Coming Soon is reporting "the new trailer for Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will come online at noon Pacific Time on Thursday, April 30th" or 3pm EST/8pm GMT.
Update: Bay's admin Nelson reports the trailer will premiere on Yahoo! Movies. Thanks to Michael for the link.
Via TFW2005, Destructoid.com is reporting that GameStop is offering a little something extra for people that pre-order Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen game through them.
From GameStop:
Reserve The Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and receive a keychain containing a GameStop Exclusive download of Gold Optimus Prime and Megatron character skins. Internet connection required to redeem code. Available for online and in-store customers, while supplies last.
Online Customers: The keychain containing exclusive download code will ship with your order.
In-Store Pickup / Store Customers: The keychain containing exclusive download code will be available at time of game pick-up.
A new image of Deluxe Ravage has popped up on TF08.net. It hard to see any details but its pretty clear it matches the box image. Still clueless on what his alt mode could be. Thanks to Adam for the link.
S250, who has revealed a good bit of toy related information over the last few months, is reporting that the Voyager class Autobot cargo jet that some fans were calling Silverbolt is going to be called Stratosphere and rumor is the small shuttle was removed from final design. No packaging images (yet) to collaborate this and it remains unknown if the character is in the film or not. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.
Hasbro has a Q&A panel at TFCon last weekend where they provided a little bit of information about their process developing Transformer toys. It is an interesting read that can be found here. Makes you wish that Hasbro would do a video as an extra for the Transformers 2 DVD/Blu-Ray that documents a Transformer toy from idea to the store shelves. 
Here are a few galleries for your enjoyment.
Deluxe Chromia - Many images of the toy with comparisons to other Transformers cycles including Arcee toy released with the first movie.
Devastator etc - More images of Devastator and other toys from the upcoming Transformers 2 toy line. Thanks to Phil for the link.
Voyager Ironhide and Starscream - More pictures of the redesigned toys.
Cannon Bumblebee Review - Video review of the toy that looks pretty good. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.
Update: Added two additional galleries and link to TFCon report.
Ugo Movie Blog is reporting that legendary voice actor Frank Welker has been officially cast in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as Soundwave. The news is from an interview with Roberto Orci as he was promoting Star Trek. Soundwave is a character Welker originated for all three seasons of the 1980s cartoons or G1 cartoon as sometimes referred to that ran from about 1984-1987.
Jordan Hoffman: Who’s voicing Soundwave in Transformers?Fantastic news for die hard Transformer fans who have been trying to get our favorite voices cast in the movie.
Roberto Orci: Welker.
Jordan Hoffman: That’s official?
Roberto Orci: I think so.
Jordan Hoffman: Uh oh.
Roberto Orci: Might be something I just told you for the first time, but I think so.
Peaugh, Transformer reviewer extraordinaire, continues to get hold of those Revenge of the Fallen toys before anyone else. This time he reviews Voyager Mixmaster, Deluxe Rampage, and Voyager Demolisher. Note that these figures do not combine to form Devastator, which is an entirely different $100 toy that has the separate vehicle modes and the combined mode but not the individual robot modes. Thanks to Scorpio and other readers for the links.
Last week, Michael Bay indicated he is open to casting Leonard Nimoy as a voice in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but "I just feel kind of bad about asking him. Like ‘I can’t pay you that much? But would you do this voice?" and maybe use his mother as a go between.
Today, IESB asked Nimoy if he would be willing to do a voice in the movie. Sadly a video of the exchange could not be posted due to a press embargo on Star Trek stuff in the states until May 7th. This is usually done by the studios so that there is a huge amount of talk about the movie before the critical opening weekend and most sites are not going to breach it for fear of losing access. It is also a way to contain bad reviews but that isn't an issue in this case as Star Trek reviews have been glowing.
I am paraphrasing our conversation. Nimoy was in a great mood, laughing and having a good time and said he would be perfectly willing to do a voice in the Transformers sequel, all Michael has to do is ask - but has he?Since it is voice work which can be done in a day or so under experienced hands, Bay still has plenty of time to cast who he wants when he wants. Of course with the world premiere now schedule just six weeks away the clock is ticking.
IESB asked Nimoy straight out if Michael Bay has contacted him yet regarding the voice work, Bay has said he may use his mother as a go between if need be.
Nimoy said he had just seen Bay's mother and she didn't say anything. He doesn't think she wants to be the go between. Nimoy said that he's not hard to get ahold of, if Michael wants to get ahold of him, he can.
TF08.net has posted images of Voyager class Mixmaster in his packaging which reveals his bio. He looks like a pass to me, don't like the robot mode and calling him a "triple-changer" is a reach. Thanks to Phil and DeceptiFreak for the link.
Voyager Mixmaster Bio
Resident chemist and explosives expert for the elite among the Decepticons, Mixmaster has spent his entire life learning all there is to know about chemical interaction. He can make thousands of poisons, explosives, and deadly gasses from the materials around him. The other Decepticons rely on him to fashion powerful warheads for their missiles, and dangerous venoms in which to coat their blades.
Mike Shinoda, member of Linkin Park, has officially confirmed that the band is working on the score and a song for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as mentioned the other day.
BREAKING NEWS: Linkin Park will be working on the score for Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen.The only part I am confused about is Steve Jablonsky is the composer for Transformers 2, not Hans Zimmer. My best guess is Zimmer is lending a hand since he is producing the score and Jablonsky works out of his Remote Control Productions studio. Shinoda has been talking about the album on his blog for a few weeks now along with posting pictures.
Although I wasn't at liberty to say it before, the song I've been referencing here on mikeshinoda.com in the past few weeks...is actually being done for Michael Bay's new Transformers film, due out June 24th.
In addition--and probably ever cooler--we have been offered the unique opportunity to help score the film. The song we wrote is being used as one of the themes, and we will be writing various interpolations on that theme, and trying out some other thematic ideas as part of the (very large) team scoring the film.
My bandmates and I are working with award-winning film composer (and resident ass-kicker) Hans Zimmer. We met with Hans last week, and heard some of the incredible things he and his guys have done with our new song. In the next few days, we'll be doing some work with Hans' amazing writing and recording crew.
Michael Bay has shown us select scenes from the film, and it looks incredible. I can't wait for you to see it.
Studio update: still making progress on the new album. Still working on that one song, too, ha. Things are going well. I thought I'd put up a few pictures of the guys for you to see. My favorite one is of me and Phoenix--it looks like I'm saying, "that bassline is kinda...eh...not so good." (I'm actually just talking to someone who's not in the frame)March 28, 2009
We've been working on a new song in the past couple of weeks that has been a lot of fun. The backdrop for the song is built on layered, heavy synths and a sharp performance by Mr. Bourdon. We're keeping the drums a little looser on this track, not doing too much studio trickery...it creates a nice interplay between the organic feel of the rhythm track and the more robotic feel of the keyboards. Bass and guitar are next, meanwhile Chester and I are emailing lyric notes back and forth...Thanks to Hanna for the link.
From a link posted on TFW2005, it appears the World Premiere for Transformers 2 is scheduled for June 8th at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, Japan with Michael Bay, Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox attending. The site with the info is here (and a translation would be appreciated).
Update: Using Google, Dom and Scorpio provided the below translation of the article. Since a computer translation, it has rough edges but you can get the gist of what is being said. Long story short, Japan is getting the world premiere as it is the birth place of Transformers (via Takara). If I remember right, I do believe the very first Transformer was a dark brown Megatron (yes the gun) in 1979.
07 to the hit record published in the SF blockbuster, "Transformers" sequel, and four days earlierthan the United States will be published June 20 in Japan, the world's fastest "Transformers / Revenge" . The world premiere will be at the unveiling of the world's first film, in Tokyo June 8 TOHO was decided at the Roppongi Hills SHINEMAZU. According to this, director Michael Bay, Shire of RABUFU star, Megan Fox, who plans to visit Japan.
July 3 is the original 1907 opening date is in 1900 North America 300 million dollars, all in world record 700,000,000 grossed 800 million dollars. In the same year in Japan was published in the August 4 date, fun revenue and 41 billion yen was a big hit, DVD has sold 64 million copies.
"Transformers", was released TAKARATOMI 85 years, the original toy robot that transforms into various vehicles, such as. The latest "Transformers / revenge" of the Transformers toys come from TAKARATOMI May 30 will be released on Sunday.
Steven Spielberg's and accomplished, following the original recently, and coach bay is said to have seen a rush of people in this film, in doing so, to further scale-up from the original content, "if this SUGO it! "divulging that exclamation. The previous total of 12 transformers of the body appeared in the film is more than five times over 60 new and original from 5000 and cost 100 million dollars, twice the number reported three billion dollars.
The blockbuster that sort of "place of birth" will be unveiled the first in Japan, but is likely to receive attention from around the world.
IGN has posted a video with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci at the Paley Festival (from last weekend I think). The interview asked them about Transformers they wanted to add (Soundwave, Arcee, Ravage, etc) and they also discussed their goal with the movie's main villain. Thanks to The Chad for the link.
Paramount Pictures has released the RSVP e-mails to the 20 city Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen trailer premiere event that will be shown with the first Transformers movie on April 29th. Click the picture below to find out the email address for your city. It is first come, first serve. Thanks to Mcat and lonegamer8 for the info.
Thanks for the RSVP for the special screening of TRANSFORMERS. The screening is FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY, as this RSVP is to establish an accurate head count and does not guarantee seating. No one will be admitted once the screening begins.
Come to the screening dressed as the coolest/most creative/awesome Transformer ever and be entered to win a trip to the Premiere in Los Angeles!!!!
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman dicussed tone and balancing the action and humor of the sequel with SciFi Wire. Thanks to DeceptiFreak for the link.
...the sequel remains tonally consistent with their first giant-robot movie. Early teasers suggest a darker or more somber tone, but the writers said that is only one element of the new story.
"Actually, I think you'll find that it has all the same tone of the first movie," Kurtzman said in an exclusive interview on Thursday night in Hollywood, where he sat on a panel at the Paley Festival on his Fox series Fringe. "The story's a little smoother, and it's a little bit darker, so it does dip in there a little bit, but it has all the same humor, if not more than the first movie."
If the first Transformers shifted between action and comedy with some darker undertones, Orci thought the duo did an even better job balancing those elements the second time around. "I think it's a little smoother, actually," Orci said. "We had the first movie for practice. So we were able to hone in on the tone a little bit more sharply in focus on the second movie."
One of the spectacles visible in the teaser is a scene in which a transforming robot brings down an entire factory. The writers hinted at the consequences of that event. "It could be a trap, that scene," Orci teased.
It’s a day of the week so time for more toy pictures. This time TF08.net brings us a gallery of Mudflap and Skids, a look at Ratchet's bio (below), and via Collider a sample of Transformer concession stand cups seen at a ShoWest display that may or may not be found at a theatre near you soon. Thanks to Phil for the links.
Twins, Ratchet bio, more FABs
Concession Cups
Voyager Ratchet Bio
Racing across the dunes of the northern Sahara Desert, the roar of this engine echoing off the ever-shifting dunes, Autobot Ratchet charges toward the inevitable confrontation with Megatron and his assembled Decepticon army. Though he has battled against odds this bad in the past, no fight before has meant so much. He knows the fate of the universe rests on the outcome of this conflict, and he will do everything in his power to see to it that his allies come through it safe and victorious.
TV Guide has posted a brief interview with Michael Bay where he discusses Transformers 2. Most of it is stuff we have heard before but I do believe this is the first time it has been stated that specifically three scenes are IMAX formatted. Thanks to Crisp for the link.
Paramount Pictures has announced that the new trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will premiere with Transformers in 20 cities for a one time showing on April 29th confirming the info from Bay's site. Five locations will even get a reprise of Transformers: The IMAX Experience. Exactly when the tickets will go sale has not yet been released but probably will be within the next day or two. Below is the full list of what city, which theatre and the time. Thanks to Ian for the link.
Atlanta: 7pm at Regal Atlantic Station in 35MM
Baltimore: 7pm at AMC White Marsh in 35MM
Boston: 7pm at AMC Boston Common in 35MM
Chicago: 8pm at Navy Pier in IMAX
Dallas: 7pm at Cinemark Movies 17 in 35MM
Denver: 7pm at UA Colorado Center in 35MM
Detroit: 7pm ar Emagine Novi in Novi, MI in DIGITAL
Los Angeles: 7pm at The Bridge Cinema De Lux, in IMAX
Miami: 7pm at AMC Sunset in South Miami in 35MM
Minneapolis: 7pm at AMC Southdale in Edina in 35MM
New York: 8pm at AMC Loews Lincoln Square in IMAX
Orlando: 7pm at Premiere Fashion Sq Mall in DIGITAL
Philadelphia: 7pm at UA King of Prussia in DIGITAL
Phoenix: 7pm at Harkins Tempe Marketplace in Tempe in DIGITAL
Sacramento: 7pm at UA Market Square in 35MM
San Diego: 7pm at Regal Edwards Mira Mesa in 35MM
San Francisco: 7pm at AMC Metreon in IMAX
Seattle: 7pm at Cinerama in 35MM
Toronto: 7pm at Scotiabank in IMAX
Washington DC: 7pm at AMC Georgetown in DIGITAL
Nelson, the admin over at MichaelBay.com, has posted a brief news update regarding a possible Transformers "Visions" book signed by Bay, soundtrack work and Transformers I returning to some theatres.
Nelson here...A "Visions of Transformers" would be a neat book as long as the focus is on the designs, planning and creation of them (both CGI, practically and possibly Hasbro's end of it). If it is just a bunch of info about how Bay directs and the usual "kiss the cast"-fest that most behind the scenes videos and books have become then I am not interested.
Back in the day when Michael directed Armageddon and Pearl Harbor, there were books that accompanied the released of both films. "Visions of Armageddon" and "Pearl Harbor: The Movie and the Moment." I got the special hardcover edition of "Visions of Armageddon" which was shipped in a velvet-like slipcase. They are numbered, autographed by Bay & Bruckheimer and only 200 were printed.
So it was this in mind that I asked Michael the other day if he was planning on doing something similar. "Yes" was his response. He indicated that it might be available for this holiday season. So I’m looking forward to that.
In other news, Bay noted that Steve Jablonsky and Linkin Park are working on the score for "Revenge of the Fallen." He also mentioned that they will be re-releasing the first Transformers movie with the new “Revenge of the Fallen” trailer attached to it in about 25 markets in the US.
TF08.net has posted the image to the left of the Deluxe class toy for Ravage. Sadly that is all the information currently available so still unknown if it transforms and if so what is the alt mode. Thanks to Phil for the link.
Update: As pointed out by Duncan, the picture shows the image came from Deluxe class packaging and for years Hasbro only pictures same class figures on the packaging which means that Ravage is probably Deluxe class.
More screenshots, but this time cool comparisons of the exact same moment from the first trailer and the ShoWest montage that illustrates the ongoing work of the magicians at ILM and Digital Domain. Thanks to John for putting them together and below note. (Click the images to larger size)
I've noticed several updated shots in the Showest footage compared to the first trailer. Attached is an example of Optimus getting kicked in the head with added dirt and grass, more "blood" and darker in general. Other shots are the one of Ravage walking on the beach which had water added dripping off him and the Fallen's teleporting has been changed slightly.
Three new galleries relating to Transformers 2 toy line for your enjoyment.
Fast Action Battlers and Ratchet - Link to pictures of Mudflap, Skids and Voyager Ratchet in their packages.
Robot Replicas - A series of eBay auctions for Robot Replicas of Jetfire, Skids, Sideswipe, Megatron and The Fallen.
M&M T-Shirts - From an eBay auction, cute little t-shirt with the TF M&Ms.
Thanks to Phil for the links.
It’s been a month, so seemed like a good time to see what information Transformers 2 writer Roberto Orci may have dropped in the Don Murphy and TFW2005 Ask Orci threads. Unlike last time, sadly he was much more tight lipped.
Have you guys gotten a ton of feedback from Transfans, disappointed that Optimus coming up small in that pivotal battle with Megatron at the end of the 1st movie? ...can we expect a little different in ROTF as far as Prime is concerned?
Yeah we did get a lot of discussion about that very point. It was on our minds for the sequel...
Are there any writers, or team of writers, who you would like to hand the reigns too in an ideal world? For TF3.
No... this isn't a monarchy where duties can or should be passed on. May the best idea win!
...will the ratio of robot-to-human time be pretty much the same?
There's no shortage of robot time in tf2. It will be longer than than the first movie.
Roberto, sum up movie Soundwave in one word please.
Spy
Prime's new toy has dual swords. Any chance of seeing dual swords in the film?
Would be cool!
What is your opinion on John Turturro voicing Jetfire? Will it do justice to the character?
I love him for everything, and he playfully offered to do it because he thought the character was fun. We'll see!
I know you said Soundwave don't turn into a truck but will he have some kind of earth mode? Does he fight on Earth at all?
that would give away TOO MUCH!
Who are some Autobots that you thought hard about including in this movie but chose not to?
Dinobots.
1) On a note of confirmation, is Springer in TF 2? 2) Will there be an action scene of Sideswipe deploying his blades in mid-air, spinning in a circle as he goes? 3) Will there ever be a fast talking Autobot in the three movies? 4) Are any humans gonna get slagged? Major ones?
1 no comment 2 no comment 3 no comment 4 no comment Does that answer your questions?
When you said you thought long and hard about including Dinobots in movie 2 but decided not to, does that mean it will never happen or that it just wasn't right for this particular film?
Just for this film.
Are Scavenger (Excavator and part of Demolisher) and Demolisher (Excavator and Giant Wheel Death Bot from the trailer) two different characters? Or is this another bit of Brawl/Devastator naming weirdness?
We'll find out together!
When Mr. bay said the movie was "Darker", what does he mean by that?
When Alex and Ehren and I were thinking about what to do with the sequel to Transformers, we thought back to the sequels that we loved as kids. These movies all shared some common characteristics: they stood alone as their own movies... the stakes seemed greater, and as result, they seemed darker... we're talking about sequels like Superman 2, Aliens, Wrath of Kahn, and The Empire Strikes Back... I think most would agree that each of these bench mark sequels were darker than the first, yet still were genuine continuations of the first.
Is Soundwave not going to accompany Megatron as the loyal soldier?
soundwave is kinda doing his own thing in the movie.
I'm interested in knowing how exactly the process went about since there were three of you. Did you all work on the script together at the same time? did you each write your own draft and merge them together or did one of you get elected to write the first while the other two worked on it afterward?
As far as the script goes, the three of us sat down and came up with a story, the way you can imagine riffing a story with your friends... almost like band practice, or something. Then, once we had the story, we went 30 pages at a time, each of us writing different scenes and then passing them around for notes, comments, or adjustments until we had a full shooting draft.
More bios for Deluxe class toys from Transformers 2 toy line, this time Cannon Bumblebee, Interrogator Barricade (still not proven in movie), and Smokescreen, the repaint of Jazz that is unlikely in the movie. Images from TFW2005. In addition, an eBay auction provides pictures of Deluxe Mudflap in package and first look at his bio. Thanks to DeceptiFreak for the link.
Deluxe Interrogator Barricade
Repaired and retrofitted after the Battle of Mission City, Barricade elected to remain on Earth while Starscream returned to Cybertron. He has devoted his time on Earth gathering intelligence for the inevitable rise of the Decepticons. He stalks and captures important humans, then scans, interrogates and disposes of his captives using the highly sensitive proves built into his vehicle mode.Deluxe Cannon Bumblebee Bio
After the Battle of Mission City, and the discovery of new Decepticons on Earth, Bumblebee decided to upgrade as many of his systems as he could. With the help of Autobot Ratchet, he added some human missile launchers to his arsenal, and modified his vehicle mode to make his weapons accessible. He was caught off-gaurd too many times the Decepticons. Now when they come around he'll be ready.Deluxe Smokescreen
According to Smokescreen, the only good Decepticon is a totally confused one. He does his best to make sure that the Decepticons never know what his teammates are up to. He's perfected the art of creating diversions, using traps, holograms, and strategically placed explosives. When all else fails, he uses himself as bait, often racing right through a group of enemy robots to distract them.Deluxe Mudflap
Young but eager, Mudflap has wanted to be a full-fledged warrior under the command of Optimus Prime for as long as he can remember. He and his twin brother Autobot Skids traveled for years to Earth, just in the hopes of joining up with their idol. Being on Earth with Optimus Prime and the other heroes of the Great War is a dream come true.
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.”
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.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.
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."
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?
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.
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.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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."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.
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.
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. . . .”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.
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.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.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.
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.]
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.
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.
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.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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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).
- Not all missions are open to all Transformers (example one mission is Starscream destroying battleships, not exactly something Autobots would do).
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 accountI 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.
Twitter. Never. What a waste of time.
M
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.
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.
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 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.
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?Update:FYI, as the new pic above shows, the offical video game site has updated with screenshots and other information.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
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).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.
- 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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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."
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.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?"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.
"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."
- 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."
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.
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).Update:Coming Soon has also posted a description of the footage.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 DoctorA 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).
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. 
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 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 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.
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."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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
