Peaugh and co is back, this time with a video review of Voyager class Optimus Prime from the Transformers 2 toy line. It is essentially a repaint of Prime from the first movie with an improved paint job. Also a more pictures of the Fallen toy have popped up online and can be seen here. Thanks to Hugo for the link.
Few new galleries of Transformers 2 Deluxe class toys. From TF08.net, a two page gallery of pictures of various Deluxe Fast Action Battler size Transformers 2 toys. It is a good look at Jetfire, a re-color of Ratchet, Skids, Rampage, and Bumblebee. I think my favorite of the group is Long Haul mostly because he is the creation of Transformers fan Josh Nizzi, hired by Michael Bay for Transformers 2 thanks to his Long Haul art. Makes me wonder if its just a matter of time for Jester and Jolin. The other gallery is from TFormers for Sideways.
Via ActionFigs.com, is a gallery of the odds and ends of some tie-in products for the Transformers 2 toy line like keychains, clip-ons and the like. Rather odd those is there choice to pixilated some of the images so that you really can't tell what your buying much liked the black-out versions of the keychains from the other day. As the image on the right shows though, the keychain is clearly the merge mode of Optimus Prime and Jetfire. Thanks to Phil for the link.
TF08.net, via Seibertron.com, has posted the back of the Fast Action Battler cards for Ratchet, Long Haul (a Constructicon), and Jetfire. Each has a bio that begins with "Around the world, the Autobots battle in secret to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons. Little do they know that an even deeper threat is about to arise..." then gets specific for that character. Of note is verification of Jetfire's character arc of a reformed Decepticon. Pictures are below the bios. Thanks to Katsuhono for the link.
An additional note, the blog logo has been updated thanks to Eoin. Hope you like it, makes it little easier I hope for people to know they landed in the right place for all their movie inforamtion.
Ratchet FAB Bio:
After learning from Ironhide that more Decepticons had been detected on Earth, Autobot Ratchet immediately began research into how best to upgrade his weapons. After two months in his workshop, he developed a new particle beam blaster. Now he needs to find a Decepticon to test it on.Long Haul FAB bio:
Long Haul never talks, unless he's going to complain about something. The other Decepticons expect him to carry all their stuff, but he'd rather be fighting than transporting a bunch of missiles and laser cannons. He likes to let other robots' gear bounce out of his truck bed, and then tell them it got "lost" on the way.Jetfire FAB Bio:
After remaining hidden for years, Jetfire is ready to rejoin the fight! He realized the error of the Decepticon way a long time ago. Now, he fights alongside the Autobots, hoping to use his ancient strength to bring his former comrades to justice!
Joining Optimus Prime and Jetfire as the final Leader class toy is Megatron as revealed by The Arker via Seibertron.com through two galleries. While writer Roberto Orci already confirmed it, if he had not, this would be the final nail in the coffin to verify that Megatron returns for the sequel. Even better, the pictures show off Megatron's bio, providing a few secrets about the movie. Below the bio are a few pictures but full galleries are here and here. For unknown reasons, the website chose to hide the face of Megatron. Overall, this I like this version of Megatron better then his previous incarnation. Thanks to Cenjor for the link.
Rebuilt with parts cannibalized from other Decepticons, Megatron rises once again to lead his army. Though the AllSpark destroyed him once, he can now feel its power coursing through his circuitry. It calls him to seize his rightful place as ruler over the puny planet on which he was imprisoned and destroyed, and from which he will launch his conquest of the universe. Optimus Prime is all that stands between him and victory, and the Autobot leader has done a poor job of hiding himself. At long last, Megatron knows exactly where his enemy is, and he has power enough to destroy him.
From CollectionDX, via Seibertron.com is the below video (HD version here) that shows off the various Transformer toys that premiered at Toy Fair 2009 last week. Its a pretty good look at Devastator and component Constructions, Deluxe class, Scout class, and more. As a bonus, towards the end we finally get a demostration of what the Gravity Bots are.
Today Spoilers aired on MTV that included about a minute clip of Transformers 2 behind the scenes action that shows people running, things exploding, and bodies flying through the air. Especially fun was seeing moments that we already saw via fan videos and reports from Bethlehem, Princeton and the Queensway Bridge. Thanks to Katsuhono for the line.
Transformers writer Roberto Orci confirmed that Megatron returns in Transformers 2. His exact quotes are "Megatron returns!...Keep it quiet". I guess this is big news but then the Voyager class toy packaging gave this away already.
What still confuses me is Michael Bay saying Megatron doesn't return. If he said it to fan sites, you can file it under intentional misdirection. However, he apparently said that (love a direct quote to verify) to Empire Magazine and as general rule of thumb it is a bad idea to "misdirect" the press. I get the feeling that both are telling the truth as part of the storyline. Time will tell. Thanks to Michael for the link.
Via the official Transformers movie website, the rumored move of the stateside release date of Transformers 2 to June 24th has been officially confirmed. Even better, the website has a complete breakdown of the release dates in all major regions worldwide. Thanks to Florian for the link.
Click here to view the release date schedule.
Cool video from Cars.com that shows the construction of the Bumblebee prop at Chicago Auto Show. Thanks to Florian for the link.
Another video review from GenZhao and Peaugh, via TFW2005, this time of Deluxe Breakaway (still not confirmed if in movie). Thanks to Cenjor for the link.
For those that can not get enough of the Transformers Revenge of the Fallen toys, below are three more galleries to look through. Personally, I have seen enough of the current group, I want to get a gander on the Arcee trio, the rest of the Constructicons and the rest of Decepticons. The galleries are for Breakaway (unknown if movie cast), Sideswipe and Optimus Prime (with Chinese characters).
According to Amazon.com's pre-order page for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video games, the scheduled release date for the games on all platforms is June 16th, 2009. I don't know if this is a stateside only release date or worldwide.
An eBay auction, found by Master Fwiffo, shows off Demolisher in his package and reveals his bio and official alt mode configuration. To the right is the back of the package but the full gallery is here. As for the bio, its reads:
Demolishor isn't very bright, but he knows when to fight, and when to run and hide. Arriving on Earth to find Megatron destroyed, hiding seemed like the best option. Since then, he's taken a few smaller Decepticons under his protection, and built quite a little community. It hasn't been easy hiding among the humans that creep like a disease over this planet, but he and his companions are content until a new Decepticon leader emerges to guide them back to glory.Call me crazy, but knowing when to fight and when not to is a sign of intelligence, not lack of. What is important is he clearly lives up to his name in the movie.
GM's "Autobots Rollout" site has officially launched, highlighting their concept vehicles in Transformers 2. Currently the site has its movie related commercial from the Detroit Auto Show and a few pics of the cars including this one that is further proof that Ratchet is in the film, or at least at the White Sands set.
In an interview with GM VP of Global Design Ed Wellburn, MTV blog reveals that Michael Bay hand-picked the various Autobot alt modes from their concept designs and those designs influenced the movie.
"With the first movie, there wasn’t a whole lot of dialogue back and forth between Michael Bay and myself,” GM Vice President of Global Design Ed Wellburn told MTV News, reflecting on how GM’s relationship with Bay began. “We were building the concept in secret we didn’t want anyone to know, and he was building the movie in secret. He was looking for something special from us, and we showed him a couple of cars.”A question I have is how many concept models did Bay have to choose from? I wouldn't imagine there were not that many, near ready for market, models on the list limiting his options (may explain how Audi entered the picture).
“I didn’t want to share with him Camaro unless he told me more about the movie,” Wellburn said. “There was a little negotiating, and then there it was.” The success of the Camaro’s appearance, which helped GM by raising awareness of the newly redesigned car, literally opened some big doors for Bay in “Revenge of the Fallen.”
“When it comes to the sequel, it was different because the relationship had built quite a bit,” Wellburn explained. “Michael came to Detroit, and he and I just walked the studios. He was looking for one, maybe two new vehicles. He came here, and he pretty much had it in his head what the sequel would be. I’ll never forget it. One third of the way through the tour he said, ‘I need a notepad. There are just too many designs that we may want to use in the movie.’”
Some models, like the Beat and Trax, which will appear as the Autobots Skids and Mudflap for “Revenge of the Fallen,” even affected how the characters functioned.
“That day that he visited us and walked the halls of the studios, the movie developed and in some ways changed,” he revealed. “[Bay] was inspired by things like the two small cars that maybe could work together in some way. That’s all I can say right now.”
Via TFormers, below is the video from the Today Show from yesterday where they showed off a few toys from Toy Fair including Devastator. At the 2:15 point is when the Devastator segment starts and goes for about 45 seconds. At one point the presenter says "...these six vehicles you can do anything with. These are transforming and fun as well." I think the person was confused and didn't realize that the information from Hasbro is there are going to be at least two versions of the Constructicons, those merge (the one in the video) and those that transform but do not merge. Either way, the video gives you a good look at the $100 toy.
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Same poster from the other day, bigger size via TFormers. Still no word if this is an international poster or not. Thanks to minime for the link.
Last week GM debut its fleet of Autobots to the public at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show giving us a good close look at the Chevy Trax (Mudflap), Beat (Skids), Camaro (BB), Volt (Jolt) and Corvette Stingray (Sideswipe). We already got a look at some galleries, but now thanks to Schoop77 here are some videos to go with them.
MTV's next episode of Spoilers will give viewers a chance to get a sneak peak at some Transformers 2 footage including an interview with Michael Bay. From the write-up:
On February 21, at 8:00 p.m. ET, MTV will air the second episode of "Spoilers," a quarterly movie special that will deliver first looks at the year's biggest upcoming flicks, including behind-the-scenes action and exclusive scenes.I wasn't able to find the last episode of Spoilers so hopefully Transfans will post the footage online for us to watch. Thanks to Josh for the info.
Taped in front of a live audience, the second episode will spotlight "Watchmen," and will feature appearances from the entire cast of the eagerly anticipated superhero flick.
Hundreds of die-hard movie fanswill attend MTV News' screening of the film, with the stars walking the blood-red carpet to chat in front of our cameras.
In addition to "Watchmen," the episode will also give viewers exclusive access to scenes from such upcoming blockbusters as "Star Trek," "Land of the Lost," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and more.
Today Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Prequel Alliance #3 and Transformers: Maximum Dinobots #3 came out in comic stores all over the place. For those on the fence about getting them, below are links, via TFW2005, to previews of each of the issues.
Yesterday, a final version of the The Fallen poster was revealed and now thanks to Nige, here is a new poster for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Not sure where it was taken but pretty good looking with Sam and Mikeala running, the Fallen atop a pyramid and Optimus looking bad ass. For whatever reason, the studios often create a US poster and an international poster and this could just be the latter. I guess we will know if it shows up stateside.
Update: I think my poor phrasing above caused some confusion. By "final poster" I was referring to The Fallen face version only where there is the face mostly hidden in shadows, photoshop enhanced version and now as the link above takes you, the full CGI rendered face glaring at you. It wouldn't surprise me if multiple posters are released stateside and elsewhere over the next few months so a final poster in the marketing series for the movie is probably a ways off.
Mike via peaugh, has posted another review, this time for Deluxe class Sideswipe. Overall, his model is the best of the bunch, solid both in robot and vehicle mode.
Along with the true visage of The Fallen (sadly pic is that small), The Transformers Club has posted the results of a Q&A held during Toy Fair 2009 buffet held for executives and toy retailers. The Q&A was with Brian Goldner (Hasbro CEO), TF Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tyrese Gibson, and TF Director Michael Bay.
The Q&A didn't allow recording devices so the results are paraphased so for those that like to parse every word for meaning, tread carefully. Below are a select answers but the full post can be found here.
WC: Michael, the first movie was such an amazing success how is Revenge of the Fallen going to be different?Thanks to Chris for the link.
MB: From learning the mythos, to figuring out how to make the robots transform on the big screen, the first movie involved a lot of discovery. In addition, it was a story about a boy getting his first car and finding his first girl friend. The second movie is a coming of age story, encompassing global issues, and bringing the robots to a new level. If every boy in the world didn’t want a Bumblebee in his garage from the first movie, they will from the second. All of the robots in this film are superhero tough. I’ll tell you I am very passionate about this film.
LdB: Yes, in the first movie, boy gets car, boy finds girl, but this one really explores the idea of responsibility as Sam leaves for college. He thinks he wants to lead a normal college life but finds out some of his decisions don’t work out so well for not only him, but also the whole world.
WC: ...how does this film evolve the mythology?
BG: We all know that everyone is hungry for the next level of mythos, so we really want everyone to wonder what Revenge of the Fallen means.
LdB: It is a very deep mythology and most people just don’t know how deep it is.
MB: Yes, this film will satisfy all types of fans as I have included my trademark humor, more intimacy with the humans and robots, and Moms will think it is safe enough to bring the kids back out to the movies.
TG: The humor often times is created on the spot. Something happens on the set and Michael lets us keep it in the film. I know I still get comments from kids about my “left cheek”. I don’t know if that will ever go away and that was a spontaneous comment that just came out when we were filming the first film.
RA: Special effects software and camera technology have made advancements since the first film. How has this empowered you to further realize your vision for Revenge?
MB: The developments in technology have allowed us to have the robots show emotion. This is a robot movie and this new technology allows us to explore a greater depth of personality from these characters.
RA: No other director has the kind of relationship that you have developed with the US Military. What piece of hardware did you get access to that are you most excited about for this coming film?
MB: It’s like I have a direct line to the Pentagon. This is the first movie where actual F16’s have made a bombing run on a movie set and coordinated with special effects explosions. We were on a working nuclear submarine and working aircraft carrier. The military loved the first movie. It really helped with recruiting and promoting a positive image for them. Now they are happy to do just about anything they can for my films. We also found out that in Afghanistan the Buffalo(s) (Bonecrusher vehicle from the first movie) have all been nicknamed different Transformers characters by their personnel. We also worked with tanks firing real rounds and you have not lived until you have heard an actual tank firing. We have so much access - I am appreciative and excited about all the military vehicles we use.
RA: Filming at the pyramids must have been amazing! What were the greatest challenges you faced?
MB: This is the first time in 30 years that anyone has filmed at the pyramids and the first time ever anyone has filmed from the top of Petra. Steven filmed Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade from the base of Petra. It took 21 very heavy helicopter loads to get all our gear to the top. We had all the access we wanted in Egypt as we found out that the head of Egyptian Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawass is a big Transformers fan and was very helpful. We also filmed in the desert where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed. Very challenging conditions.
When is G1 Wheelie probably not going to be Wheelie? When he is Skids judging by the back of the card bio on the character from TF08.net.
Because he is slightly less hyperactive than his brother MUDFLAP, AUTOBOT SKIDS has always thought of himself as “the smart one.” He likes to point this out at every opportunity. While MUDFLAP zips around like a maniac, AUTOBOT SKIDS prefers to impress his superiors among the AUTOBOT high command by behaving in a way he thinks of as mature, which usually involves talking nonstop about anything that occurs to him.Yeah, more I see and read about Mudflap and Skids, the more concerned I become. With these two characters, how much we like them will rely nearly 100% on the voice work so can't wait until those casting notes are revealed. Thanks to Chris for the information.
A few new toy galleries have popped up online. The most interesting is new images of the Transformers 2 toy line version of Ironhide, who is now a NEST vehicle. Additionally he has a new decal on the side that suggests NEST is part of a "Special Program" that is a union between the Autobots and the United Nations, complete with red hat. I guess that explains what forces Captain Lennox and Epps will be leading. The full gallery of Voyager class Ironhide is here.
Next are a few pictures from TF08.net of the Voyager class Optimus Prime with a lightly different paint job that shows Chinese character on the toy, I guess part of his disguise while in Shanghai hunting the Decepticons Demolisher and Sideways. That gallery is here.
Last are a few more images of the Fast Action Battler Megatron and Double Blade Optimus Prime. That gallery is here.
One of the fun things about Transformers is the huge amount of detail that quite literally goes into every frame. ILM could take shortcuts that in most cases our brains would never pick it up, but as the slo-mo videos derived from the teaser trailer show, that just isn't how they roll.
This first video from James (thanks!) is a nice slo-mo video that shows off The Fallen's appearance in the trailer as he appears instantly among a group of soldiers. You can also download that video from here. So much for him appearing from underground.
In a new crop of official images for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toy line, revealed at Toy Fair 2009, comes an accidental reveal on the name of the mysterious Decepticon Audi R8 seen all over the place during filming, in the trailer and in sneak toys. As the package on the right shows, his official name is Sideways (yep the same name dropped in the Toyfare article).
What does this mean for Barricade since the theory that the Audi was a reformat is now out the window? And why no Arcee toys at Toyfair? What secrets is that character hiding?
The full gallery of new images including more Deluxe class toys in packaging, Bumble Spud and others, click here.
Thanks to Chris for the information.
The HD version of the Transformers 2 teaser trailer is finally here for us to pour over.
HD: Yahoo! Movies | YouTube
Download: Michael Bay | Sci-Fi Guide
Well less update and more entire replacement of the original post. Instead of the music video that shows off The Fallen, I replaced it with the video review below from peaugh, who have been reviewing all the leaked Transformers 2 toys. He (or Mike) have now added the Voyager class of The Fallen to their collection and tell us about it. Nothing against the music video, I just find the review much more informative and figure blog readers will too. The toy comes across as bland as Megatron did in the first movie, but I am betting the CGI version will look awesome.
TFW2005 has posted four pictures (mostly blacked-out) whose silhouettes indicate what characters they could be. One of them (left) seem to verify that that Optimus Prime and Jetfire have a combined mode complete with wings, boosters and a large gun, must like what their Legends class counterparts indicated.
The other key chains look to be Starscream, Megatron, and Bumblebee. That is two classes of Transformer 2 toys that show the combined mode which makes me wonder what other classes it will extend to and whether or not that mode is used in the movie.
Toy Fair 2009 continues in New York and the galleries continue to pile up online. While not as good as the first day galleries with Devastator and company, these are still interesting Transformers 2 tie-in products.
The first is some cool images of the various Transformer related displays put up around the Javitz center put up by sponsors, some congratulating the Transformer brand for 25 years of success. The full gallery is here.
Another brief gallery is showing off the new Transformer movie themed backpacks from F.A.B. Starpoint. Those images can be found here.
Next are official shots of some of the toy lines sub classes like the Robot Heroes, Power Bots, Gravity Bots, Robot Replicas, RPMs, and more. That gallery can be found here.
Last is the more off the wall tie-in products like, Bumble Spud and an All Spark Rubik's cube. Those images are here.
Toy Fair 2009 is on at New York and multiple sites are putting up huge galleries of pictures of toys for the Transformers 2 toy line (see below) including Devastator (yep the picture was accurate), Mudflap, Skids, a new one called Breakaway and many more. All very cool.
As far as Devastator goes, there are three versions planned. The first is the $100 version where the six individual Constructicons do not have robot modes, just vehicles mode that reconfigure to form the gestalt (think Voltron). That Devastator will be 2 feet high and about 4 feet wide. The next is the individual Constructicons that do have robot forms but cannot merge. The last is the PowerBot that doesn't really transform, it’s the Devastator look on the front and the individual vehicles painted on the back.
Breakdown of the six constructions:
Demolishor - red O&K/Terex RH400 Hydrolic Mining Excavator (torso)
Rampage - yellow Caterpillar 992G Front Loader (right arm)
Long Haul - green Caterpillar 773B Dump Truck (right leg)
Mix Master - silver Mack Cement Mixer (head)
High Tower - yellow Kobelco CK2500 Truss Crane (left arm)
Scrapper - yellow Caterpillar D9L Bulldozer (left leg)
As you can see, the RH400 from the trailer gets an official name. Overall the leak back in October was on the mark on the Constructicons except for the duplicate dump truck which now seems to have been a potential alt design for Long Haul.
I don't know if the two aerial Autobots, Breakaway (F-35 Joint Strike Fighter) and Springer (V-22 Osprey), are movie characters. Below are select pictures from the various galleries. For the highlights of Hasbro's plans for their various Transformer lines click here.
Galleries: TFormers | The Allspark | TFW2005 | More TFormer pics (over 100 pics) | Seibertron.com (100s of pics) | Transformers Club
Thanks to Behind the Films, below is a cleaned up version of the full Transformers 2 Teaser Trailer. It is not quite HD quality, which will be out on Monday on Yahoo! Movies, but lets you get a better look at certain things like The Fallen and Jetfire's cane. Thanks to the person that posted the link.
Entertainment Tonight is going to air a segment on Transformers 2 on Monday's episode. Tonight they teased the segment with some footage and as part of that they showed off The Fallen for eagle-eyed viewers like Scott who provided the below screenshots from his TV. Thanks to Scott for the catch and pictures and Will for the segment news.
The other day the GM held a press conference at the Detroit Auto Show that officially revealed the concept cars and their movie names for Transformers 2 to the public. Now there are two huge galleries the cars on display at the show. Also below, for those that missed it, is the movie related commercial that was put together to highlight the vehicles. Thanks to blog fans for the YouTube link and Chris for the gallery link.
Galleries: Jalopnik | TFW2005
The full Tranformers 2 teaser trailer is out (unofficially anyway) so now is the fun of analyzing every frame. A few things observations have come up from Transfans.
The first is a message from Jason, who provided many set pictures and set reports while Transformers was shooting at Bethlehem Steel over the summer. On the last day of the shoot, he was invited to watch the last scene shot at the site, which is now in the trailer at the 1:02 point. It is the moment when the Scavenger completes his transformation and smashes his arms into the ground setting off a huge explosion. Jason also grabbed the screenshot to the left that shows a face in the debris (1:06 point) that the blow causes. Any clue what that is? Maybe ILM having some fun? My best guess is the site is supposed to be Shanghai, China so its a CGI statue head I guess that might be in the area.
Over at Planet Lynx there are some screenshot that help get a good look at the apparently unicycle style of the Arcee units, a breakdown where apparently Audi doesn't just flip and transform, but flips, shoots at them and then transforms (showing level of detail ILM is putting on screen), the shot to the right that indicates that Scorponok is diving on the geriatric Jetfire and a possible look at the Fallen. Update: The cane pic has been updated from an image from Carl to illustrate that the cane is landing gear.
Update 2: Below are some screenshots provided by Elis. The first gives you a look at what is probably The Fallen in the desert, a freeze of Scavenger transforming with the cab on his shoulder, the bug that is torn by Sam complete with mini satellite dish (possible Soundwave minion?), and last is a shot of the unicycle look of Arcee.
Its a good weekend for Transformer fans. The new teaser trailer is out and Toy Fair 2009 begins this Sunday and in anticipating, Hasbro sent out a press release on the various toy classes that will be available for the Transformers 2 toy line. Most importantly, they have officially confirmed that Devastator is in the film and is made up of six Constructicons. The first of the toy line will be officially released on May 30th with the rest following in August, with the preview toys of Bumblebee and Soundwave about a month before that.
Additional confirmed toys include Bumblebee Voice Mixer Helmet, Bumblebee Plasma Cannon, Power Bots, 3 different Human Alliance toys (first is Bumblebee and Sam), and RPM Mini-Vehiciles. Here is a portion of the release.
...And, long-time fans will be thrilled with one the most powerful DECEPTICONS, the new TRANSFORMERS MOVIE CONSTRUCTICON DEVASTATOR figure, a monstrous robot that combines six vehicles into one giant robot.I have been naysaying his appearance for a while, its good to be wrong. The currently theory is the RH400 forms the torso, a dump truck is the right leg, bulldozer the left leg, front loader for the right arm, crane for the left arm and cement mixer for the head, as seen in pic here.
TRANSFORMERS MOVIE CONSTRUCTICON DEVASTATOR
(Approximate retail price: $99.99; Ages 5 & up; Available: August 2009)
The largest and most powerful foe the AUTOBOTS will encounter in this summer’s TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN is sure to be DEVASTATOR, a monstrous DECEPTICON robot made up of six separate construction vehicles known as the CONSTRUCTICONS. The TRANSFORMERS MOVIE CONSTRUCTICON DEVASTATOR allows kids to re-create the film’s awesome action sequences.
TRANSFORMERS MOVIE POWER BOTS
(Approximate retail price: $22.99; Ages 4 & up; Available: May 30, 2009) Designed to enable easy play for younger fans, TRANSFORMERS MOVIE POWER BOTS are 10-inch robot-only versions of favorite TRANSFORMERS characters. These large-scale, chunky action figures include lights, sounds and battle features. Two new POWER BOTS figures featuring robots from TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN will be released in 2009. TRANSFORMERS MOVIE MEGA POWER BOTS (Approximate retail price: $34.99; Ages 4 & up; Available: August 2009)
Taking POWER BOTS to the next level with a second mode for “mega” action! Robots include OPTIMUS PRIME and DEVASTATOR. When the DEVASTATOR POWER BOT figure is face down, he appears to be six different vehicles, but when standing upright, he is the monstrous DECEPTICON, DEVASTATOR.
TRANSFORMERS RPMs DEVASTATOR TRACK SET
(Approximate retail price: $39.99; Ages 5 & up; Available: August 2009)
Created specifically for the new TRANSFORMERS R.P.M.’s line of mini-vehicles, the TRANSFORMERS RPMs DEVASTATOR TRACK SET provides fast, mini-vehicle play within a dynamic track set by leveraging the iconic battle and high stakes drama found in the new movie. The track will bring DEVASTATOR to life and enable fans to re-enact the climactic movie battle between the AUTOBOTS and DEVASTATOR.
Thanks to NightShade87, here is the full 2 minute 15 second teaser trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The direct link is here. Also another copy, thanks to an anonymous source, is here.
I was able to get this video of the new Transformers: ROTF teaser trailer on Friday the 13th. Let me say that it's so much more satisfying than the Superbowl trailer. While in my opinion it seems that Bay took most of the first teaser and is just adding on to it with this trailer, I don't think it reveals any more than what we already know about the plot.A big thanks to Nightshade for providing the video for those of us that will not get an opportunity to see the trailer in theatres cause of work, location (say not in the US), or just zero interest in Friday the 13th (me). Also note for those checking out the trailer, I ready received one report from Jo who said it wasn't with a midnight showing of the movie so remember no guarantees.
Here are some key points in the video that I suggest taking a closer look at. I've provided the times at which some of newer ones occur, and my own thoughts as well).
- The beginning opens up in France (notice the Eiffel tower in the background) and two protoforms are seen falling out of the sky (in broad daylight no less) and one strikes a building.
- Switches to show the pyramids and aircraft carrier-It then looks like there may be a total of 4? protoforms landing in Egypt.
- Then we go back to scene of the aircraft carrier, which is sunk by more protoforms (if I counted 6 in this shot, that would make a grand total of 12 protoforms causing some kind of destruction, whether intended or not.)
- At 0:55 you can very clearly see one of the three Arcee cars that is chasing the Audi that just jumped through a building. (It looks to be a purple bike to me, but that could just be the light. And Boo was right; it does look like she's some type of unicycle, or at least a third of her robot form.)-We get to see a semi-full transformation for Devastator (the RH-400) and Bay wasn't lying when he said that thing was huge!-Sam again tells his dad to run, but then Ron gives his own idea of what they should do.
- At 1:18 you see Sam taking apart a mechanical bug, though I don't know exactly what type (something with wings. I also thought I saw a miniature satellite on there, but not sure)
- At 1:28 we finally see Bumblebee for the first time. He's transforming in what looks like the Witwicky's backyard in plain view of Sam's dad in broad daylight. He then shoots at something off screen.
- At 1:33 we get the first notice of Scorpinok in Egypt it looks like, jumping at another robot. Can't tell who at this point. But very pointy edges. Starscream? The Audi? Jetfire?
- 1:38. I think that this is our first very distorted but nonetheless glimpse of what the Fallen looks like. I'm only saying that because numerous spots on the body look like they're glowing red (indication of flames?)
- Much of the rest has already been shown, except for starting at 1:47, which gives us a different angle on Optimus approaching Scavenger. You can see him sliding a few seconds later much like he did when fighting Bonecrusher on the highway in the first movie. All in all, I think this whets the appetite pretty nicely for TF fans. Sorry about the quality and the shakiness of the video.
Toyfare Magazine, issue 140 recently hit newsstands and it includes an interview with Transformers 2 producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, TF toy designer Aaron Archer and Hasbro Director of Marketing Greg Lombardo who discussed some of the toys and discussed some of the characters in the movie including Devastator and origin of The Fallen. The summary from TFW2005:
- Images of ROTF toys for Leader class Optimus Prime, Preview Bumblebee, Preview Soundwave, and the Voyager Class Starscream figure.Based on the above, it is further confirmation of Devastator's appearance and the name of another Transformer (Sideways and maybe Bulldozer). Not sure what "Voyager" means, maybe the toy class but doubtful it is a character name. Even more interesting is apparent heavy reliance on Simon Furman's origin for Transformers that he has hinted at over the years (and will be doing a comic miniseries on later in the year) only here the Fallen is the point of origin for the Transformer civil war with the creation of the Decepticons.
- Lorenzo believes the timeframe of ROTF is about one year after Movie #1.
- When asked about the challenge of creating Devastator on screen, Lorenzo mentions that Bay had the challenge in the first movie of having 30 foot robots. In the second movie, Bay has the challenge of having a robot almost four times that. Expect Devastator to be 100 to 120 feet tall in the movie.
- Archer said he couldn't give away the plot point, but there's a reason that Soundwave is designed the way he is for the movie. Hasbro had a more basic toy need. So, the two were blended together.
- Toy launch date confirmed as May 30th. A few weeks before, Bumblebee and Soundwave will be released.
- Characters mentioned in the initial wave are "Sideswipe, Sideways, Bulldozer, Voyager and many others". Promise of more off-screen characters.
- Robot Heroes will have better articulation
- Bumblebee helmet has voice mixer
- Bumblebee converting pulse cannon
- Big ticket deluxe item for the year is still "top-secret"
- Gravity Bots are geared towards younger kids. Convert automatically when you pick them up.
- A Megan Fox Human Alliance figure is on Archer's "wish list".
- The Fallen's origin confirmed: He is one of the original 13 Transformers. Lorenzo said to think of the 13 as "apostles". The Fallen is the one who turns and is the reason Transformers split into Autobots and Decepticons.
According to First Showing, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will hit theatres on Wednesday, June 24th in the States. Don't forget to keep an eye out for the trailer that could show up online at anytime. Thanks to DarkWish and Chris for the info.
Detroit's WXYZ has a report from the Chicago Auto Show about GM's Transformer press conference. As part of that report they showed about 3 or seconds of new movie footage probably taken from Friday's teaser trailer. The footage shows Bumblebee driving into frame (in Sam's neighborhood I think), tumbling into robot mode and shooting downward at something. The video is here. Thanks to Chris for the link.
To go along with the description from last week, here is another summary of the full length Transformers 2 teaser trailer from Tyler.
i work at a local theater and we watched friday the 13th (alright movie) but the new trailer for TF is fuckinnn sickkkk. they used a lot of the same scenes, but a couple new ones. i cant tell u wut i saw because i couldnt pick up that much, but u do see the one of the constructicons transforming (the rh400). also there is a great shot of the pyramids right in the beginning, and im not sure if it was fallen or megatron but there is a full shot of one of them, im leaning more towards the side of megatron but he had a pointy head lik fallen, not sure tho. You also get a better shot of the audi r8 smashing threw the building and a better glimpse of all three parts of arcee coming threw chasing after him. thats all i can remember about the trailer. sorry for lack of detail thats the best i can rememberIt sounds like Michael Bay takes the word "teaser" seriousily. Exactly when that trailer will show up online (for overseas fans) is unknown but hopefully sometime in the next few days. Also note to movie goers that theatres are not required to attach the trailer to the movie so no guarantees that going to see the movie means you will see the trailer. Thanks to Tyler for his description.
I can confirm that Scorpinok is also in the trailer in a shot that looks to contain the Audi in the desert. Also there is a closeup where Sam pulls apart what appears to be a small robot beatle. The RH-400 transformation looks to take place during the Bethlehem Steel scenes and all 3 bikes appear to have a unicycle type robot mode. The protoforms take out a number of buildings and the entire ship fleet, which is shown sinking in an under water shot. I'll see if I can find time to watch again and hit you with anything else I notice.
Boo
ACToys (via Shoot for The Edit) has revealed some art that shows off the main villains of Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, including Devastator. The images are artwork but get collaborated by product details list that summarizes the various classes for the Transformers 2 toy line. Suffice it to say, he will be expensive.
Supreme Combiner Item Number 83908 Devastator RRP - £99.99In the first picture is a CGI rendering of Devastator. I have admit I am not 100% convinced this is real as this has the presentation (the background, "final assembly", etc) doesn't match how any information about the movie has come out before. Also the lack of a Hasbro copyright logo anywhere, including on the name, is a small cause of concern as they tend to be pretty religious about that. I can not quite tell how many sub-components make up the toy. It could be the seven rumored pieces.
- Characters combine to form the ultimate movie villain from ROTF lights and Sound bring this character to life, large scale transformer packed with features
Ages 5+ Master carton 2 requires 2 x AA Batteries
GM held a press conference today at the Detroit Auto Show and official revealed the 4 concept cars and their character names that were used in the movie. A sneak peak video/commercial that shows off the cars as used in the movie is here.
Five Chevrolet-based characters – including four all-new characters – are featured in the new film set to open in the United States on June 26. All of them are at the Chevrolet display. The four new movie characters include:Pictures of the Corvette Stingray Concept and Camaro Concept can be found here or a video here. Thanks to Dave for the link.
SIDESWIPE – a stylized Corvette vision concept vehicle
SKIDS and MUDFLAP – twin AUTOBOTS® based on Chevy's Beat (a concept that will go into production as the Chevy Spark in 2011) and Trax concepts
JOLT – an AUTOBOT-based on Chevy's upcoming Volt extended-range electric vehicle
BUMBLEBEE™, the heroic AUTOBOT based on Chevrolet's Camaro concept from the first "Transformers" movie, returns with a high-performance attitude. Joining the vehicles on stage will be BUMBLEBEE in his AUTOBOT form, standing almost 17 feet (5.2 meters) tall and 13 feet (4 meters) wide.
"Chevrolet is thrilled to again be part of one of the most anticipated movies in years," said Ed Peper, GM North America vice president, Chevrolet. "‘Transformers' gives us a great opportunity to connect with young people on their terms, with a dynamic, environmentally friendly image. The new characters represent the change going on in Chevy showrooms. From the exciting Camaro, the 21st century sports car, to the game-changing Volt, there's more than meets the eye at Chevrolet today."
Directed by Michael Bay, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" sees the AUTOBOTS confront a new threat from DECEPTICONS® bent on avenging their earlier defeat on Earth. The new AUTOBOT characters in their current Chevy-based form square off against new, tougher foes determined to rule the universe.
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."
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, 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.
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.
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).
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.
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
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.
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?”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.
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!”
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.”Thanks to Chris for the link.
“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.
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.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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,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 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 GalleryThe 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 GalleryBumblebee 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
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.
ActionFiguresNews.ca provides a brief summary of information about the upcoming slate of Transformers 2 and other Hasbro toys. Sadly no pictures however.
Transformers: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)
-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
