Bay Talks Potential Nimoy Casting

MTV once again, this time talking to Transformers 2 director Michael Bay about voice casting, specifically casting his cousin, Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek's Spock) in the sequel.

“I’m still not done with all the voices,” Bay explained to us recently when we brought up “Revenge of the Fallen” robot casting for the film.

As loyal fans of the robots-in-disguise remember, Mr. Spock himself - Leonard Nimoy - was the voice of characters like Galvatron in the 1986 cartoon “Transformers: The Movie.” And “Revenge” writer Roberto Orci has said that he’d like to see Nimoy return for the summer blockbuster.

“You know, he’s related to me,” laughed Bay. “And now that you are filming this, maybe you can send it to him.”

“[Nimoy] is married to Susan Bay, who’s a cousin to me,” Michael explained, saying that he’s afraid of insulting his relative with the mere pittance allotted to pay his voice actors. “I just feel kind of bad about asking him. Like ‘I can’t pay you that much? But would you do this voice?’”

So Michael hasn’t worked up the nerve yet to ask his famous cousin – who appears in next month’s “Star Trek” – to lend him his vocal talents. Instead, the pair have been using a third relative as a go-between.

“Would he do it?” Bay asked. “He suggested to my mom that he might do it.”

Rodriguez, Lucas Talk Transformers

Finally coming out of hiding, Transformers 2 cast members Ramon Rodriguez (Leo Spitz) and Isabel Lucas (Alice) talk about Revenge of the Fallen with MTV.

Below is a section of the story and also a video where Isabel describes filming at The Free Library in Philadelphia. Ramon talks about auditioning for the role pretending to run from robots in Bay's office.

It's bigger, it's badder, it's better," said Rodriguez, who plays Leo Spitz, Witwicky's roommate at Princeton University and the proprietor of a Web site about conspiracy theories, from aliens to robots.

Quickly, though, Leo finds out that all this conspiracy mumbo-jumbo isn't just the stuff of paranoid fantasy. "I end up getting sucked into [Sam's] crazy world with real robots and finding out he's involved in the real thing," Rodriguez said. "My complete world is flipped."

Lucas plays Alice, another Princeton student who takes an immediate liking to Sam, even though he's still in a relationship with his hometown girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox). "The character of Alice is more the seductress," Lucas said. "She's got mysterious intentions that we don't really know about."

Rodriguez talked enthusiastically about a Decepticon named Demolishor — "Makes [Optimus Prime] look like a roach" — but went on to rave about another massive bot. "There's one even bigger than him," he said, referring to Devastator, a massive construction formed when several Decepticons come together. "It's crazy!"

Bay brought a couple of industrial-size fans to the Egyptian desert that blew 100-mile-per-hour, sand-filled winds at Rodriguez's face. He ended up dislocating his shoulder and needed to have his eyes flushed out for 45 minutes. Another time he had to sit perfectly still as a huge metal spike pierced the roof of his car, perilously close to his head. In those moments, he was not so much acting as reacting to a very real sense of fear.

"It's really borderline getting hurt, but you're still safe," he said with a laugh. "But you could get hurt."

Thanks to Linariel and DeceptiFreak for the interview link. The picture is a PhotoShop job from Mauricio that combined a previously released picture of Ramon hanging onto a pole with a still from the ShoWest montage.

Megatron Blasted and Starscream?

I thought I was done with stills from the ShoWest Montage but the below are compelling enough to post.

These stills provide a great look at Megatron and seem to show him taking a few blasts to the chest and head complete with fire flare-up. The future doesn't look too bright for the villain. Thanks to InvisbleMan for the pictures.

Here is a close-up of a moment in the field where Optimus Prime goes flying from a kick by Megatron. In the background is three Transformers many are assuming to be Blackout and Starscream. As the picture from Andrew (thanks!) shows, the arms, shoulders don't quit match. Maybe Starscream taking on a rather odd pose (I think supposed appear to be stalking) or a different character all together?

Combined Keychain, More Mixmaster and Ratchet

More stuff from the Transformers 2 toy line.

Yesterday was the first image of the "Power Up" Optimus Prime and Jetfire combiner leak. Joining that leak is a look, from TFW2005, at the keychain that a few months ago helped confirm that a combine mode was planned for the two characters. The greater detail that the static keychain allows indicates that while the toy is not that impressive, the CGI version (assuming this combined mode is film inspired) will be awesome to behold.

Next is a reminder that Ratchet is supposed to be in the film with an eBay auction for Voyager class version of the character. Other then looking like a brighter shade of lime, it seems to be the same toy as the first movie.

Last is another gallery for Voyager Mixmaster that can found here. His robot mode doesn't impressive me at all but I really like the vehicle mode.

Thanks to Phil for the links.

Combined Optimus, Jetifre And Other Galleries

Yep, more toy galleries from the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen toy line for your enjoyment (or not), all of them from the TFW2005 forums.

First up is the rather tiny picture to the left that shows off the combined mode of Leader class Optimus Prime and Jetfire that has been hinted at for awhile. Of note is the combined mode doesn't quite match the black-out preview pick from Jetfire's packaging. In addition, there is the image of Devastator and his six Constructicons, a contradiction of the seven that recent press articles indicated would comprise Devastator. It looks like we will have to wait on the leak of the toy packaging to finally clear this one up.

Next is a shot of Wheelie in his packaging via an eBay auction. We previously got a look at his card backing and bio. Nothing much to add, he is still as strange looking as you expect. Makes you wonder if Scapel and him will have a tussle (that would probably be amusing to watch).

More Transformer comparison photos. This time of the Takara version of Deluxe Sideways compared with the Hasbro version. Takara's version has a darker paint job that does look better. The full gallery is here. Deluxe Breakaway (still not confirmed if in movie) also gets a Takara vs. Hasbro treatment. Takara Breakaway is a brown color instead of Hasbro's tan. In this case I am not sure if it is an improvement or not. The Breakaway gallery is here.

Last is a small gallery (here) of the Transformers version of Jenga. As you can see, it is the classic game that when stacked for play forms the faction symbols. I like the touch of adding them to each block.

Thanks to Phil for the links.

Bay Comments on ShoWest Montage

Over at Michael Bay.com, Bay posted a quick comment on the Transformers 2 ShoWest Montage (updated with working video) that is getting pulled left and right from the internet (sadly). Thanks to Mcat for the heads-up.

The Showest footage was pulled down because it was just a 12-hour thing.

I just wanted the fans to get a taste of what we have been making for a year and a half because we have been so quiet. The piece was cut about a month ago for this Showest thing I accepted this past month - so as you can see many of the shots were far from being finished renders. This dinky little site received over 1,500,000 hits and 550,000 downloads in this short time. Anyway the trailer is being printed today and coming out on Wolverine and Star Trek. 64 days left!

Michael

Complete Audi Chase Clip, More Screenshots

Below is a clip from Kevin (thanks!) where he combined the Audi chase sequence from the first trailer with the additional footage from the ShoWest montage to create a full sequence. In addition are a few more screenshots to join the previous batch from the montage that shows off character faces and a bit more. Thanks to Dave, Eugene, Asri, and Simon.

Video pulled by YouTube due to Paramount copyright claim.

Fallen Bio, Jetfire, Gravity Bot Pics and Other Galleries

TF08.net has scored more photos of the Transformers 2 toy line. This time it includes a first look at Leader Jetfire, Voyager The Fallen in package with bio, Interrogator Barricade, Cannon Bumblebee, and multiple gravity bots. Below are a few pictures with the full gallery here. Thanks to Phil and DeceptiFreak for the link.

In addition, here are a few more galleries.
Cannon Bumblebee - A side by side comparison of preview Bumblebee with his counterpart
Wobbler Transformers - Prime, Bumblebee, and Megatron wobbler pics.
Voyager Megatron - Another gallery of the figture in different poses.

Voyager The Fallen Bio:

For millennia, he has waited. Thousands of years have dragged by as he recruited proxies, one by one, to scour the cosmos for the artifact he required. Now he finds he must return to the primitive, flesh-slug infected planet on which his quest began. Nothing will stand in his way this time. If need be, he will scour the surface of this disgusting world clean in the fire of his rage, and search through the blasted rubble for that which he seeks.

Christmas Mural Re-Visited

The new ShoWest Footage reveals confirmation of a leak from last Christmas that showed a damaged mural and no idea what behind it. As seen below, it is clearly the same mural. Based on the footage, it appears this is occurring at Petra, Jordan. We know the Decepticons are looking for the AllSpark fragment and Sun Harvester. What could the Autobots be searching for? Thanks to Katie for putting it together. To view the images of what is behind that mural, click here. Early guesses were the Fallen but the images don't match and besides he is in another dimension.

Bay's ShoWest Transformers 2 Montage Video (Update 4)

In what can only be a sneak of what the upcoming second Transformers 2 trailer will be, Michael Bay's site has posted the montage video for Revenge of the Fallen Bay showed at ShoWest a few weeks ago. It is freaking awesome with first looks at Devastator, Jetfire, Megatron kicking Optimus across a field, Sideways, Chromia, Megan looking incredibly foxy and lots more. The first part is a scene between Sam, Mikeala and Bumblebee in their garage before he leaves for college. Right off the bat you can see an improvement in the CGI work not only in the design but the movement and mannerisms of Bumblebee. From there it just gets better. If this montage doesn't get you excited for the movie, I don't think anything will. Thanks to Franco, Diego and Tony for the link.

In addition, he also posted the tribute video to his career that was played as part of the award ceremony when he accepted the Vanguard Award.

From the comments, links to download the ShoWest montage:
FLV(Higher Quality) - VLC to play
MP4(Lower Quality) - VLC or Quicktime to play
HD Download: MediaFire (Thanks to Alex for the links.)

Update: Added above download links and the below screenshots of the montage (hover over for comments) that Elis provided (thanks!).


Update 2: From picture 6, someone noticed the blue look and wheel indicating the Transformer is Wheelie. Makes more sense as I imagine Scalpel, being a Decepticon, would simply just tear the safe apart. Thanks to HoosierAussie for the observation. Update 3: Sadly the video has been pulled from Vimeo and some locations on YouTube but did find an HD replacement embedded above. I also removed some of the download links that no longer worked.

Update 3: YouTube video stopped working, replaced that with embed from SlashFilm and Trailer Addict.

Update 4: Trailer Addict pulled the video so did an upload via blogger's interface which as you can see isn't so hot. Tried to make larger but the result looks like crap. Enjoy while you can.

EW Article Reveals "Space Bridge"? (Updated)

The April 24th is of Entertainment Weekly showed up in my mailbox today with a summer movie preview of various films including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. One related story, Shia LaBeouf's hand status, was already appeared online. The main Transformers related articles was not. So with that in mind, below are excerpts from the article including how Shia's injury was incorporated into the film. I would scan, except I don't have a scanner.

Michael Bay remembers the day that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen nearly fell apart. It was Sunday, July 27, 2008. "I always look on CNN.com," says the filmmaker. "And there it was: Shia LaBeouf in a car crash... Oh, God. I read it and thought, 'No, this can't be true."

But it was. The 22-year-old star, who was about one-third of the way through shooting the sequel to Bay's 2007 hit Transformers, had seriously injured his left hand in an early-morning traffic accident in West Hollywood.

While he was naturally concerned about LaBeouf's health, Bay also had a movie to finish. With his leading man's cooperation, he moved decisively to keep from shutting down the production, and a bandaged LaBeouf returned to the set after just a few weeks - against the advice of one of his doctors, the actor says. The screenwriters tweaked the script so that his character...get hurt in a sort of teleportation device called a "space bridge." LaBeouf agreed to postpone additional surgery on his hand until after the shoot wrapped in October, and he was outfitted with a custom-made hand cast designed to be both photogenic and superprotective. (There has even been talk of replacing LaBeouf's hand with CG; Bay says it was ruled as too expensive and "a pain in the neck.")

Seven weeks after LaBeouf's accident, the actor is hard at work on Revenge of the Fallen, his face, arms, and one good hand covered in fake sweat-that is, Vaseline. They and several dozen uniform-clad extras playing soldiers are nestled among desert dunes in a picturesque corner New Mexico near the White Sands National Monument.

"We've blown up so many things," says LaBeouf, squinting hard in the reflected sunlight. "A fish tank, a helicopter, concrete tubes. We blew up a library. This set you're looking at? This will all be gone." Indeed, the buildings were constructed with charges built right into them. They're dressed up to look like an Egyptian village, which will later be intercut with IMAX location photography of a real town near the pyramids of Giza. That's the site of the film's final showdown between the good-guy Autobots and bad-guy Decepticons, including the title character, a Lucifer-like figure actually called the Fallen.

Standing atop a dune, Bay is barking into a megaphone at some crew members who've gotten a little too chatty. "Let's have some quiet and some respect!" he yells. "It's not many sets that have live F-16s flying over!" Minutes later, six F-16 warplanes thunder past overhead, piloted by military personnel - though not at taxpayer expense, Bay hastens to point out.

The Space Bridge is from the G1 cartoons that was built by the Constructicons (and designed by Soundwave if remember right) that allows instant transportation between Earth and Cybertron. It was really a story convenience to allow stories to be set on Cybertron with established characters while introducing new ones (such as Shockwave). How this could play into the movie should be interesting. Maybe it is how so many Decepticons get to Earth without the attention grabbing blaze across the skyline before crashing through something. Of course, if your goal is destruction, not a bad way to go about it as the trailers show.

Update: TFW2005 has scans of the article here to read the stuff I left out.

ROFT Novelization Pre-Order and Excerpt

Amazon and Del Rey have updated with details for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen novelization with a better cover.

Amazon lists the title for $7.99 with a release date of May 19, 2009 and provides an interesting product description.

“THE FALLEN SHALL RISE AGAIN. . . .”

This cryptic warning is ignored by the national security adviser who feels the ruthless Decepticon threat is no more. The allies are victorious, the enemy has been defeated, and the world is safe. Small attacks around the world have been contained, and the remaining pieces of the coveted Allspark are locked in an electromagnetic vault on one of the most secure Naval bases in the world. But nothing is at it seems, and there is a shift in the shadows. Things can change in an instant–and fragile peace will become all-out war.

Del Rey also provides an excerpt from the first chapter, pretty much proving what had already been reported, that the shoot in Bethlehem, PA and Queensway Bridge in California is the opening sequence of the movie as those sites were dressed to be Shanghai, China. If you think about it, it means that pretty much the entire first movie trailer is composed of maybe the first 20 minutes or so of them movie. The full excerpt can be found here. Thanks to DeceptiFreak for the link.

Wii ROTF Video Game Screenshots

For those curious, below is slideshow/video of screenshots for the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game for the Wii. It appears the gameplay is similar as seen for the PS3/360 but the hardware's lack of graphics power isn't doing this version any favors. Thanks to Gregory for the link.

Devastator and Other Video Game News

More details are coming out about the upcoming 360/PS3 versions of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen game. The latest comes from MTV were they report that Devastator and the Constructicons will be in the game as part of a story point derived from the movie.

While the game’s developer had to keep quiet on the biggest (literally) addition to the film’s roster of giant robots due to how closely the game is modeled on the movie, there were a few Devastator-related bits and pieces to glean from the event (though no images, unfortunately). Production coordinator Mike Mejia took MTV News through a climactic battle with the massive Decepticon set in streets of Cairo late in the demo — an encounter that Mejia said was pulled directly from the plot of the film.

And that wasn’t all there was to learn about Devastator and (as fans of the series will be glad to hear) the Constructicons that unite to form the villain.

Along with taking us through a battle between Optimus Prime and Devastator, Mejia took a moment to pan the in-game camera around the massive villain and provide an up-close peek at the robot’s design. Composed of several different Decepticons like his cartoon (and comic book) counterpart, Devastator maneuvered around the Cairo cityscape on all fours, with his various construction-vehicle components clearly visible during the slow-pan peek.

It’s also worth noting that “Demolisher,” the Decepticon with a giant wheel seen in several of the “Revenge of the Fallen” trailers (seen in the concept art [above]), is clearly visible as the primary torso and neck component of Devastator. Originally rumored to be Devastator, the wheel-wielding Demolisher robot is actually just the bulk of Devastator’s chest in the game — giving you an indication of how large the character will likely be in Bay’s CGI-fueled sequel.

Of note is the continued confusion over Demolisher or Scavenger. The question is they the same character with naming confusion or two separate characters? The first movie also had naming confusion with Brawl being called Devastator in the movie. The confusion initially started as Toy Fair 2009 images leaked and people (including me) just assumed that the naming of Demolisher and Scavenger were confused and are the same thing.

They are probably two separate characters. The primary reason is story logistics. The movie opens with NEST tracking down Demolisher (as seen in trailer) in Shanghai, China. As the above indicates, the battle with Devastator takes place in Cairo, Egypt. Which do you think is easier to do story wise - have to explain how a character escaped and traveled thousands of miles to Cairo or simply introduce a new character? Another reason is official information from Paramount for a USA Today article lists them separately. Official information trumps speculation. Last, as the toy image below shows, they are two separate toys, with similar but clearly different designs (SCVGR on side is its own hint).

Back to the video game, another blog entry from MTV highlights that homages to the various G1 gestalt characters will make appearances in the game and briefly mentions online play possibility of playing as Devastator.

The developers behind the games are Transformers nerds themselves, I was told. They have used Aerialbots, Stunticons, Combaticons, Protectobots and Omnibots as inspiration for the unnamed robots players will encounter in the game. There was no sign that these modern-day Protectobots will merge into the mighty Defensor. Instead they seem to be foot soldiers — extra robots to shoot and be shot by. The group names are classifications as these robots won’t have names.

The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of “Revenge of the Fallen” include online multiplayer deathmatch and capture the flag modes. Up to eight gamers can play online. The new “Revenge of the Fallen” version of Devastator is, like his 1980s predecessor, a giant robot made up of smaller robots. So, I asked, can online players each play as one of Devastator’s component robots and then merge so that multiple players control a single, towering Devastator? The Activision reps gave me a stalling laugh and then one said: “We do have a lot of Transformers available [in the game.]

My read on that is you can play as a Constructicon but you and your buds will not get to merge and form Devastator. He is probably reserved as a boss character only.

Last, but not least, is from TFW2005. They have posted information from the Activision's New York press conference yesterday. It is worth the read as breaks down many elements of the upcoming video game. That can be found here. Also they have posted a video interview with a Transformers 2 developer that sadly has no spoilers. Thanks to Patrick and Scorpio for some of the links.

Mixmaster Triple-Changer and RPMs

Light toy news today. Voyager Mixmaster, one of the Constructicons, turns out to be a triple-changer according to the instruction manual. Judging by the images (from TFormers), triple-changer might be a stretch as the "battle mode" is a bit underwhelming.

In addition, TFW2005 has posted hi-res images of Wave 2 of the Transformers RPM (Robot Powered Machines) line. From what I can tell they are essentially matchbox type cars in the Transformer vehicle mode and the robot look painted on underneath. The full gallery can be found here. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

New Theatre Standee (Update)

MTV has posted an image of the planned Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen standee that will probably start popping up in theaters in time for the second trailer with Wolverine. It is nearly identical in form to the first movie's display. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.


Update: AICN has posted a hi-res picture of the standee which you can find here. Thanks to DeceptiFreak for the link.


Side note: Cut the crap in the comments. All movie theories are essentially valid right now and remain so until new official information or the movie comes out.

Second Trailer Gets Official Date

Only 60 days left until the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Director Michael Bay commemorated it by posting about watching a cut with Steven Spielberg and revealing the unexpected release of date of the second theatrical trailer.

Steven Spielberg sat next to me in a big 100 person theater at Sony today. There were 98 empty seats. The lights came up after we just watched my cut of Revenge of the Fallen. He turned to me and said "It's awesome". He felt this movie was better than the first - and probably my best, who knows - at this point in a movie you start to lose your objectivity. I just hope the fans like it. I'm going to start putting it in front of audiences in a few weeks - no you are not invited, yet.

We have 60 days left. Let me tell you it will be a race to finish. It's 12 at night and we are still working here in the edit room. Everyone at ILM and DD are killing themselves right now, they are doing a stellar job on the effects. We also just finished our trailer which is coming out with Wolverine. Talk to you soon.

Michael

I have to admit I am really surprised that Paramount is releasing the trailer with Fox's Wolverine rather than their own movie, Star Trek, just a week later. I don't mind though as it mean in two week we get a good look at more CGI Transformer goodness. Hopefully this time it will include a look at Devastator. For international blog readers, the main takeaway is that sometime during the weekend of May 1st, the trailer will be online for your enjoyment. Thanks to Ken (and Alex) for the link.

Bay Talks Favorite Transformers

MTV has posted another snippet of their interview with Michael Bay. This time he discusses his favorite Tranformers in the movie.

"The Fallen is the ultimate bad boy," Bay explained of the mysterious evildoer glimpsed briefly in the trailer for the June 24 film, whose vengeful mission gives the film's title its double meaning. "He goes way back in the Transformer world. He's one of the first Transformers."

"The twins are quite fun," Bay said of the comedy-relief duo, remembering his inspiration for including them. "I just kept thinking, 'What if we have two dumb Transformers that are young and dumb?' ... They are just irreverent, dumb Transformers."

"[Devastator is] the most complicated model that George Lucas' company has done in 30 years," Bay marveled. "In all the 30 years of [Industrial Light and Magic] making movies, it's the most complicated digital model — and it's tenfold in terms of the most complicated. It's taken a long time to do.

"There's a lot of great new characters in this movie — some funny ones, some devious ones, there are some little teeny ones that are a little irreverent," Bay said of a robot group that includes such newbies as the four-legged Ravage, sleek Sideswipe and others. "You know what is better in this movie? The acting of the robots. It's just evolved from the last one, and in terms of the animation we are able to put these robots' [emotions] in."

Such acting innovations have also helped a big breakout robot from the original "Transformers" film, who Bay insisted remains his favorite Transformer of the group. "Bumblebee is great in this movie," he promised.

More Toys News

Various new toys news is out.

TFW2005 has posted clear views of the bios for various Deluxe class toys. Three of them have been revealed before (Chromia, Wheelie, Skids) but Desert Brawl (highly unlikely a movie character).

Desert Brawl Bio

Hidden deep in the driest desert on Earth, Decepticon Brawl wanted for a new Decepticon leader to emerge. Though the Autobots searched for him, they never even came close to finding him. It enraged him that he was forced to hide in defeat. Now that Megatron has returned, he is ready to do battle again and determined this time to destroy as many Autobots as he can.

Speaking of new toys, Wal-Mart computers indicate some minor editions to the movie toy line. Arcee is getting a Deluxe and Legends class figures, Cyber Slammers have been renamed to Battle Chargers and Mixmaster is part of the RPM line. The full list is here.

TFW2005 has posted images of the Robot Heroes Game for Transformers 2. The images indicate the game is set in the Egyptian desert and images include the instruction manual. Rather odd little versus game.

Voice Changing Helmets is making a return, this time Optimus Prime is joined by Bumblebee. No details yet, but hopefully this time there will be only one version of Optimus Prime being voiced by Peter Cullen versus the first movie were there were two. Images of the helmets in packaging can be found here.

Last is an image of the AllSpark Rubik's Cube. Not bad looking, no idea of the price. I think there was a similar version released with the first movie.

Thanks to Scorpio and others for the links.

Transformers 2 Video Game Preview (Updated)

Various sites have posted articles describing a preview of the upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game complete with screenshot. The previews appear to based on the 360/PS3 versions not the Wii/DS/PSP that are also in the pipeline. Highlights below, click links for details and plenty of screenshots including Wii and DS/PSP versions of the game. Thanks to Michelle, Scorpio and others for the links. Forgot to mention, the game is getting released June 23rd in the states (don't know the international release dates).

Kotaku | TFormers | Team XBox | Joystiq | Movie Chronicles
- Follows along with film plot but missions are chosen from central hub (a faction war room) rather than linear storytelling
- Still chance to choose faction and Transformer to play as
- Larger mission environments then first games, improved interaction with environment (climb buildings, step over objects, etc)
- Various mission objectives, demo level was find and kill Sideways.
- One button Transformation that seems to improve combat.
- Each Transformer has a special ability (Sideways has a sniper rifle, Starscream can hover).
- Improved melee control include a transformation kick flip (ex: drive at target > transform > brutal melee attack > land back in vehicle mode and drove away).
- Not all missions are open to all Transformers (example one mission is Starscream destroying battleships, not exactly something Autobots would do).
- There are babysit human levels (example was driving Shia to a location and prevent building he is in from being destroyed).
- There is a level in the game of Optimus Prime vs. Devastator (his weakness is bulk equals slowness)
- Robot designs are based off of the ILM creations.
- Sequel has a new type of drone, various classes of robots that join the factions but appears Arielbots, Protectobots, Stunticons, etc where used as inspiration to create the cannon fodder.
- Stats are maintained via Leader boards so can see how doing in regards to kills, awards and other details for both single and multi-player modes.

Update: Added links to two more video game related articles. Also added possible picture of the sun harvester (as mentioned in comics and coloring book) from Movie Chronicles.

Bay: "I will never have a Twitter account"

A recent twitter posted from MichaelBay_Dir account indicated that a new trailer is coming soon. Technically this is true as, while not officially confirmed, I don't see Paramount missing a chance to advertise one of their own movies with the re-launch of Star Trek when it premieres on May 7th at 7PM.

However, it turns out that account is not the real Michael Bay, as Bay recently emphatically posted.

I will never have a Twitter account

Twitter. Never. What a waste of time.

M

I believe the source of the confusion was the admin for the official Michael Bay website linked to it (see photo), thinking it was real (link since removed). It is an honest mistake as it can be difficult to sort out the real from the fake on Twitter. On the plus side, some fake accounts can be amusing reads such as The_Megan_Fox.

In this case, it is also an example on why having a real account might just be a good PR move since the fakes can cause problems. If I ran a PR company, part of the "package" would be to maintain a star's various social sites so that people can easily add the real over the fake. Not saying post as the star (transparency always a must), just provide a destination for fans so they don't follow the fake accounts.

At least you know my account is real so feel free follow me.

On Set With Robert Zuckerman

EDFX has posted a video with Set Photographer Robert Zuckerman about his career and work both on and off Hollywood film sets. In the video is specifically some footage as he works on the Princeton set last June as part of his work on Transformers 2. He doesn't reveal any movie spoilers but it’s an interesting video.

The video is below. Click here for background and examples of Zuckerman's work from Transformers I. You can also see more of his non-film work at his blog Kindsight. Thanks to Edward for the link.

Shia Updates EW On Hand Injury

Entertainment Weekly has posted an article that provides an update on the condition of Shia LaBeouf's injured left hand from a car accident, working on set with the injury and another near miss. The full interview is here.

What's been going on with your hand since the first surgery?
I've had screws and plates put in. They put a screw in one of my knuckles. And they shaved a piece of bone off my hip and made a [bone for my] finger out of it.

Was your hand out the window of the vehicle when it got injured?
Yeah.

How is the hand now?
I'm on my third surgery. That's coming up in a week or two [from April 2]. My middle finger is still crooked as a f---ing noodle, so they've gotta straighten it out and put a screw in it.

How long will it take to recover from this third surgery?
I imagine like two months and I'll be back on my feet.

How much usage will you get back of your left hand?
Probably about 80-something percent. I'll be able to make a fist again. There's a knuckle I'll never be able to move again, but that's probably the only permanent damage, other than the scarring.

What do you remember of the initial surgical procedure?
The first voice I heard when I came out of surgery was Harrison's. Harrison [Ford] called me on the phone and said, "Hey, are you okay?" I said, "Yeah, I'm good." He said, "Well, then you need to get back to work." I said, "Are you serious?" He said, "That's the way this cookie crumbles." So I went back to work. The show doesn't stop for anybody.

And of course Harrison, your costar in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, shot most of the second Indy movie with a seriously screwed-up back. How soon did you go back to work?
I was only down for two weeks. The average bone healing time is six months.

Did you consider postponing your return to the set at all?
When I came back it was just out of the guilt that I had. I pride myself on my professionalism, and this is the first issue I've ever had where I wasn't able to come to set, and it's f---ing heartbreaking when you gotta look at your crew. You know, what can you do? You just gotta grab your balls and move forward. There's nothing else to do. The thing that cut deep to the core of me was knowing that there were 65 human beings [in the crew] who are like family to me, waiting for me to come back. They were sitting on their asses doing nothing because of my...you know, my situation. It's the most intense s--- I've ever dealt with, and am still dealing with. I mean, if people look at me like a drunk a--hole, that's okay. But I know my family looks at me like a whole different person, and I know my crew respects me immensely. And at the end of the day, I can't do much more.

How debilitating has it been to have no use of your left hand all these months?
It's hard to do anything. It's hard to button your pants or brush your teeth, let alone jump off a three-story building into a pad. This movie was the most physical thing I've ever had to do, and I had to do it with a broken hand. It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. Constantly having to take hits and fall and run through explosions and get hit and beat up all day. Aside from my hand, I also got 25 stitches making this movie, in various parts of my body -- stuff that had nothing to do with my hand.

In October, there was a report that you got hit with a prop just above one eye and needed stitches.
I basically stuck a f---ing sharp object through my eyelid.

Michael Bay, your director, says it was a large prop of some kind that caught you, which he didn't want to identify or describe because it's a plot spoiler. He also says he dropped to his knees as soon as he heard someone on the set say, "There's blood."
They stitched me up in a military hospital. The doctor looks at me and he holds his thumb and forefinger about an inch apart from one another. I said, "What is that?" He said, "Blindness." This is the most insane s--- I've ever been a part of.

Transformers 2 Adaptation Cover

The first issue of the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Movie Adaptation will hit newsstands on May 20th. One of the covers is to the right and I believe the entire four issue series is coming out weekly leading up to the movie. The adaptation will be written by legendary Transformers comic writer Simon Furman with art by Josh Nizzi.

I have yet to decide if I will summarize each issue as it will give away the entire story. Sure this is a spoiler site but most of the time the information is best guesses and unconfirmed. Since this will come straight from one of the script drafts, but not necessarily the shooting script, that will no longer be the case. Maybe use invisio-text to make it easier for people to skip over.

Transformers 2 Runtime Locked

Transformers 2 director Michael Bay has informed MTV the runtime of the sequel. “It’s four minutes longer than the last one,” explained Bay, saying that the runtime was locked. The 143 minute time of the first movie + 4 = 147 minutes long movie. “I don’t ever talk (to executives) about run times,” [Bay] grinned. “Studios always ask, ‘What’s the run time?’ And I’m like ‘If you enjoy the movie, do you care?’”

The reason runtime matter to studios is it reflects the number of showings per screening. So a 90 minutes movie might have 7 showings a day to five for a 150 long movie. Over 3000 or so screens that can be a lot of money the studios think they may not get. However, I think its nonsense. A sell out does more for a movie's word of mouth (an excited, full audience raises any viewing) then a half empty theatre will any day of the week. Besides, if someone wants to see the movie, less show times during the day isn't going to stop them, especially with all the screens the movie will likely appear on (my guess, 3.5k). Thanks to Mcat for the link.

Interview About TF2 Video Game

Siebertron.com has posted an interview with Luxoflux's Joby Otero. He is the game designer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game for XBox 360 and PS3. Based on the interview it appears the game will be using most of the game elements (play as Transformers, choose a side, etc) that were part of the first movie's game. Below are snippets of the interview with the full transcript here.

F G: Transformers the Game (2007) was a huge treat for fans and allowed players to follow the storyline of the first movie without completely copying the movie script itself. Can we expect the same thing from the second installment?
JRO: Our game begins and ends in the same places as the film and there are key events where we synchronize with the film. However, the film tells a story from a human perspective and ours is told from the perspective of the Transformers. Players can also expect to play sections that expand on the film and bring in additional characters.

F G: Something us Transformers fans absolutely love is giant Robot action! One of the best kickers to the 2007 game was the ability to "Choose your side". Will Revenge of the Fallen give the same capabilities?
JRO: Most definitely. There's an Autobot campaign and a Decepticon campaign and they can be played in either order.

F G: A big question most gamers have is will Revenge of the Fallen feature online gaming capabilities?
JRO: Yes, and we're particularly excited about our multiplayer. For the first time in a Transformers game, players can take their favorite characters online in intense matches where the game's mix of driving, flying, shooting, melee and acrobatic transformation, results in something not quite like any other online experience. It's fast and intuitive, yet difficult to master and we hope players will agree that it's an addictive, full-on, ‘Transformers' experience!

F G: Transformers the Game also features "side missions" that unlocked certain bonus materials such as movie trailers and photos, will ROTF feature anything of the sort?
JRO: We're proud to say that Hasbro has really opened up their vaults to a lot of cool content for us. Our game has lots of bonus material, but the system is different this time. Extra content is unlocked by completing a variety of objectives, some of which are in story missions, some are in non-story missions and others are elsewhere. We'll have to leave it at that – all secret and stuff.

F G: Yet another cool bonus in the first game was that it featured characters that were not in the first film, and as far as we can tell, have not been slated for an appearance in the second film. Can we expect bonus characters from ROTF?
JRO: There will definitely be surprises. We have familiar characters as well as variations that I can't say much about yet. We also worked closely with Hasbro and reference from the two movies to create many new characters that are uniquely designed for the game. There's a little something for everyone – Autobot or Decepticon.

Update:FYI, as the new pic above shows, the offical video game site has updated with screenshots and other information.

G1 Cartoons Getting Re-Release

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shout! Factory has inked a deal with Hasbro to release some of its "classic" 80s cartoons to DVD including Transformers, G.I. Joe, and My Little Pony. This will be the first time for new fans thanks to the movie to get an idea of what some of us mean when we refer to "G1 Transformers." That phrase specifically refers to the first generation of Transformers that were created between 1984-1988ish and used in the three seasons of cartoons and movie in that time frame. Sadly, much like the sets that were released by Rhino about 10 or so years ago, these set are not going to be cheap.

Shout! Factory's first release under the agreement will be "The Transformers: The Complete First Season -- 25th Anniversary Edition." The set is slated for June 16 (prebook May 19), a week before the big-screen debut of the Michael Bay-directed feature film sequel "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," due in theaters June 24.

The $29.99 three-DVD set will include the original broadcast versions of all 16 episodes from the 1984 season in the intended story line order, with remastered picture and a new stereo soundtrack created from the original audio. The Rhino releases featured incomplete work prints of episodes and modified sound effects.

Tentative extras include the featurette "Triplechanger: From Toy to Comic to Screen: The Origins of the Transformers"; a printable script; rare PSAs; toy commercials; concept art; and a limited-edition Autobot magnet.

Foos said Shout! Factory would follow the release with special complete series sets of "The Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" later this summer.

An interesting review will be to see the comparison of the Rhino sets (which I have and ok for their time) with these new sets. I am also curious to know if they will continue the very annoying practice of breaking up seasons in to "parts" to maximize sells that has plagued the cartoon DVD market.

Mixmaster Robot Mode and Other Toy Pics

Another day, more galleries of toys from the Transformers 2 toy line.

First up is Voyager Mixmaster from TF08.net. We have seen pleny of pictures of the cement truck mode and a tease of the robot mode. Below are some of the pictures of the robot mode that gives you an idea of the toy with the full gallery here. This toy has so much kibble that I seriousily doubt this robot mode ever makes an appearance in the movie. Thanks to Sam for the link.

In addition to Mixmaster, TFormers has posted the below pictures of all the currently leaked Constructicon toys (Mixmaster, Long Haul, Demolisher, and Rampage) as they surround Prime. Thanks to Gregory for the link.

Finally some repaints and a new FAB. Click here to view the gallery of Fast Action Battler Sideswipe in both modes. Click here to get a look at the re-release of Deluxe Barricade compared to the first movie version. Last is a gallery of Deluxe Smokescreen, sadly a simple repaint of Jazz from the first movie. That gallery is here and the link is from Scorpio.

Defiance #4 Movie Spoilers (Updated)

The concluding issue four of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Prequel Defiance arc came out this Wednesday and it provides a few details and spoilers for the upcoming movie. The arc is the story of what started the Transformers Civil War that eventually reached Earth in the first movie. I have not read the copy so the information is from Seibertron and TFW2005.

In this first three issues, a relic (the sarcophagus Megatron bows before) is found during an archaeology dig on the planet Cybertron. At this time Megatron is leader of the military and Optimus (not yet Prime) is essentially his assistant and director of the dig. Due to the influence of The Fallen, Megatron claims the relic as his own. The Fallen continues to build on Megatron's ambition until he declares martial law and forms the Decepticons and orders the arrest of Optimus and his friends for treason.

So now to the movie related points of interest:

- The Fallen and his "brothers" (13 total perhaps?) were born on the same planet as the AllSpark (its own origins unknown).
- The AllSpark's power was limited but could be restored by harvesting the energy of a sun.
- The first Cybertronians (including Jetfire) were created to find an appropriate star while the Sun Harvester is built on another planet (Earth).
- The Fallen wanted the AllSpark power for himself but his brothers turn the tables and trap The Fallen and themselves in the sarcophagus
- After the brothers are trapped, a pyramid is built around the Sun Harvester.
- The Fallen influences Megatron to form the Decepticons to use the AllSpark to find the Sun Harvester and activate it so he can be released (alluded to in coloring book pages).
- Optimus Prime forms the Autobots to stop Megatron and his followers from freeing The Fallen.
- As part of the war, the AllSpark is sent into space where it lands on earth due to it detecting the Sun Harvester on the planet (and thus the beginning of the first movie).

Update: Small update, changed the cover photo in the top left to much better variant cover for the issue. To bad there wasn't a scene like that in the first movie.

First Look At Mixmaster, Megatron Bio

TF08.net has posted the front and back pictures (below) of Voyager class Megatron in his packaging. The bio somewhat provides hints on how Megatron escapes his fate. I guess the deep ocean water pressure isn't enough to pancake a Transformer.

The packaging also provided the first look at the robot mode of Mixmaster (vehicle pics here) and, for those in doubt, official confirmation of the toy for The Fallen.

Voyager Megatron Bio

Trapped in the black, crushing depths of the sea, his mind inert in the grip of stasis lock, Megatron knew nothing of the desperate search mounted for his remains by the other Decepticons. When he was finally brought back online, their effort and sacrifice meant little to him. The only thing that had any meaning was revenge. He would have his vengeance against the human boy who cheated him of his prize, and he swore to celebrate over the smoking wreck of Optimus Prime.

Chromia, Megatron Video Reviews

Peaugh has posted three new video reviews of Transformers 2 toys. This time a good look at Deluxe Chromia (sister of Arcee), Leader Megatron, and Scout Dune Runner (not confirmed to be character in movie). Chromia is pretty weak robot mode, that comes with a stand, but the video shows that there is some extra bits that might suggest a combine mode for the 3 Arcee sisters. Megs looks good but doesn't seem worth the price. Found via TFormers.com.

Transformers 2 CGI Art Work (Update 2)

It took a while but finally some new CGI artwork of the some of the characters for Transformers 2 has appeared online. Some of the CGI in the gallery is old but much is brand new. Thanks to Ken and David for the link.

Update: Added the image in the left created by D-M0de (thanks!) for those that like the idea of the Twins running for their lives. Good for wallpaper or imagining such a scene in the movie.

Update 2: D-M0de provided the below two pictures to replace the previous Twins chase image. Uses the below CGI images along with Photoshop magic to tell a better story.

By D-M0de


Devastator


Ironhide


Megatron


Ratchet


Ravage


Sideswipe


Starscream


The Fallen


The Twins

Few Transformers 2 In Egypt Set Pics

MichaelBay.com has posted a few new pictures taken while the Transformers crew was filming in Egypt near the Valley of Kings back in October of last year. It was the first time in decades that a major Hollywood filmed there. The first two are new pictures, the other two were two previously posted last year.

More MixMaster, Fallen, and Other Toy Pics (Updated)

Another day, another set of galleries to look through.

Voyager Mixmaster - Large set of images that compares the vehicle mode of the Constructicon with other Transformers past and present.
Voyager The Fallen - A few pictures that show off the main villian of the upcoming sequel for an eBay auction.
Leader Megatron - Gallery and review of the toy.
Leader Optimus Prime - Two high quality pictures that show off the re-designed toy.
Deluxe Bumblebee - Also two pictures of the slightly tweaked toy.
Deluxe Skids - Review from Peaugh of the upcoming toy. Yep, he does have buck teeth.
Hyper Hobby Magazine Compare - Two pictures below are from the Japanese magazine that gives a comparison of the first movie vs sequel design of multiple Transformers characters.
Scout Scalpel (The Doctor) - Another gallery similar to Mixmaster that shows off the character and compares him to other Transformers.

Update: Added a link to the Scalpel gallery and corrected the class for Mixmaster.

More Transformers Tidbits from Bay

MTV has posted more of their conversation with Michael Bay at ShoWest. In their first post, he revealed that Arcee annoyed him enough that she just had to die. In this second part he discusses the IMAX Experience, Megan Fox, and no car chases.

The video portion is below but so far I have not had much luck getting it working, may just be server overload.

Highlights:

- "There's no car chase in this movie. There's a lot of different types of action. In some movies, it's the same action throughout the entire movie. There's a lot of different types of action in this one, and that makes it interesting."
- "You will see Devastator in IMAX. You heard it here first. [Several scenes] are going to be on IMAX, which is awesome. Some of our main scenes were shot with IMAX cameras, so the screen will pop wide [if you see the film in an IMAX theater]. It's the first movie to do serious digital effects in IMAX quality."
- On Megan Fox: "Wait until you see] the very first shot in the movie," he replied when we asked whether Megan gets a moment as memorable as her hood-opening flirtation with Bay's lingering camera in the first film. "You'll see."

Removed video since still not working on the MTV website so embed isn't going to work either
The main takeaway for me is unlike most IMAX Experience movies, Transformers 2 will actually be worth the travel time and ticket cost since its doing more then just showing an oversized scene. As Bay points out, this will be the first movie to make real use of CGI elements for IMAX scenes something previous movies have not spent the money on to create.

Orci and Kurtzman Video Interview

The Hollywood Reporter has posted a video interview with Transformers 2 writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman as they discuss working on the sequel and their decision to return. The goal was to top the first movie and show how the government and sentient robots would interact and maintain secrecy. The scope is "absolutely bigger and a lot more robots."

GM and Transformers Marketing Troubles

Thanks to the huge economic problems that General Motors (near bankruptcy) is experiencing, the company has made the decision to dial down its promotional campaign for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen according to the Los Angeles Times.

The struggling automaker, whose new Chevy Camaro is one of the stars of director Michael Bay's action film in which vehicles morph into giant robots, has sharply throttled back its contribution to the advertising campaign tied to the sequel's release June 24.

The reduced spending by GM comes at a tricky time for Paramount, which needs all the promotional backing it can muster for "Transformers" in what looks to be one of Hollywood's most competitive summers ever. A dozen big-budget "event" films, including "Star Trek" and sequels to "Harry Potter" and "X-Men," will be elbowing one another into theaters.

"There's so much competition out there for the entertainment dollar that studios and filmmakers really can't open big, $100-million movies without the assistance of partner alliances that can help generate awareness and sell movie tickets," said Norm Marshall, chief executive of NMA Entertainment, a brand marketing firm that's been involved in movie "tie-in" campaigns for "Mama Mia!," "Iron Man" and "Matrix Reloaded."

For the Hollywood studios, which are under pressure to keep a lid on marketing costs, a promotional tie-in can spell millions of dollars of advertising underwritten by consumer giants like GM or fast-food chains McDonald's and Burger King.

"It can be extremely valuable," said Adam Fogelson, president of marketing and distribution for Universal Pictures, whose upcoming June release "Land of the Lost," a sci-fi adventure comedy starring Will Ferrell, has a "huge" media and in-store campaign with promotional partner Subway.

Studios can spend more than $100 million to market their "franchise" movies around the world. But as the studios try to rein in marketing costs, the tie-in campaigns with big advertisers become more important.

I can't say I am really surprised. Cutting marketing expensive is a quick and easy way to save money. I am more curious to know what impact this may have on the third film as Michael Bay saved money on the budget by getting the fleet of cars essentially for free, something I doubt GM will continue to do. This might open it up for competitors to step in. Thanks to The Chad for the link.

IMAX Experience Montage

As part of ShoWest, a montage of IMAX Experience movies for this summer were shown including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The clip is a brief comment from Michael Bay about IMAX and a shot of Sideways crashing through an apartment as seen in the trailer. It also shows clips of other movies such as Harry Potter 6 and Star Trek. The Transformers 2 part starts at the 1:10 and 2:34 points.

Two Transformers Toy Videos

TFormers has posted two new videos that show off two of the new toys for Transformers 2 toy line. The first video is a review of Scout class Scalpel (or The Doctor) that is the medic of the Decepticons but better used to torture to Sam. The second is Voyager Megatron that actually looks pretty good and possibly better then the leader class version.

Voyager Megatron

Devastator, Mixmaster and Other Toy Pics

TF08.net once again provides the cool new Transformer 2 toy images. This time an excellent look at artwork and early look at the combined form of Devastator. The images do match the toy seen at Toy Fair but it indicates only six Constructions, rather than the seven that was reported last week. Note that the vehicle images used are easy to find via a Google image search.

In addition here is the first look at Deluxe Mixmaster. Note though that the Deluxe class toys do not have the ability to combine into Devastator (separate set of toys for that). Also get a look at Jetfire (note his "cane") but I have no idea what class he is (Voyager?). Then there is Power Bots Megatron, Human Alliance Bumblebee and another look at Deluxe Barricade that look so close to his first movie look (rather than a repaint) that it makes me think he might just be in the sequel. Thanks to Gregory for some of the pictures and Michael, Phil and Gregory for the link.

Mike Patton To Voice Mixmaster

MovieWeb.com is reporting that they have confirmed that Mike Patton has been cast to voice Decepticon Constructicon Mixmaster. Mixmaster will form the head of the gestault. He is the lead singer of Faith No More and producer for multiple artists (wiki here). Thanks to Gregory for the link.

Rumors about musician Mike Patton's involvement in the highly anticipated summer sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen were confirmed today by a "close" friend of the singer (who may or may not live in Philadelphia). More of a cameo than a leading robot, Patton will lend his unique vocal talents to Mixmaster, one of the seven Decepticons that form to create Devastator. He is a concrete mixing truck that serves as the left leg of this gigantically awesome robot.

While Patton's participation in the film was 100% confirmed, the "source" didn't seem quite so positive about the actual robot he would be playing, at times calling him a dump truck (which is actually Long Haul). Either way, he will voice one of the seven vehicles that form Devastator. Patton is said to have landed the gig after producers heard his voice work on the video game The Darkness. This is a big year for the prolific singer, as his score for Crank: High Voltage will be released this coming Tuesday. And he is currently in the midst of embarking on a European reunion tour with his former band Faith No More.

Bay: "I Kill Her Later"

When Michael Bay is in a good mood, because of his ShoWest Vanguard Award, bluntness and information seems to flow a little more freely as indicated by recent interviews with MTV and Collider (both with video).

First from MTV where he reveals the death of Arcee:

You know what? I didn't like Arcee," the filmmaker revealed exclusively to us Thursday night, "so I kill her later, all right?"

"You know what? It's like actors," he explained, comparing his Transformers to flesh-and-blood stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. "There are certain actors that blossom on screen, and there are certain others where you're like, 'Yuck, I'm cutting them out of the movie.'"

"This isn't sad," he grinned, discussing Arcee's sudden death. "This is just 'get it out and get it over with.' "

Bay also shot down the long-simmering rumor that Fox will be seen riding Arcee and doing some female bonding with the character. "No," he insisted. "She has nothing to do with Megan."

I don't know if this is serious or not. He is grinning the whole time and seems to be enjoying himself. I almost think he is dropping a fake bomb just to see the online reaction. Maybe this is an example of his misinformation campaign. Not saying it can't be true, just that something seems off. As usual, June 24th will be the day of truth.


On the highlights and video from Collider.com from pre-show press conference:

- Transformers 3 is "the way I shoot is too aggressive for 3D cameras" due to the precision they required. Besides he considers 3-D to be a "gimmick...I am old school."
- In regards to Paramount's 2011 vs. Bay's 2012 date, things have been worked out so I guess that means the plan is a July 1st, 2012 release date for Transformers 3, "Lot of pestering from the studio" to reserve the date.
- When asked if he will direct Transformers 3, "I don't know, let's see how two does."
- The scale of the second movie is larger, goes around the world, the CGI technology is much improved providing better acting from the Transformers.
- The budget of Transformers 2 was $200 million and came in about $4 million under budget.
- Regarding the IMAX scenes, "Pretty awesome. It was much easier to shoot then stereoscopic. It's a bitch to perfect in terms of the digital work because of the amount of rendering you have to do and the detail."
- In regards to CGI work, "It is all challenging. In terms of the digital model that Lucas Films made ...it is the most complicated by 10 ...of the [of the robot] model they ever made."

More AllSpark Shard, Bay Pics

As previously noted, LG had a booth in Las Vegas as a part of CTIA Wireless 2009 ShoWest that included the AllSpark fragment prop. Brian has provided more information of Michael Bay's visit to the booth and what he saw along with more pictures of the prop. Below is his report and a few pictures from Brian's gallery, which can be found here.

Michael Bay was supposed to arrive at 2pm but did not arrive until 5pm into the LG booth. The new phone they are promoting is called the Arena and they had a huge display area with 3 screens up showing this. It changed and went to the LG logo and the TF2 logos on them. They roped off the area and where the All Spark was then Bay came out. He looked at the All Spark display from a distance, did some photos, I got to meet him, was next to him, took pics. The President of LG America Jerry Wong (I think that is his last name) had a planned speech which he butchered up. He introduced the limited edition LG/Transformers Revenge of the Fallen phone. This phone is not yet out, still being developed and when more info is available, LG will post a website they said. This is a conjuction between LG/Paramount/Dreamworks he said too. They showed the trailer that was shown during the Super Bowl on the screens.

Bay was introduced, came up and took the mic. He said that he was excited about this partnership and new phone and was looking forward to getting it. He also said, he isn't too much into phones as he has an old regular phone and proceeded to pull out a Samsung flip phone. That got laughs from the crowd of course and the president shook his head. Bay then said, "that is the trailer we brought out during the Super Bowl. That is just part of it and not a lot of what's going on. There's so much more. I'm finishing up the movie and I’ll be working on it down to the release date. I'll be lucky if I finish it as I'll be down to the skin of my you know what." He then stated why he was in town (Showest, Vanguard award) and that was it. The LG President then made a joke about Bay's cell phone, said "let's get him a better phone, gave him his and took the Samsung away. It was a temp switch of course.

More photos of Bay, then Bay and the President with the All Spark, etc. The All Spark was roped off due to it being fragile and being able to be knocked over. A media outlet (not sure who) was able to ask 3 questions. First was asked about the movie. He said it's bigger, more stuff in it. "We are able to do more now than before with graphics and images and it's exciting" Asked about the USA Today article that came out about the new robots and he didn't comment directly. The other questions I could not hear.

He was supposed to sign 1 sheets but he left quickly and didn't sign any autographs. I was bummed as I wanted one. It was about 30 minutes total. He got out of there quickly. He seemed agitated, but then again, he looks like that a lot I guess.

ShoWest Transformers 2 Footage Description (Updated)

AICN's Quint was in Las Vegas when Michael Bay accepted the Vanguard Award. As part of that, a scene and action montage was shown. I think one part is going to make people cringe but "the action makes the first movie look like Driving Miss Daisy."

The full scene was Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox going into Sam’s parent’s garage to talk with Bumblebee, who is, apparently, still having trouble with his voicebox. He’s able to cough up a few staticy words, but still communicates mostly through pop songs (lame).

Shia tells Bumblebee that he’s going away to college and can’t bring him along. Freshmen aren’t allowed to have cars at his college, apparently, and Sam doesn’t need protection anymore anyway, he says.

As he talks with Bumblebee, Fox is outside… we see that the Witwicky house is being repaired… so I take it this isn’t too long after the first one or there was a bit of action that happened prior to this clip.

Anyway, Fox stips out of her black leather pants and jacket, revealing a dress… Prom? Something. But Megan Fox stripping is a-okay for whatever reason.

Back in the garage, Bumblebee isn’t taking the news well, dramatically crying (window-washer liquid) and waving his arms. This could have actually been fairly emotional. LaBeouf is playing the scene that way, but the robot is so over the top I don’t know if it was supposed to be a comic scene or not.

So, the scene wasn’t all that great, but the montage of action was fucking awesome, as I’m sure Bay would say. We get a look at the Devastator (massive and pretty sweet) knocking the hell out of Optimus. The shot is from far away and Optimus is fighting in a large, open grass field in bright daylight. He’s hit and sails through the air towards us, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop right at the camera. He sits up and spits out something metal (robot tooth?).

There were quick flashes of a lot of cool action. There was a Decepticon with giant saw blades that cuts a car in half, splitting up Shia and Fox. There was a shot of a decepticon bug being forced into Shia’s mouth… another shot was of a transformer fly that Shia has pinched between his fingers… and a lot of quick big action scenes… a transformer that is two giant wheels, ‘splosions, etc, etc.

Looks like more of the same so if you hated the first movie you probably won’t like this one much more, but I hear that the action makes the first movie look like DRIVING MISS DAISY… and that Bay learned a few lessons from the first, focusing on the robots more than the humans this time out. I hope so.

Update:Coming Soon has also posted a description of the footage.

Sam opens the garage door to see Bumblebee in robot form hitting himself in the head trying to get his voice back. Sam tells the robot that he wants to talk about college, to which Bumblebee starts playing The Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited" and dancing around, but Sam tells him that he's not going to which the robot gives a heavy groan. Sam gives him a long speech why it's best Bumblebee doesn't accompany him, while Mikaela runs outside and starts to disrobe (Yowza!)... no wait, she's just changing outfits. Bumblebee isn't happy and he starts spraying water from his head as if he was crying. Sam explains that he wants to go to college and experience it like a normal guy, but that Bumblebee will always be his first car, etc. As he finishes his sentimental speech, Sam turns and opens the garage door and Mikaela is standing there in what appears to be a wedding dress holding a purple bouquet of flowers.

After that dialogue scene, what followed was a two minute montage of some of the robot action from the movie giving glimpses of almost all the Autobots and Decepticons we'll be seeing as well as The Fallen, most of them on screen slightly longer than the footage seen before. To be honest, it was cut together so quickly that only a diehard mega-fan might be able to see it and name every robot or figure out exactly what was going on. Regardless, it looks like Bay has done it again and anyone who liked the first movie should be suitably impressed with the sequel.

Piece of the AllSpark (Updated)

Thanks to Brian, here is a picture of the AllSpark fragment and prop container as seen in one of the movie stills (below) from USA Today last year. The photo was taken at the LG Booth as part of the promotion between LG and Transformers. Exactly what part the fragment plays in the movie has yet to be revealed.






Update: Via TFW2005, below is the picture of the LG Versa Limited Edition Transformers 2 cell phone. I have no idea what the availability plan or cost of these phones will be.

Fox-y New Movie Stills

Megan-Fox.net, always a good place to go to drool over the lovely Mrs. Fox, has scored some new photos from Transformers 2. The photos provide a few shots of the human heroes in various bits of danger and an awesome high-tech set that would be perfect for a LAN party.

Obviously my favorite is the one with Megan Fox, partly for the obvious reason and partly for the amusement of the long sleeve shirt in the desert as to hide her Marilyn tattoo on her mid arm as the sand would probably cause make-up problems. As a side note, a bit of fun while watching her movies is to note how costumes, make-up and stage directions are used to hide that tat (How to Lose Friends had her holding shoes at strange angles and times). Thanks to Grant for the heads-up.

More Toy Galleries, Another Review (Updated)

Many more toy galleries are online including a possible Deluxe version of Megatron, Ultimate Bumblebee and some Fast Action Battlers. Also Peaugh is back with a video review of FAB Jetfire.

Voyager Megatron - Turns out he might be real as the new gallery (some pics below) shows.
Ultimate Bumblebee 2.0 - He's back with modified transformation and body to reflect his new 2010 model.
FAB Sideswipe - Via eBay, I believe the first look at this version
FAB Ratchet - In his desert green colors, still no clue if this reflects his look in the movie.
FAB Megatron - Still ugly, still better looking than the jet.
FAB Starscream - Still butt ugly too.
Bruticus Maximus - A look at the re-issue from Transformers: Energon line to go with the Superion repaint. (Forgot to add includes pics of vehicle mode of Voyager Starscream and Ratchet).
Deluxe Sideswipe - Large gallery of the toy.
Deluxe Sideways - Another large gallery.
FAB Jetfire Review - Of note is it appears the FAB Jetfire and Optimus do not combine, contary to previous rumors for this version.

Update: Turns out the Megatron pic was real. Updated his link to the new, better gallery and added a few sample pictures.

Eight Constructicons In Transformers 2?

Two new articles on USA Today and Yahoo! Movies suggest that Transformers 2 will feature a total of eight Constructicons, seven of which will form Devastator. The articles are part of a first look at some of the Transformers 2 robotic cast. This would be the first official word on many of the characters that we figured out over time between set and toy pictures but news to the general public. One change is Wheelie is being officially cast as a Decepticon and the addition of "The Doctor" also called Scalpel according to the Hasbro toy packaging and has the alt mode of a microscope. Below are excerpts.

Ravage and Soundwave
"In the spirit of 'more than meets the eye,' Ravage isn't just lethal because of his sharp teeth," says screenwriter Alex Kurtzman. "There's actually another skill set Ravage has that didn't exist before, so there's going to be a surprise for fans." ...his role will be similar to the 1980s cartoon and Hasbro toy — the ultimate spy.

Ravage doesn't turn into anything. But Soundwave will appear, again serving as an evil communications expert but this time in the form of an orbiting space satellite.

And Ravage, as before, won't speak like the other Transformers. "We wanted to stay true to the idea that Decepticons who take visual clues from beasts maintain that," says Orci. "It would be strange to have a talking jaguar, or a scorpion with an English accent."

Insecticons
"We have big guys, some little guys. We have a lot of littler ones, too. Little weirder ones," Bay says. Like the Insecticons, which were giant bugs in the original series and Hasbro toy line, but are now tiny creepy-crawly infiltrators.

Jetfire
As in the original, this fighter plane crash-landed on Earth a long time ago, and he will become a reformed Decepticon now fighting for the humans. His alternate form is the SR-71 Blackbird, the outdated but still-sleek Cold War spy plane.

"He's old, craggy, forgetful ... doesn't work very well. Can't transform very well, because he's very geriatric. They get stuck with him a lot," Bay says. "He knows the plan of the bad guys, but he forgets all the good parts of the plan."

The Twins
"Some of the junior Transformers are just dumb," Bay says with a laugh. "But it's great for kids because they're like the Little Engine That Could. They're (screw)-ups, but they get really heroic at the end."

Arcee
Arcee is the only female and turns up as Megan Fox's hot-pink motorcycle. Co-screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci say she was in an early draft of the first movie. "But we felt we needed to win the audience over before asking for that suspension of disbelief: a feminine alien robot," Kurtzman says.

The Fallen
The Fallen is an ancient robot, sort of the Transformers' version of Lucifer. He's one of the original robot aliens, and his defiance and arrogance led to his banishment into another dimension. The screenwriters say that The Fallen holds the key to life on both Earth and Cybertron, the Transformers' home planet.

The Doctor
A smaller, but no less malevolent Decepticon is known as The Doctor — a spider-like droid that transforms into various implements of torture and has a not-so-nice encounter with star Shia LaBeouf.

Devastator
These seven robots — Scavenger, Scrapper, Hightower, Longhaul, Rampage, Overload and Mixmaster — transform into construction machinery, but also link up with one another to form one gigantic robot stomper named Devastator.

"He's made of vehicles designed to build, and he turns into is someone who loves to destroy," Orci says. "He is an agent of absolute chaos."

"Spielberg saw it and said, 'This is (expletive) awesome!' " Bay says, and adds: "It's always nice when you can make him swear."

Missing from the list is Megatron, who Bay has already verified is returning. Of interest is the bit about Devastator merging with seven Constructicons, one of which is not Demolisher (the one wheeled guy in the trailer busting through a bridge).

The 2009 Toy Fair pictures and display along with the preview on The Today Show suggested that the toy was a combination of six constructions:
     Demolishor - red O&K/Terex RH400 Hydrolic Mining Excavator (torso)
     Scrapper - 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)
     Rampage - yellow Caterpillar D9L Bulldozer (left leg)

Apparently this is wrong. Instead of Demolisher we have the addition of Scavenger and Overload whose alt modes remain unknown. Suffice it to say I am a bit confused. Either the Toy Fair displays were missing two Constructicons (why do that when the Fairs purpose is to sell a line to vendors?) or USA Today and co have some of their information confused ("The Doctor" vs Scalpel). I guess things will get cleared up a bit more once the toys get released.

Thanks to all the site readers for sending in the links.

Update:As pointed out in the comments, the Toy Fair pictures did show one of the toys with the word "SCVNGR" which even then was identified as Scavenger but dismissed as an error or early production model. Clearly, instead there are two variations of the Hydraulic Mining Excavator as part of the Constructions. One is Demolisher seen early in the film (and now I assume meets a bad end) and the other is Scavenger which helps form the torso of Devastator.

Best guess for Overload is the Komatsu HD465-7 Articulated Dump Truck TFW2005's source provided way back in October. The other six were right so small leap to assume the last is correct too. My best guess in this scenario is Overload is the lower torso that the legs connect to and Scavenger is the upper that the arms and Mixmaster attach to.

Update 2: Oops got my construction vehicles confused. Probably going to do that a few times with the Constructicons.

StarCraft II Gets Omega Supreme Defense

Blizzard has revealed another capability for the Terran Military for StarCraft II. The new ability is for your entire base to transform into Terra-Tron to wreck havoc on your enemies.

With the use of magnetic flux generators and through some simple modifications to our existing building schematics, we've found we can utilize structures that already exist in our bases to assemble the frame of a siege-class combat walker—a construct that some of my colleagues insist on calling the Terra-tron. The Terra-tron is best deployed as a last-ditch effort to hold an important location on the grid. Currently the cost of operation is a bit of a problem, as energy conduits and pipes become dislodged or severed and leave dangerously exposed electrical wiring, steel framework, and sewage systems. However, let me assure you that we are working diligently on new waste-containment systems that should eliminate this problem and get our buildings back up to code in the near future."

Click here for more screenshots, dialog, and videos that show the "whole blasted base" in action. As a long time fan of StarCraft, I can't wait until they finally release it (I think end of this year). Of course this is April Fools joke by the folks at Blizzard. I like the use of Transformers as a reference for a cool design. This would make for a fun un-lockable in solo play. Thanks to Monz for the find.

Two New TF2 Toys

Two more toys have popped up online from The Arker via Seibertron.com for the Transformers 2 toy line. I don't think they are April Fools jokes either. One is called Dune Runner (an Autobot) and the other is Scalpel (a Decepticon). No clue if the characters are in the movie but I doubt Dune Runner is (seen before). Scalpel reminds me of Frenzy with that goofy look and design and makes me think he just might make an appearance.

Deluxe Dune Runner bio:

Back on Cybertron, most rolling surfaces are flat, lightly textured roads - perfect for speed and traction. It wasn't until he got to Earth that Dune Runner experienced anything like [?]. He can't say he enjoyed the new vehicle mode, but he appreciates that it lets him patrol the deserts and mountains where many Decepticons have taken to hiding.

Deluxe Scalpel bio:

Scalpel has a massive database of anatomical data for millions of creatures across the universe. He can unassemble anything that doesn't struggle to much in a matter of minutes, and usually puts it back together with only a few parts in the wrong place. He serves as medic to the Decepticon army, but most Decepticons prefer to suffer in silence rather than allow Scalpel to work on them.

LG, Transformers 2 Tie-In

LG Mobile Phones issued a press release today announcing it is working with Paramount to do a tie-in promotion for their line of mobile phones and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen part of which will include a limited edition phone. Of note is Bay might be available for you to meet at the ShoWest LG Booth, if you are in the Las Vegas area on April 2nd. Below are excerpts from the release.

Visitors at the LG Mobile Phones booth (#4100, Central Hall) will have the opportunity to meet renowned film director Michael Bay on Thursday, April 2, at 2:00PM (PDT) as he greets fans and signs posters from the new movie. LG Mobile Phones will also unveil design renderings of a LG limited edition "Transformers" Versa phone, which will be made available only through consumer promotions as part of their overall movie tie-in campaign.

Prior to the film's June 24 release, LG Mobile Phones will reveal advertising, retail, online and other consumer electronics initiatives utilizing the film as a key theme for the marketing campaign. The LG limited edition "Transformers" Versa phone, along with the company's premium line of handsets, offers the latest in mobile technology, allowing people to change their mobile life using one device. Many of these LG Mobile Phone products were used during the making of the film.

60 Robots in Transformers 2?

For a while now the number of Transformers in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen numbered around 40 but a new article from Variety is pegging that number around 60. The article, part of the nod to Michael Bay for his Vanguard Award, discusses the demands Bay has for the visual effects work being done by ILM and Digital Domain for movie.

"Michael took the production value up many, many notches," [ILM's lead VFX supervisor for TF2 Scott Farrar] says. "Just the backgrounds alone are huge. It's a combination of 'Apocalypse Now' and 'Ben-Hur,' in regards to fantastic backgrounds and the unbelievable sets we worked at around the world."

Everyone involved in "Revenge of the Fallen" is keeping the details under wraps, but Farrar says there are some 60 robot characters, and they play in settings around the world. Some, like refineries at night, were chosen to boost the visual drama and show off the scale of the giant 'bots.

What's more, this time the Transformers will interact much more with the world around them. Farrar highlights "the splashes and the hits and the fighting on dirt or moving, banging into trees," explaining, "Things splinter and break, they spit, they outgas, they sweat, they snort."

One new challenge is that several sequences will be shown in Imax format, approximately 16 times larger than 35mm, which means the CG work must be finished at much higher resolution. At that scale, it can take several days to render a final frame.

All this is on top of creating a new family of giant robots. "(Bay) had to learn a whole litany of new things by getting into this robot culture on the first film," Farrar says. "I don't think he'd ever worked on a film where he'd done so much directing of animated characters. So he's really taken it to heart, and I think not everybody does, but he actually enjoys the process."

A few things of note. One is "60 robot characters". Now there is a difference between an appearance and an actual character. For the purposes of VFX, whether a Transformer is in the background, foreground, on screen for two seconds or 20 minutes, a rather detailed design effort has to go into creating that 3-D object so it can be inserted into the film properly. As a result, if there is a scene on Cybertron, one moment could have "60 robot characters" in it. I think that there may be up to 40 named characters and the rest are probably background for whatever a particular scene needs.

The second thing of note is something that Transformers 2 will probably not get credit for being the first film to have VFX used extensively for IMAX scenes. The Dark Knight was one of the first major summer movies to have scenes specifically created for the IMAX and proved that studios could make money off of IMAX, but they "cheated" it a touch by filming rather standard scenes in the format. Michael Bay's use in Transformers 2 much more ambitious, complicated and expensive with CGI Transformers effects that have to scaled accordingly. Personally I was unimpressed by The Dark Knight IMAX Experience compared with the regular theatrical movie and hope that Transformers 2 IMAX Experience creates a much more dramatic distinction between the two formats.

Orci and Kurtzman Talk Transformers

Sci-Fi Wire has posted a brief interview with Transformers writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen using many of Orci's recent Q&A responses to attempt to get more detail. I am guessing this an add-on of the much longer Star Trek interview the website has posted earlier in the week. Thanks to middlerealm for the link.

Below are select portions with the full article here.

You guys were not originally going to write the sequel. Is that right?Orci: Correct.

What changed your mind?
Kurtzman: Well, we resisted it for a while, because ... the first movie was so ... tough to find, you know? ...the story was not immediately obvious to us. And ... they really wanted us to do it. And we said, "We just can't do it until we know what this is." ...We spent a lot of time thinking about the sequels that we really loved as kids. You know, Aliens and Terminator 2 and Wrath of Khan and Empire Strikes Back and Superman 2. The thing that all of those movies had in common were that they stood on their own as films.
Orci: Yeah, it was both that and we were afraid we were not going to have literally the time to do it. The [writers'] strike was looming, we were in the middle of [writing] Star Trek, etc. So when they agreed to give us help in the form of Ehren Kruger [The Skeleton Key, The Ring 2], who is fantastic, we realized the three of us really could do it and not just phone it in.

And you had a mandate to develop a bigger movie?
Kurtzman: That doesn't really mean anything to us, honestly. Like, we always get to the action last. The action is born of whatever challenges your characters are facing...
Orci: The theme started coming out of Sam leaving home, now. It's two years later, he's going to college. ... What are the responsibilities and the cutting off that goes on when you leave home? And that mirrors the fact the Transformers themselves are away from home. And in a new home. And what are your responsibilities as you kind of step out into the world on your own without your support system? ...

There are so many [Transformers] that you have to pick from. How do you winnow them down, how do you add the new ones, integrate them?
Orci: Well, the easier one, obviously, is the fact that we inherit certain ones from the previous movie and from the fact that Prime and Bumblebee are kind of the two front-and-center relationships. ... In terms of villains, it was again going back to all the source material. ... We got a bunch of the comics again, we got a bunch of the old cartoons, and just started looking for kind of the most elemental bad guy that kind of jumped off the material, and we found one in the Fallen.

And you've got to bring Megatron back.
Orci: Exactly. ...But then many of them were also selected during the strike while we couldn't do anything, as a matter of necessity, by Hasbro and by [director] Michael Bay for some of the action sequences. They literally had to start designing somebody.

What's the name of the gigantic first one that you see?
Kurtzman: Wheelbot. ... (Temp name for Demolisher from call sheets)

Jetfire, RC, Mudflap on the Autobot side?
Orci: Yeah, right. Jetfire was in the treatment. Mudflap might have been one of those in-betweeners. ...

On the Decepticon side, Starscream, Soundwave, the Fallen and then the Constructicons, which are several different ones: Demolisher, Hightower, Long Haul, Mixmaster, Rampage and Scrapper?
Orci: That's them.

So they're all there?
Orci: Yeah.

There's still more, right? I mean, there's others?
Orci: There are. ...

You've got a girl robot for the first time, Arcee. Do you ever deal with why she's a girl robot, or is that just one of those things?
Orci: We may still, as we go through and see the final finals, but we've gone back and forth on that. ... Some of the fans debating, "Oh, man, if there's some lame explanation I'm going to hate it" versus "They'd better explain it." So. We'll see how it ends up. We honestly have things in our back pocket; we'll see which one works better.

And you, Bob, were quoted as saying you were trying to get Leonard Nimoy to do the Fallen?
Orci: He originally was the voice in the animated movie, and at one of the conventions, Alex and I actually spoke to him about it, and he's like, "Yeah, I'd be open to that." But it'll be Michael's decision.

Have you talked with Michael about that?
Orci: Oh, sure. ... He's like, "Hmm." And we're like, "You know you're cousins, right?" [Nimoy's wife is Michael Bay's cousin.]

There was also some talk about Frank Welker, the original voice of Megatron, and whether he'd actually end up in the movie after all?
Orci: Exactly, and I think they're in the middle of hashing that out. We'll see who we get.

Silverbolt Video Review

Peaugh has posted a new review from the Transformers 2 toy line. The review is of the Antonov An-225 Voyager class toy from a few weeks ago. He calls it Silverbolt; an appropriate name from the G1 days, so I will too until the real name and his status in the movie is verified. My assumption is this character is how the Autobots and NEST get around in the hunt for Decepticons but the only information we really have is there is a grey colored toy of the Voyager class size that may or may not be released with the Transformers 2 toy line. Anything past that is pure speculation. And no this isn't "proof" that the aerialbots are in the movie. As for the toy, it looks like it might be worth a purchase. Thanks to Bruno for the link.

ShoWest Photo Gallery

A few Transformers props are showing up in Las Vegas as part of ShoWest that is being held there. The trade show basically exists to cheerlead theatre owners about the upcoming slate of summer movies and to party on the studios' dime. Michael Bay is getting the Vanguard Award on April 2nd as part of the fun. Any case, I doubt much news will come out from the show but at least can get another look at the Bumblebee robot, the Twins and the BB Camaro via this gallery.

Join the Retro Reboot Forums

A few people have been asking for forums to continue to talk Transformers and other topics outside whatever the current posts are. Long time site readers probably remember The Transformitorium forums that were unofficial forums for this blog. Now it is back with a new name, new website, and better software.

Retro Reboot forums are a place to discuss all things Transformers, other franchises that are getting a reboot such as G.I. Joe and pretty much anything else. The forums allow for embedding You Tube videos, an arcade and other add-ons. The site is new but the more people that join the discussion, the better it will be. Click here to check it out and click "Register" to sign up. Thanks to Chad for setting it up.

Busta Rhymes On Transformers 2 Soundtrack? (Update)

In a small change of pace from toys only news is a little soundtrack information for Transformers 2. Travis Barker, drummer for Blink-182, twittered (twitted? tweeted? whatever) that he is working on a song for the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Soundtrack.

Listening to a new version of a track I'm playing on for Busta Rhymes for the Transformers 2 soundtrack. Shit is jammin'.

So far that is all I could find on this subject. I am not sure if that means he and Busta Rhymes are working together on a track or if he was just sampling it for the rapper. Nor if the track is a solo effort from Barker or for the entire band. Thanks to Alan for the heads-up.

Update: Based on reading various websites, it seems the overall interpretation of the above is that Busta Rhymes is working on a track with an assist by Travis Barker. According to Alan, Barker worked on hip hop remixes with his drums replacing the beat Probably the track list to the soundtrack will come out by the end of April.

New Transformers 2 Character Verified

TF08.net posted a few pictures that show off Leader Megatron, Deluxe Skids and Deluxe Chromia in their packaging. This is the first official verification that Chromia (wiki) is a character in the movie (as seen chasing Sideways in the trailer). Pictures of the toy have been online before and the name first came up as part of a list of toys for Japan but this is the first time we can officially put the two together.

The pictures also provide a view of her alt mode that is identical to the trailer with the unicycle look in robot mode. Of note is no mention of any combiner mode which is making me think that the theory of the motorcycles combining is incorrect. It is starting to appear they are three distinct characters that make up for their smaller size with numbers and speed. At this point the only question is what is the name of the purple cycle (my guess is Elita-1).

Based on her bio below, the writers have chosen to keep her relationship with Ironhide that was suggested in the G1 cartoon "The Search for Alpha Trion." The bio info for Megatron is here and Skids is here. The picture didn't show the entire bio so I guess on what the missing words were as indicated by brackets.

Deluxe Chromia Bio:

Chromia is tough as nails, and always spoiling for a fight. She's [been] friends with Ironhide for centuries, and their reunion on Earth [is] one of the high points of the war for both of them. Now they [fight] side-by-side, hunting and destroying Decepticons. neither of [them] has ever been happier. The two robots make great partners, and [so] along with her sisters, are an invaluable part of the [team].

Alliance #4 Has Movie Spoilers?

The last issue of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Prequel Alliance mini-series came out yesterday and it provides a few possible spoilers for the movie. As TFW2005.com summarizes, here is information that ties directly into the movie:

- McClaren Robotics is a front to provide clean-up for the Transformers existence. If that name sounds familiar, way back in July, it was noted that Steve Tom was cast as the CEO of the company.
- The comic recreates a containment unit for the AllSpark that looks very similar to the promo pic that USA Today published (pic 6) late last year.
- Five new Transformers (panels below) are revealed: Corvette Centennial (Sideswipe), three motorcycles (Arcee, Chromia, ?), and if look carefully can see that mysterious Ice Cream Truck (The Twins first alt mode before becoming Chevy Beat and Trax?).

The last image above is just to show that the comic ends right before the movie begins - with the NEST on the hunt for Demolisher in Shanghai, China. The ice cream truck has caused all kinds of debate but I am still leaning towards it being Skids and Mudflap in disguise as they attempt to hunt Decepticons. I know many think the writers of the comic series are not working off the movie script but I think they are, the only real question is are they working off the shooting draft or an earlier version. Take it how you wish but for me, I am following my simple rule that all Hasbro sanctioned tie-ins are canon until they movie contradicts them. Thanks to an anonymous source for the panel pictures from Alliance #4.

First Look At Barricade, Bumblebee Toys

Two more pictures have popped up on TF08.net. One shows of the new version of Deluxe Bumblebee with his pop-out cannons. The other is the first look we have seen of the Transformers 2 toy line version of Barricade. As we all know, the fate of Barricade in the movie remains largely unknown yet his car was seen on set at least once. Considering he isn't a repaint I can't help but wonder if he doesn't make a brief appearance in the sequel.

Defiance Issue 4 Cover

IDW has released the cover issue of Transformers Defiance #4 that shows off the anger visage of Megatron. For those not clear on the differences between Alliance and Defiance mini-series here is a very quick summary. Alliance is essentially the origin of NEST and takes place after the first movie but before the second movie on Earth. Defiance is the origin of the Transformers Civil War that creates the factions of Autobots vs. Decepticons started by Megatron with a push from The Fallen. Thanks to Tahnee for the link.

Bay To Recieve Vanguard Award

IESB.net is reporting that ShoWest is going to reward Michael Bay the 2009 Vanguard Award for Excellence in Filmmaking. ShoWest, held from March 30 to April 2, 2009 in Las Vegas, is a trade show for the National Associate of Theatre Owners and the movie studios. Essentially it’s a chance for people to get paid to party and get a sneak at the upcoming slate of movies so they can the theatre companies can decide which to help heavily promote and which may not be entirely worth their resources or screens.

The Vanguard Award will be given to Bay on the "Final Night Banquet on April 2nd at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas. “We are thrilled to be able to honor one of the most bold and imaginative filmmakers in the industry today,” said Mitch Neuhauser, [co-director of the event]. “Michael Bay’s aggressive visual style and memorable action sequences leaves audiences at the edge of the seats and running back to the theaters for more with each new release. We could not be more honored to present Michael Bay with the ShoWest Vanguard Award for Excellence in Filmmaking.”

Congratulations to Michael Bay. Don't party to hard there (which is the real reason to bother to go and receive the award).

Autobot Tattoo for Megan Fox? (Updated)

It appears that Megan Fox may be sporting a new tattoo, the Autobot logo, if the cover image from the next issue of Empire Magazine is to be believed. The image (left) is one of the best I have seen of her in a while with the topless look and hair extensions. She is no stranger to tattoos as the poem on her ribs and especially the Marilyn Monroe tattoo on her lower right arm which probably caused the Transformers 2 costume and make-up departments more than a few headaches in covering consistently for Bay's action sequences.

Despite Fox's love of tattoos I doubt this is the real deal. I think it’s either a Photoshop or a temp tattoo. Part of the reason is because she just doesn't strike me as a Transfan. For her it is just a job and you don't get tattoos of a job. She loves the comic series Fathom so would believe a tattoo from that more. Besides, the tattoo is too small and in too standard a location. She likes tattoos you can't miss and feel compelled to ask about and she would probably throw a new tat on the inner thigh, top of her foot or some other unusual location that you normally don't find them. At least it makes for a nice change of pace from toy pictures. Hopefully the actual interview, assuming it has Transformers 2 content, will be made available online soon.

Update: To probably the surprise of no one, the tattoo is faked. As Seibertron.com found out, the picture is modified from an old issue of Rolling Stones Japan. I was hoping it was at least new as recent pictures of Fox have no been as good as the older ones, not sure why. Best guess is she has lot too much weight (yeah too much of anything is never good). Sigh, we need some real Transformers news so sexy but pointless crap like this isn't even worth posting about. Thanks to Selective Realism for the link.

Transformers Alliance #4 Preview

Wednesday brings the next issue of Transformers: RoTF Prequel Alliance #4 issue to comic books stores all over the place. IDW has posted a 5 page preview of the issue here. Alliance is the prequel series that takes immediately following the end of the first movie. The first three issues covered the aftermath of the battle at Mission City in the movie, the dumping of Decepticons at sea, and the dissolution of Sector Seven. It appears that this issue covers the formation of NEST or at least an early version of it with the goal to seek out all Decepticons on the planet.

For those interested, click here for a review of Alliance #3 and here for Defiance #3 review.

ROTF Trading Card Info

The tie-in products continue, this time with some information on the various trading cards that Topps will be releasing for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen via Seibertron.com.

Part of that is the usual set that includes stills from the movie along with autographed cards. WaxHeaven.com is reporting that the autographed cards will include Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), Shia LaBeouf, Mark Ryan (Bumblebee), Charles Adler (Starscream), Robert Foxworth (Ratchet), and Jess Harnel (Ironhide). This is probably the first outside information to indicate the voice cast from the first movie is returning, something I assumed to be the case anyway once their character was confirmed to be in the sequel.

Another set will also be released using artwork from Transformers Alliance #1-4. Last will be a "Die-Cut Pop Up" cards, which I believe is essentially card board cut outs that can be assembled to a particular character. Those cards will comprise of Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide, Starscream, Mudflap, Sideswipe, and The Fallen.

Thanks to Katie for the link.

TF2 The Veiled Threat Plot Summary

Del Rey has updated its website to provide a summary and first chapter of Transformers: The Veiled Threat, a tie-in novel to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Life on earth has changed forever as humans and their courageous robotic allies, the Autobots, must work together to protect the planet from the destructive forces of the evil Decepticons. At the headquarters of NEST (Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers), tech sergeant Epps and captain Lennox both guard and assist cyberneticist Yoki Ishihara and the brooding Russian AI genius Petr Ivanov as they explore the differences between organics and bots. In the meantime, all around them, alliances fray, distrust grows, suspicions mount, and traitors come out of the shadows.

Optimus Prime, the powerful leader of the Autobots who is also part of NEST, is on the defense as battles flare up from Australia to Zimbabwe. But escalating Decepticon attacks will culminate in a final confrontation from which no one–man or machine–will emerge unscathed.

Based on the description, it appears to covers some of the adventures that the Autobots, Epps and Lennox have as part of the newly formed United Nations related unit called NEST (Networked Elements: Supporters and Transformers) as seen on the Ironhide toy and some vehicles during filming. While not mentioned, it is probably safe to assume this novel takes place somewhere in that two year time frame between the movies. Not so hyper about what NEST stands for but at least now we know. As for whether the story is canon, my perspective is all tie-in stories are canon until a movie, TV series or a better story comes along to contradict it.

You can pre-order the book here and read the first chapter here. Thanks to Katie for the link.

Ask Orci: Nimoy Voicing A Transformers 2 Character?

Time for another summary of Transformers writer Roberto Orci's Q&A threads on the Don Murphy and TFW2005 forums. It is about two weeks worth of answers and covers early plans for Transformers I, mostly cryptic comments on Transformers 2 story lines, will the writers return for Transformers 3 and potential voice for The Fallen. My comments are in parenthesis.

Will Barricade's disappearance be explained in ROTF?
Explained is a very specific kinda word... implied may be more like it

Will you guys seriously rethink about staying on?
Time for fresh blood!

Just to be clear, what is your reason for not writing it? If the other main players comes back and they don't see a need for fresh blood, then why would you?
Not clear who is coming back yet, but the main reason we would move on is because we risk getting stale and comfortable. If you only sing one song for too long, you miss the opportunity to sing news songs. We'll see.
(It should be noted that Orci and Alex Kurtzman both indicated they would not return to write Transformers 2. TF3 is three years away so plenty of time to change their mind again. Honestly, usually this kind of talk in Hollywood translates to "how much will you pay me to return?" as don't want to appear to eager.)

who thought of the name for the movie? you, michael bay, alex, or someone else?
Alex.

how many fans do you think saw past Michael's "no Megatron" announcement? And second, is he aware that his comment about Megs only appearing in a flashback kind of contradicts Hugo Weaving's hint that the Allspark shard has something to do with Megatron's resurrection?
god love him
(Probably good idea to not answer directly.)

Did the fallen enslave the Egyptians to build the pyramids (which actually are space bridges)?
Hmm. Getting warm

Did the Egyptians seal the fallen within his own design?
Also very warm but not quite.

Did you ever intend for Blackout and Brawl to speak?
Yes.

Would you consider a giant battle in the Grand Canyon?
We actually had a giant battle in the Grand Canyon in the very first draft of the first movie.

Is there really still time to add stuff and how much stuff can be added at this point?
On the first movie, we were re-writing dialogue until about 2 weeks before release!

can you let us know how many Autobots can fly in the movie?
very few
(So basically 1 or more. My guess is only 1 and that is Jetfire.)

I know very early in development Mike Bay said that there would be a geriatric robot. Was it already set there and then that Jetfre would be that bot, or did you and the writers/Bay decide later that Jetfire would suit that type of character?
We decided Jetfire would fit after the idea came up to have a geriatric robot.

Would you consider this movie the "Empire Strikes Back" of the Transformer movie line (dark, feeling of hopelessness, crazy reveal/twists/turns)?
yes

Bay mentioned in passing that about 40 bots are in the movie. Sound about right or less/more?
sounds about right

Will The Fallen have any dialogue?
Yes.

Can you name the 3 scenes that were filmed in IMAX format?
Yes.
(The danger of asking closed questions.)

Will Prime survive the movie?
Prime's spirit can never die.
(Nice non-answer, no details but gives a sense of impending doom for Prime).

Did you decide to not have Megatron renamed Galvatron for the general audience?
yes.

Similarly, did you intend Sideways (Audi R8) to be Barricade?
We'll see

which of the 2 movies was more difficult to get along with the story.
Movie 1 was the hardest thing have ever worked on. Period. Nobody could imagine what it was, everyone thought it was just a silly cartoon or a toy commercial, the studio wasn't sure if the robots should talk, we had to come up with a story that would attract someone like Bay, and we had budgetary constraints that made it necessary to generate a significant human story which was counterintuitive to some Transfans. By the second movie, the paradigm of the franchise was clear.

what are your feelings towards the idea of Leonard Nimoy doing the voice of the Fallen?
Would love it. I actually talked to him about it, given the odd coincidence that he is Michael Bay's cousin through marriage, but fan outcry has also put Welker in the running.
(Who to support? Quite a conundrum for Transfans. Nimoy is the iconic Spock of Star Trek and part of Transformers past as the voice of Galvatron (and Unicron) for 1986's Transformers: The Movie while Welker is was the voice of Megatron, Galvatron, Soundwave and many others.)

Australia Toy Fair 2009 Gallery

Ozformers Forums have posted a huge gallery of pictures that show off the various Transformer toy lines for the next year including Transformers 2, Classics, Universe and Animated. Nothing new in regards to the Transformers 2 toy line but for those that can't get enough it is worth a look.

The full gallery is here.