's the "blue collar" character who will eventually find himself thrust into a situation that he's never been in before. It's a different time and a very different place, but it all goes horribly wrong.

I still haven't figured out how this series plays out compared to the other prequel mini-series Transformers: Alliance. My best guess is Defiance is more of an origin story for the entire movie universe while Alliance is a direct prequel for the upcoming sequel. The issue will be out this Wednesday, so be sure to check your local comic book store. Thanks to Gregory for the links and issue 4 cover and lowHertz for the issue 1 covers.

More Ask Orci Q&As

Roberto Orci has returned to TFW2005's Orci Q&A Thread and provided some comments Transformers 2. The questions run all over the place from the Superbowl trailer, story beats, and characters like Jolt the Volt. As usual my comments are in parenthesis. Thanks to Gregory for the heads-up.

if you could choose any Transformers for TF3, who would they be (Transformers from TF1 and ROTF don’t count) and why?
Unicron. For scale's sake. (Keep in mind this is an off the cuff answer, not "proof" of what TF3 will be about. There doesn't even exist a TF3 script at this time.)

what are you working on right now? Writing bot lines for the voice actors? How's the film shaping up? Looking good? Has your mind been blown?
Bay has been kind enough to show us some scenes so we can have a second chance at some of the dialogue now that we know what footage we have. I think it is going well, but there is still much work to do between now and June. But Michael hit it out of the park again.

what do you think us fans will be most pleased with in the sequel?
I think the fans will like the seriousness with which the Transformers mythology is treated, and the closer characterizations of some of the main Transformers.

Will it be as revealing as the trailer for the first film? Is it going to give away lots of money shots?
There are so many "money" shots in this movie that a 20 minute trailer couldn't give them all away.

was the Chevy Volt TF kind of shoved into the film by GM and not really in the script?
Yes, we had to figure it out last minute, but everything was running at a hectic pace because of the writer's strike. It was no problem, though, because the Volt is truly unique, and actually fit well onto our existing Autobot team. (Never understood why GM tried to deny this as clearly their 2010 car marketing stragedy hinges on the Volt.)

do you have any idea if the Super Bowl trailer is going to be a 30 sec one or possibly a 60 to 90 sec one?
Don't know if that's been decided yet. We have both lengths ready to go! (Considering every 30 seconds costs $3 million, that is going to be one expensive trialer).

I know you mentioned that all the Decepticons will be military vehicles. Will any of the Autobots be a military vehicle?
I meant, in the first movie, we decided they would all be military vehicles. A Little more variety this time. (The Audi, Constructicons, etc already indicate that the Decepticons are not all military this time.)

out of all the scenes you've seen would you say the Decepticons have good enough screen time?
i don't know yet, but it's looking like yes.

Is there something worth mentioning that this second movie is lacking or weaker than the first one?
might be a few minutes longer, which in our minds is a weakness. You may not agree. (As long as the extra time is Transformer related and not human characters related, length is good.)

I'm almost positive about this but, did Michael request more detail and realism than before for all robots?
Yes. ILM, as a result of all the R&D of the first movie is able to do much more this time in terms of detail and movement. (So basically be prepared to be even more impressed.)

when will the actors go into the studios and do some recording
Doing it little by little. Already had a few sessions.

What made you want to put a pretender in this movie.
You'll see. It fits the story.

How late into production was the Chevy Volt/Jolt added? Was it during filming, or right after the strike when you guys had to jam out a script? And... since he was added so late, does he fit organically into the movie?
No, we put him in before production started, during the mad dash to get a shooting draft ready. But we always knew we WANTED to put him in from early on when we saw the design and realized it was a truly unique car. We just had to convince Michael that he could fit organically into the team and be as cool as the others. (Yeah I really can't argue that the Volt is a neat looking car, the only question is will it be a neat Transformer.)

TF2 Deluxe Audi R8 Toy Pictures

The Arker.com has posted pictures of the Transformers 2 Deluxe toy for the Audi R8 seen at the Bethlehem and Philly shoot, usually involved in a chase sequence. It is also the same vehicle mentioned on the call sheets (which have yet to be contradicted) and it matches the leaked robot mode (pic above) of the character. The person with the toy just didn't quite do the transformation right. The name of the character currently isn't known. It is a Decepticon, it reminds me of Barricade but the face mold is different. However, there is nothing preventing Barricade from returning in a new mode since his final fate has never been officially confirmed. Below are a select pictures, but the full galleries of images are here and here.

A TF2 Constructicon Toy? (Update)

Thanks to Gregory for the link to what appears to be a posting of a potential Transformers 2 Voyager class Construction toy on ACToys.net. As some have pointed out, the toy looks pretty close to a Terex RH400, which is considered the "largest hydraulic excavator in the world." At first I want to be dismissive of this toy as it hasn't been transformed properly and it seems to lack the detail that the movie toys normally have. However, we have not seen the robot mode and a red Terex RH400 does match the rumor on Devastor.

Assuming this toy is legit, does this prove that a combiner of 7 Constructions is in Transformers 2? Consider a few things. One is the call sheet which described one Transformer character as a "Constructicon Earth Mover." Also an anonymous source whose information proved reliable way back in late June told me) that the Constructicon would not be one of several, but a single TF whose alt mode is the "world's largest earth mover". The RH400 fits that bill nicely.

It is way too early to draw any definitive conclusions but I have had doubts for a while about a true combiner in the film due mostly to costs. If history holds, hopefully in a week or so more pictures will come out to clarify things.

Update: HK-TF.com has posted additional pictures. One shows off the vehicle mode that is clearly a RH400, with what appears to be a Decepticon logo on the side. There are also two shots of what I guess is a potential configuration to merge into Devastator. The boxes in the background are from Beast Wars line. I still want to see the robot mode. One theory is they don't have individual robot modes; the vehicles combine to form a super robot. My only response to that is this is Transformers, not Voltron.

Orci, Kurtzman Talk Writing Transformers 2

Transformers 2 writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci spoke with FirstShowing.net in a two part interview about their two summer projects. Part 1 covered Star Trek and part 2 was about writing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, their other projects and approach to movies in general. Below are choice bits from the interview, the full text is here.

Christopher Nolan did a lot of research into figuring out how to make The Dark Knight, or for that matter, any sequel better than the first film and to make it better in every way he could. For Transformers 2, is this something you guys actively thought about moving into it? Or how much actual–
Roberto Orci: You bet. We resisted it for a long time.
Alex Kurtzman: Especially because the first movie was such a big success and then it was like let's just make another one. For us, I think the credibility that we would've lost — forget with the world, but just with ourselves — to saying yes before we really had a good idea, would've been really disappointing. I think for us, before we locked into what the idea was for the movie, we had to say: "What are the sequels that influenced us as kids and why did they influence us?" The answer was always the same. It was that the movie stood on its own, completely on its own and was a–
Orci: Like Superman II, Empire Strikes Back–
Kurtzman: Aliens.
Orci: What are the movies where the sequel was as good as the first one? Those are the things we referenced and thought about and watched again.

What was the timeline in connection with the writers' strike? Were you guys brought on before the writers' strike?
Orci: It was insane. We literally started breaking stories two weeks before the strike. In two weeks, we generated an outline. It was pens down the minute the strike hit. We didn't deal with Michael at all during the strike.
Kurtzman: They prepped the movie off of the outline.
Orci: Yeah, but we had to come up with set pieces and sort of the basic thrusts of the movie and Michael prepped a lot of it. And the second the strike ended, it was like two months — I'm not exaggerating — two months between starting to write and day one of direction. So it was a crazy, crazy race to get it done.

How many changes or how much did Michael Bay add when he did his, as we all reported, his notes about the sequel and story ideas for the sequel during the writers' strike? How much did that play into what eventually became the final script?
Kurtzman: He actually didn't do anything other than, in his own mind, elaborate on action sequences. We had set up the foundation for a lot of those action sequences and he kind of came in and just–
Orci: Add a sight gag here or a joke there.
Kurtzman: But story-wise, it was kind of what it was and it never changed from the first thing we pitched to what we ended up shooting. We didn't have a choice. It was what was there.

Have you chosen to include certain robots because people really wanted to see Soundwave or something like that?
Orci: Yeah, sure, absolutely. We excluded Soundwave from the first movie because we knew that the version we were discussing was going to be too off-putting and we put other things in there based on fan responses. Same with the sequel.

Ultimate Bumblebee, TF Helmet Toys

Little bit of Transformers 2 toy line news with info on the voice changer helmets and Ultimate Bumblebee. The Optimus Prime helmet will have new lines, a transform sound effect, and damage paint. Since Hasbro is producing a Bumblebee helmet, I guess that means voice of Bumblebee, Mark Ryan, will have more to say in the sequel and indicates a possible retirement of using the radio to speak (a production money saver, since permission and money required for every bit used).


Ultimate Bumblebee will return, probably in his $80ish price range. There is an indication that his head is getting a new mold or at the very least they are adding the face guard. It’s hard to tell from the image but I imagine his body will be modified to match the production version of the Chevy Camaro.

Cullen's Knight Rider Return Next Week

In a promo for next week's episode of Knight Rider (yeah I watch, its silly but fun show), there is just a snippet of Peter Cullen reprising his role as KARR (Knight Automated Roving Robot) for the show. A re-redesign of the 80s series villain shows clear inspiration from Transformers. To me the voice just sounds like an angry Optimus Prime.

Deluxe Soundwave Alt Mode

TFW2005 has a link to several ebay auctions for Ransack, Depthcharge and Deluxe Soundwave. As part of the Soundwave auctions are the first pictures of a potential alt mode for the deluxe class Soundwave that I have seen. Apparently the alt mode could be a Cybertronian jet rather then a satellite or possibly this character could be like Starscream from the first movie where Hasbro released a pre-earth fall mode and then the earth jet mode. Another theory is he could simple be a triple-changer. Without the retail packaging, we really can't consider anything as confirmed so all theories remain valid. Looks pretty good though.

Target's DPCIs for Transformers 2 Toys (Update)

TFW2005 has posted about the DPCIs that Target is using to describe the various classes and sub-lines for the upcoming Transformers 2 toy line. I have no idea what a DPCI is; the main thing is the labels. There will be deluxe figures ($10), scouts ($6), Voyagers ($20), Leader ($40), and return of Ultimate Bumblebee (I imagine with updated body). There are also new classes such as Helmet Roleplay, Power bots, and Gravity bots. There are two listings for combiners, one is probably for Superion and Bruticus but what is the second DPCI for (the Constructicons perhaps)?

Target's DPCIs

087-06-0111 TF MV2 Deluxe Figures
087-06-0115 TF MV2 Scout Figures
087-06-0119 Transformers MV2 Optimus Prime Helm
087-06-0120 TF MV2 Voyager
087-06-0122 TF MV2 Leader
087-06-0125 TF MV2 Gravity Bots
087-06-0127 Transbattler MV2 FAB
087-06-0128 TF MV2 Robot Replicas
087-06-0131 TF MV2 Robot Hero Scene
087-06-0139 Tran Weapon MV2 Robot Weapons
087-06-0141 Trans Helmet MV2 Helmet Roleplay
087-06-0146 TF MV2 Combiners
087-06-0162 TF MV2 Ultimate Bumblebee
087-06-0163 TF MV2 Power bots
087-06-0164 TF MV2 Mega Power bots
087-06-0171 TF MV2 Legends
087-06-0294 TRA Combiner TF MV2

1/29 Update: For the list of SKU numbers for Toys R Us click here. It isn't really that much different from the above.

Orci Confirms Rumors

In an interview with IGN, Transformers 2 writer Roberto Orci confirms that there is a Pretender and Ravage in the movie. He does not go so far as to verify they are one and the same. This is the first official confirmation of these two pieces of information. Does that make the rumors from the other day more legit? And what about those videos? Thanks to captainclueless for the link.

IGN: Last time we spoke, you revealed that Soundwave was in the movie and hinted at the possibility of Ravage, so I'm wondering if you can say anything more about what new characters will be in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Orci: So I said Ravage... maybe?

IGN: Pretty much, yeah.
Orci: [As if giving a big reveal] Ravage!

IGN: [Laughs] Damn, I should have told you that you said Ravage for sure!
Orci: Hmm… I'll give you an exclusive here. There is a Pretender. I'm going to get killed for saying that.

IGN: Storywise, how does the sequel compare to the first one?
Orci: It's an extreme [jump] from the first one. The outrageous, crazy humor is more outrageous, but then so is the serious side of it and so is the stakes of the Transformers plot and the seriousness with which some of their mythology is treated. So it kind of swings wildly between those two extremes, and that I think was one of the successful parts of the first movie. Again, some of the die hard fans will be equally annoyed at some of the things they see, but I can also say they will be more gratified than they were for the first one, to see how some of the Transformers story and how their battle takes place in the second one.

IGN: There was a leaked image the other day of a Sideswipe toy. I don't even know if Sideswipe is in the movie, since the toys sometimes include extra characters, but the look of this toy was more like the original Transformers than the first film. On the design side, are the Transformers looking the same in this one, or are there some tweaks?
Orci: Well, you know, your favorites – Optimus and Bumblebee – look the same. Some of the new Transformers coming up, even the old Transformers that we had, have benefited from the fact that -- I actually heard this from ILM -- because they had all the rendering and the stuff from the first movie, they were able to get much more specific and articulate with their range of motion and emotions in the second movie, which has a bigger budget and it has all that research and development sunk into the original models. So there's going to be more articulation of the characters facially, so I'm looking forward to seeing that. I have not seen how far they've taken it.

More Toy Galleries (Update)

If your interested, there are more pictures online of a few toys from the Transformers 2 toy line. They are large so not re-creating them here and do an good job of showing the toys from all the angles for those considering a purchase.

Fast Action Battler Optimus Prime
Scout Class TFs - Dirtboss (forklift), Rollbar (blue delivery truck), Deadend and (red race car)

Update: Two more galleries.
Fast Action Battler Megatron
Tokyo International Toy Forum - Pictures of various TF toys on display including Masterpiece Grimlock. No movie related items where on display.

G1 Collection For Sale

If you have thousands dollars to blow, hit this eBay auction to own nearly every Generation 1 Transformers made from 1984 to 1988. The final count is around 248 Transformers, some multiples of each other, some in their boxes, many not. For me the auction is just fun because of all the pictures of all those toys I remember wanting but not able to get as a child.

Total Film Movie Blog Awards Nomination

Total Film has announced its Movie Blog Awards nominations and Transformers Live Action Blog is nominated in the Fan blog category. It is the first award nomination for this website and having a competitive streak I wouldn't mind going 1 for 1.

To vote (hopefully for me) go here.

Possible Story Points, Superbowl Ad Time and No To Superion

Some new rumors about Transformers 2 for your consumption and discussion. The first comes from AllSpark.com's "Toadimus Prime". My comments are in parenthesis.

… a friend of mine works for a company that's licensing some merchandise for ROTF and told me a few things that he's seen for the upcoming film, including some early CGI stuff etc.

- The film opens with the US Military teaming up with the Autobots, who are the military vehicles, to hunt down rogue Decepticons. Springer is one of them, and this is the part in China.
- Wheels/Wheelie is a blue remote control car and very small Transformer. He discovers Jetfire at the museum by driving underneath him and seeing the Decepticon symbol. (This at least fits description of what was filmed at Udvar-Hazy.)
- There's a seen where Alice pins Sam to the bed, and a tail with a hypodermic on it cones out of her back. She also has a giant tongue, apparently. Should keep the Kiss play fans happy! (Something to add to the Ravage as Pretender rumor.)
- The twins are important characters who fight each other a lot and can combine. (Might explain the split ice cream truck.)
- Devastator looks like a gorilla, and has the cement mixer drum in the centre of his chest, which he can use as a weapon.
- Possibly Superion as an autobot combiner, but he was a little vague on this. (Nope, the toy is just a repaint, not part of the movie.)
- Megatron hasn't been in any of the film licensing stuff, just the toys. (Matches Bay's words on the subject.)
- He saw a Decepticon Hot Rod model, but he's convinced that was part of the disinfo campaign. (Or just a another non-movie character toy for the toy line.)

In addition to the above, "Tawd" reports that someone he knows received some promotional material for Transformers 2 including the new official poster and that the Superbowl trailer is expected to air during halftime (not officially confirmed). In addition, to contradict Toadimus, he reports "that they're going to bring back Megatron and the Starscream/Megatron relationship will be more prominent than it was in the movie and much more like the G1 series. Also, it may be a three way brawl much like the Insecticons fighting Autobots and Decepticons and the Fallen will pose a threat to both sides." (No he isn't saying the Insecticons are in the movie, it is a G1 cartoon reference I believe.)

Apparently IESB.net and WorstPreviews have joined the Superion bandwagon. They are reporting that Superion and Devastator are going to fight in the movie, using the description from the recently leaked toy pictures as a source.

This is a rumor that needs to die a quick death before it gains legs. A repaint from the 2005 Transformers Energon toy line, which doesn't match the movie style in any way shape or form, is not from the movie. If "Superion" was going to be in the movie, they would not re-release a toy with that name, reserving it to match the design used in the movie. Since Hasbro didn't its safe to say that the character is not in the movie.

Thanks to Gregory and Steven for the links and Tawd for his information.

Deluxe Soundwave Picture

The Transformer 2 pictures keep coming from TF08.net. As part of their release of the Superion packaging, yizhi521 also posted an image of Deluxe Soundwave that is a better look at the toys then the previous image. Sadly nothing to verify his alt mode is a satellite. Thanks to Dan for the link.

Revenge of the Repaints

More pictures are online for various additions to the Transformers 2 toy line all three are repaints of toys from previous lines.

First up from TF08.net is Superion which is really a repaint of the Transformers: Energon toy. The name of the gestalt formed when the five Aerielbots Airazor, Air Raid, Fireflight, Silverbolt and Skydive merge. You will notice that it’s really three toys with two repaints to create the five figures need for the combine. I am not sure why this isn't being released as part of the Universe line, except maybe because it already had been back in 2006 and Hasbro just wants to dip back in the well considering the merge theme that is rumored as part some of the Revenge of the Fallen characters. Thanks to Dan for the link.

Next is repaints of the first Transformers movie line Starscream as Ramjet and Skywarp from TFormers.com. Both Decepticons, both have a long tradition back to the G1 days of being repaints of Starscream. Clearly the tradition continues.

TF2 Depthcharge, Ransack Gallery

The-Arker.com has posted a sizable gallery of pictures of the scout class Transformers Depthcharge and Ransack that are part of the Transformers 2 toy line. Below are a few select pictures of each. For the full gallery of pictures click the TF names above or go to TFormers.com mirror for Ransack and Depthcharge. I am definitly adding Ransack to my buy list, that biplane mode just grabs my attention.

Skids Alt Mode Gets New Name

Autoblog is reporting that 2010 Chevy Beat, the alt mode of the Autobot Skids, has a new name for its public debut at the Detroit Auto Show (sneak peek here). Beat was the name of the concept car, but now that it is going into production, it is now officially called the Chevy Spark.

Julien-K Scores TF2 Video Games

Plug In Music via TFormers reports that Julien-K was tapped by Activision Blizzard to compose and score music for the up coming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video games coming out this summer. No details beyond that where provided about the game or the score itself. The band also had a single on the Transformers soundtrack released in 2007.

As for who is doing the score for the movie, it was officially announced back in July that Bay's favorite scorer Steve Jablonsky, who did the first film's score, is returning.*

* Thanks to Snortpocket for pointing out that Jablonsky's return was already official