Ray Park Cast in Transformers 3?

In a video interview on LeftLane.com with Ray Park (Darth Maul, Toad, Snake Eyes) to promote the independent movie Jinn, the write-up says "Park is also expected to have a lead role in “Transformers 3,” but details of his character remain unknown."

The interview itself makes no mention of Transformers 3 so for now this remains completely in the rumor category. Considering Park's martial arts prowess, the possibilities for a character, either robot or human, could be very interesting. Thanks to Christopher for the link.

War for Cybertron DS Images, First Look and Interview

Nintendo DS War for Cybertron Description, Screenshots
Besides the console, here is also DS versions of War for Cybertron in the works with the Autobots or Decepticons setup that became standard for the franchise. The DS version is being made by Vicarious Visions. The game will have the usual expected movie related characters but now it’s been revealed that Grimlock and Jetfire will also be in the game.

XBox 360 War for Cybertron First Look
Gamespot has posted their description of their chance to play a demo version of the game for the 360. They setup the story (Optimus Prime taking leadership after Zeta Prime is killed by Megatron) with the Autobot level involving Prime, Ratchet and Bumblebee meeting for the first time as they defend a Decepticon attack on Iacon. The Decepticon level is a Seeker mission with Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp that showed off how flight is handled for the game. It also turns out the Omega Supreme battle hinted at in the trailer involves not just Megatron but Soundwave and Breakdown.

Matt Tieger Video Interview
Below is a video interview with the High Moon Studios Director he discusses W4C. He discusses some of the aspects of the Transformers universe they considered when designing the game and the characters. The interview does use a lot of footage from the just released trailer but there is bits and pieces of new images and gameplay.

Transformers 2 Nominated for Three Kid's Choice Awards

The nominations for Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Awards have been announced. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen received three nominations for Favorite Movie, Favorite Movie Actor, and Favorite Movie Actress. Linkin Park, whose New Divide single was used in the movie, was also nominated for Favorite Music Group. In related note Tom Kenny, the voice of Wheelie and Skids, is also the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants which is up for Favorite Cartoon. Each nominee also have "Fan Kits" which are essentially banner ads of various sizes recommending a vote as seem with image for this post.

The full list of nominees can be found here. To vote, click here. The winners will be announced live on Nickelodeon on March 27th starting at 8PM EST.

The nominees in TF related categories:
Favorite Movie - Alvin and the Chipmunks 2, Transformers: ROTF, New Moon, Wolverine
Favorite Movie Actor - Zac Efron, Taylor Lautner, Shia LaBeouf, Tyler Perry
Favorite Movie Actress - Sandra Bullock, Miley Cyrus, Megan Fox, Zoe Saldana
Favorite Music Group - Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Jonas Brothers, Linkin Park

Transformers G1 Awakening Released

Transformers G1 Awakening has officially been released for iPhone and iTouch as of February 25th. The game is $4.99 and seems to involve an Advance Wars style gameplay of using many G1 characters to try and conquer the enemy.

Here is a description of game play from Know Your Mobile:

Moving your units around the grid-based map is simple enough; you merely select a robot and you’re shown which tiles he is able to move to in that turn. Tapping one of these will cause him to slide gracefully into position (sadly there’s no walking animation to speak of). Some robots have alternative modes which allow faster movement – cars and planes, to name but two – but when transformed into these vehicles they are unable to defend themselves.

Combat is a matter of getting your robot alongside an opponent and tapping the attack option. The result of each encounter rests on a surprisingly wide range of factors, including terrain, proximity of allies and – of course – the strength of each unit.

Dominating the battlefield and taking down your rival is merely one facet of G1: Awakening’s game play; you’ll also need to acquire the power source Energon in order to perform other tasks. For example, some of your units are capable of calling in allies, but to do this you need a certain amount of Energon Cubes in reserve.

Click here for new screenshots that show off many of the characters in the game including Metroplex, Blaster, and Trypticon. If you’re not sure if worth the money, below are a few reviews.
Know Your Mobile (4/5 stars) | Touch Reviews (overall positive) | IGN (8.5/10)
Click here if interested in purchasing the game.

Bay Teases New Characters, Twists and 3D for TF3

While appearing on Starz' "In the House" last night, the director Michael Bay teased his plans for Transformer 3, why he decided to forego his planned year break from the franchise and confirms that the movie will be in 3D. From MTV:

"The true story is we went to Vegas to celebrate ['Revenge of the Fallen'] crossing the $400 million mark domestic. I said I'm excited to do my small little movie. They said, well we're here to talk about that. I've become friends with these guys that run Paramount and they [told me,] 'We're going to get fired if we don't have a 2011 franchise,' so I'm like you can't let these guys down."

"The economy's been so rough, it's kind of important. When you say yes to movie like this you automatically give 3000 people jobs. 1000 for the toys. 2000 for the filmmaking. I'm going to put [the small film] on hold and do it right after ['Transformers 3']."

"You can't just rehash the old," he explained. "We're adding a lot of new elements. We're adding new characters. We're adding a lot of twists."

Of course, it wouldn't be a chat about an upcoming effects-heavy blockbuster without some discussion of 3-D. Anyone who doesn't think "Avatar" changed the game needs to pay more attention: everyone's been talking about it, considering it, putting plans into action, Bay included.

"It's a process we're testing with some 'Transformers' scenes," he said. "How successful it is with my movie in terms of a lot of real stuff coming out of the frame, real dirt, real complicated little particles coming towards the lens, because hopefully that process will work. I've seen some tests that look great on other movies. I just want to see how it looks on my footage."

War for Cybertron Gameplay Trailer (Updated)

As promised, the new episode of Gametrailers TV has brought the first look at gameplay footage for Transformers: War for Cybertron. Below is the trailer that aired which includes a long opening narration by Peter Cullen, a look at Soundwave, Cybertron, Ratchet, and an awesome sequence involving Omega Supreme.

Update: Click here to view the entire Gametrailers TV God of War III episode with the War for Cybertron trailer.

Hopefully the full episode will be posted online soon, not for the Transformers part (all that aired is above) but because of all that God of War III goodness.

Transformers 3 Coming to Moscow and Chicago

The official website of Michael Bay has confirmed that Transformers 3 will film action sequences in Chicago, Illinois and Moscow, Russia. Details beyond that were not revealed.

Nelson here...

Spoke with Michael today and got some little info on TF3: there will be big action sequences shot in Chicago and Moscow this time around.

Also, Mike will match the amount raised by the TF2 DVD/Blu-ray sales for the Make A Wish Foundation.

According to an article on NWI.com, production in Chicago could start as soon as March but that remains unverified and strikes me as unlikely. Thanks to Katie for the link.

Meanwhile, Chicago is still in the running for "Transformers 3." Director Michael Bay also is sizing up Detroit and Washington, D.C. for his latest big-budget invasion of alien robots. Imagine Bumblebee stomping through the Loop! We're talking genuine Monsters of the Midway. Shia LeBeouf and Megan Fox will reprise their roles as teen heroes Sam and Mikaela.

The Make A Wish Foundation note is a reference to the signed edition of Transformers that Bay and Tyrese participated in for the organization last year. The indicated amount raised was estimated around $20,000.

Transformers Speedpainting

For a nice distraction, here are three videos from Nico Di Mattia performing "speedpainting" of Megan Fox from a scene in the first Transformers movie (before her plastic surgery tweaks), along with Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. To few even more of his speed painting (47 total) check out his YouTube channel. The detail in recreation is pretty amazing to see unfold.

War for Cybertron Gameplay Footage This Thursday

GameTrailers TV will be presenting to "World Premiere gameplay of Transformers: War for Cybertron" this Thursday on SpikeTV at 12:30am in the States. The episode will also provide a look at God of War III coming out next month. Below is the promo for the episode. I am not sure when it may pop online for those that can stay up that late or don't have Spike TV but the main link for the program is here. Thanks to v1p3rS for the link.

Transformers #4 Preview

Coming Wednesday to a comic book store near you is the next issue of the ongoing Transformers series. Issue 4 brings Thundercracker back into the picture after being left for dead by his fellow seekers for betraying Megatron.

His ambivalence cost him his allegiance. His betrayal set the stage for Autobot victory. His name is THUNDERCRACKER, and this issue reveals what he's been doing these past three years after his brutal expulsion from the Decepticons in All Hail Megatron! Mike Costa and Don Figueroa show you perhaps the most unique transformation of all...

All three covers and the first five pages of the issue can be found here.

Video Review of Voyager Seaspray

After a break reviewing Rovotech toys, Peaugh is back with a video review of Transformers (minus Revenge of the Fallen subtitle) voyager class Seaspray. The overall result is a solid Transformer that looks good in vehicle mode and robot mode, something that the TF has been hit and miss on lately. The second video is Frenzy Rumble's customization of the toy with LED light added for eyes, replaced hand and more detailed G1 inspired paint job.

TF2 Behind Scenes Video and Interview

CG Channel has posted a cool video interview with Dan Taylor, Animation Supervisor at Digital Domain that also shows how the created some of the effects for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. While ILM did most of the digital effects for the movie, Digital Domain (owned by Michael Bay) worked on several sequences in the movie such as the Alice/Pretender sequence, Reedman, Soundwave, and more.

Very informative and worth watching. Makes you wonder why it wasn't a DVD/B-R extra even though some parts do seem to have been used for the Blu-ray featurettes. Sadly no option to embed so instead click here to view the 12 minute video. Still a shame the movie didn't get an Oscar nomination for its work. Thanks to Scott for the link.

IDW May Transformers Books

IDW Publishing has released their publishing plans for May 2010. This includes four Transformers comic books and 2 trade sets. If your interested in the books, just let your local comic book store know. For the full details of their May plans, click here.

Transformers: Ironhide #1
Mike Costa (w) • Casey Coller (a) • Marcelo Matere, Coller (c)
During the Great War on Cybertron, one of the Autobots' fallen heroes was Optimus Prime's best friend-IRONHIDE. What does that have to do with the fate of the planet today? Find out in this all-new miniseries by TRANSFORMERS writer Mike Costa and the phenomenal Casey Coller. You didn't really think his death was just some stunt with no ramifications, did you?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers #7
Mike Costa (w) • Don Figueroa (a) • Figueroa, Andrew Wildman (c)
As the dust settles down on Earth, we look to the Heavens to ask a burning question: Where have MEGATRON and the retreating DECEPTICONS been all this time? What have they been up to? The answer, of course, is: nothing good. Take a conspicuously infernal single-issue look into the heart of darkness with Costa and Figueroa.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers #5
Nick Roche, James Roberts (w) • Nick Roche (a) • Trevor Hutchison, Roche (c)
The endgame begins. Their teammates are dead, their mission is in tatters, and all hope is lost. Time has run out for the last of the Wreckers, who confront the maniac responsible for the atrocities of the last 48 hours. Deaths, betrayals and long-promised revelations-truly, this one has it all!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers: Nefarious #3
Simon Furman (w) • Carlos Magno (a) • Brian Rood, Magno (c)
Capturing SOUNDWAVE is one thing, holding onto him quite another... as BUMBLEBEE, JOLT, KNOCK OUT and DUNE RUNNER are about to find out! And while the Autobots and Decepticons continue to stumble in the dark, National Security Director Theodore Galloway closes in on the secrets of Project: Nefarious... but his days are numbered!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers: Best of Optimus Prime
Bob Budiansky, Simon Furman (w) • Various Artists (a) • Livio Ramondelli (c)
OPTIMUS PRIME is leader of the AUTOBOTS. During his time as PRIME he has been challenged both mentally and physically with the responsibilities of leadership. He has at times succeeded and at other times failed. These stories, culled from his datatracks across many timelines, are his finest moments.
TPB • FC • $19.99 • 144 Pages • ISBN: 978-1-60010-666-8

Transformers: The IDW Collection, Vol. 1
Simon Furman, Eric Holmes, Nick Roche, Shane McCarthy (w) • Alex Milne, EJ Su, M.D. Bright, Nick Roche (a) • EJ Su (c)
It's IDW's TRANSFORMERS, remixed. For the first time ever, the entire IDW TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE is presented in hardcover, in chronological order! Start at the very beginning and experience each story as its events transpire in the main storyline. Featuring series cover design by E.J. Su, this run is sure to redefine your experience with the Robots in Disguise. Volume 1 contains: MEGATRON ORIGIN #1-4, SPOTLIGHT: BLURR, SPOTLIGHT: CLIFFJUMPER, SPOTLIGHT: SHOCKWAVE, SPOTLIGHT: NIGHTBEAT, SPOTLIGHT: HOTROD, INFILTRATION #0-6.
HC • FC • $49.99 • 392 Pages • 7" x 11" • ISBN: 978-1-60010-667-5

War of Cybertron Toys Video

From Toyfair 2010 in New York over the weekend, below is a video that gives you a good look at the upcoming Transformers: Generation toys for the War for Cybertron game that is coming this May. Bumblebee and Optimus Prime are both Deluxe class toys and will be joined by Megatron when they are released sometime this summer. (via Kotaku)

Hasbro's Toyfair 2010 Presentation

Thanks to ENI and TFormers.com, below is the full presentation that Hasbro gave at the 2010 Toyfair in New York this weekend.

Unite for Universe, TF iPhone Trailer, and TF Hats

A little mini-link fest with new images of Unite for Cybertron images, trailer for Transformers G1 Awakening for iPhone and new TF hats.

Unite for Cybertron Gallery
Click the link for five images that show off the currently Japan exclusive toys based on Revenge of the Fallen. Optimus Prime is essentially the Voyager version with Jetfire accessories to form Power-Up Prime while Megatron is a repaint of Voyager Megatron in his G1 colors.

Transformers G1 Awakening Trailer
Below is the trailer for the game that Glu Mobile is releasing for the iPhone at the end of February. No indication of price. The game features class G1 characters in a playing scheme that reminds me of Advance Wars.

Transformer Hats
Below are two images of new hats for Transformers that were seen at the 2010 Toy Fair in New York that are rather unique in design. No idea when they will be available or through who but something to keep an eye out on later in the year.

Alternity Starscream and Disney Label Buzz Lightyear

New images of the next Alternity and Disney Label toys have hit the web. Alternity A-04 Okamora Orochi is Starscream and Skywarp with car modes while the Disney Label gives Buzz Lightyear a transformation mode into a shuttle. The two Alternity's are identical except for head sculpt and color scheme.

For Disney Label, unlike previous editions (with Mickey and Donald), Buzz's alt mode isn't intended to invoke a Generation One counterpart. Before now the images didn't have the detail needed to determine if the purchase of these Japanese exclusives is worth the $50 or so asking price. Click the links below for the full gallery of each. No idea on release date but probably early summer.

Alternity A-04 | Buzz Lightyear

Bumblebee #3 and Wreckers #2 Preview

I believe coming this Wednesday to comic book stores near you is Transformers: Bumblebee #3 and Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers #2. As part of that IDW has released five pages previews for each.

Bumblebee #3 | Last Stand of the Wreckers

Toy Fair 2010 Transformers Info and Gallery Linkfest

This weekend the 2010 Toy Fair was held in New York and Hasbro had their year's worth of Transformer plans on full display. News of note include confirmation of the Power Core Combiners line, new Generations line, War for Cybertron toys, the dropping of "Revenge of the Fallen" naming from the line and renaming RPM to "Action Fleet". Also yes, a year later the rumors are confirmed, a combiner mode for Arcee will be introduced via online instructions once Elita-1 (repaint of Chromia) is released.

Below is a summary of the released plans, most of the links below are to galleries from the fine folks at TFormers and TFW2005. In effect this post is a summary of their efforts in getting all this Transformers goodness to the fans.

Transformers (Fall 2010)
- Hunt for Decepticons: New subline, will replace NEST Global Alliance, which will have codes inside that can be used to "locate Decepticons and battle them" apparently using a Silverlight based online game.
- Legends class: Long Haul, Sandstorm, and Ravage
- Scout class: Insecticon (based on ROTF appearance), Breacher, Hubcap (alt mode is 1950s roadster), and Brimstone (chopper)
- Deluxe class: Ironhide (new mold, comes with drone and artillery weapon from ROTF video game), Battle Blades Bumblebee (new mold, battle axe, cannon, and flip down visor), Sea Attack Ravage (based on Diego Garcia battle), Jetblade (alt mode a jet), Sidearm Sideswipe (pistols hidden in chest), Hailstorm (missile carrier alt mode), and Elita-1 (final motorcycle, online instructions will show how to combine with Arcee and Chromia).
- Voyager class: Sea Spray, Ratchet (repaint), Payload (repaint), Optimus Prime (removable Matrix of Leadership, swords, tank canisters for pistols).
- Leader class: Starscream, Optimus Prime (based on Forest Battle with hooks, battle damaged paint job, and Battle Ops Bumblebee (2 inches taller than normal leader class, battle mask, converting arm cannon, with sounds).
- Human Alliance Jazz: New addition to HA line, comes with Captain Lennox and motorcycle that transformers artillery piece for Jazz.
- Activators: Based on Transformers: Animated line, one button transformations "designed with the younger child in mind, conversion is triggered by pressing the [faction] shield."

Transformers: Power Core Combiners (Fall 2010)
- 2-pack: 1 scout class size figure and 1 mini-con size figure, retail for $9.99
- 5-pack: 1 scout class size figure and 4 legends, retail for $19.99. So far appears to be Combaticons (form Bruticus) and Arielbots (form Superion).
- Any mini-con figure can connect to any scout figure so any combined mode combination is possible.

Transformers: Generations
- A TF: Universe 3.0 of sorts that will be Deluxe class figures only that seems to be a catch all for various TF properties.
- Comic Based Figures: Drift (based on IDW character), Thrust (new seeker mold), Darkmount (new name for Straxus, from Marvel TF books in the 80s with artillery gun and tank alt modes)
- War for Cybertron: Confirms leaks, with Cybertronian version of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Megatron based on the upcoming video game.

Misc
- Optimus Prime Cyber Sword (Fall 2010): "...allows kids to role play just like the fearless leader..." Has electronic lights, battle sounds and movie phrases. Retails for $19.99.
- Action Fleet Stealth Force: The renamed RPM line with new diecast cars, Bumblebee themed track set, G1 Hound inspired car, and more.
- Weeble Wobbles: Egg shapped toys that will come in a three pack of Generation 1 Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Megatron for around $8.
- Marvel Crossovers: The line continues, with a Spider-Man/Ironhide combiner, new X-Force Wolverine, Secret Wars Spider-Man, and Iron Man.
- Star Wars Crossovers: More for this line, I think based on the Clone Wars vehicles but not 100% sure.

Even more galleries:
Official Hasbro Images
From Hasbro, official images of many of the new toys coming out this year including War for Cybertron figures, Power Core Combiners and more. Many are repeat of links above, just combined into one large set.

Transformers Gallery
Large 118 image gallery that shows off the next wave of Transformers including Human Alliance Jazz with Captain Lennox, Leader class Starscream, and many more. Many are repeat of links above, just combined into one large set.

Transformers: Generations Gallery
Look at all the figures being released as part of this new line of TFs.

Powercore Transformers
More images of the display for the new Power Core line of toys that are coming later this year.

Transformers Panel Summary and Video
Click the link for images, video and information from Hasbro's presentation at Toyfair for post ROTF Transformers line.

Power Core Combiners and Others
Large gallery that shows off the new Power Core Combiners line, Transformers Generations series with Drift and Thrust and a look and War for Cybertron Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.

Hunt for Decepticon Images
More display images of Transformers that will likely carry the "Hunt for Decepticons" moniker when released.

TF Generations, Battle Optimus Prime and More
Another gallery that shows off Drift, Thrust, Sea Spray, Battle Damaged Optimus Prime, Jetblade and Backfire.

Weeble Wobbler Gallery
A look at this rather unusual addition to the Transformers line of products.

Masterpiece Grimlock Toys R Us Exclusive
Confirmed by Hasbro, for the first time a Masterpiece figure will not be sold by Wal-Mart but by Toys R Us. I wonder if the change might be due to the very short shelf life Wal-Mart has been giving the Masterpiece line for the last few years were even now MP Skywarp has been removed from shelves after barely three months on sale. He will come with crown and sword, no price nor date provided.

2010 San Diego Comic Con Exclusive
Hasbro announced that re-issue of G1 Blaster with Steeljaw, Ramhorn, and Eject will be the exclusive Transformer figure for the Comic-con. This is a mirror of the Soundwave release from last year. In addition, there will be a SDCC Mighty Mugg but based on what character was not announced.

War for Cybertron First Look
The video game was on display at Toyfair and at the link is a description and gallery of a hands-on preview of three stages of the game. Game play based on Gears of War series with over-the-shoulder third person view. The stages include Iacon Under Siege, Jetfire in space, and Megatron vs Omega Supreme.

War for Cybertron Moved to May?

For a while now the Amazon and Gamestop sites for Transformers: War for Cybertron has listed the game's release date as June 22nd, 2010. However, according to Joystiq that date may have been moved to May. During "an investor conference call following the release of the company's latest financial results, Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith mentioned that ...star vehicle / vehicle star Transformers: War for Cybertron were due some time in May 2010." No exact date was provided and it is possible his notes were incorrect. To my knowledge the company has not yet released anything official about the game's release date, what information we have is based on Amazon (who tends to be accurate) so we will have to wait until then for confirmation.

Transformers Linkfest

I was going to post these as individual posts but really the amount of information for each is rather small so figured a "linkfest" would be better.

War for Cybertron Shockwave First Look
Gamestop is offering a pre-order bonus of multiplayer character Shockwave for when Transformers: War for Cybertron is released on 6/22/10. As the image shows, he retains his classic Generation 1 look with a few tweaks for the game. I really hope this is one of the characters Hasbro plans to release for the toy line just for his robot mode alone.

Tyrese Confirms Return to Epps
In a twitter post, Tyrese Gibson writes "Yes I will for sure be in TRansformers 3.. Get Ready!! Epps is here to STAY!!" Just in case fans had any concerns. It is probably not a reach to assume the core human and voice cast from the first two films will return for the third with the likely additional of Ramon Rodriguez. The real question is who the new players and their characters will be.

Transformers Animated Diablock Gallery
Click the link to view a four picture gallery of the Lego-ized version of Animated Optimus Prime and Bumblebee toys that will be released in Japan this March. The States had something similar a few years ago with "Built-To-Rule" line that didn't do so well. Too bad Hasbro is unlikely to sign a deal with Lego as would love to see their take on the Transformers franchise.

Winderfestival Winter Image Gallery
From TFormers, a 22 image gallery of the various Transformer related items on display for the event in Japan last weekend. The emphasis was on Transformers: Animated since the toy line is being launched there starting this March.

Hasbro 2009 Earnings Report
The owner of the Transformers has released its 2009 and last quarter statement and the results are very good thanks to the success of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie and related merchandise. No specifics on TF sales but 4th quarter sales increased 12% (to $1.38B) from previous year with a year revenue increase of 1% (to $4.07B). Not bad considering how bad the economy was for the year when most companies are not reporting growth.

Recon Ravage Mail Away TV Commercial
Since I don't watch the cartoon channels like I use to, I sometimes forget that commercials are still made for toys. Such as the one below for Recon Ravage, a repaint of the ROTF figure as part of the return of Hasbro's mail away offer. The company use to do this all the time with Generation 1 only for truly unique TFs that you couldn’t get anywhere else.

Tony Todd in Transformers 3?

Tony Todd, voice of the Fallen in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, indicated he returns to Transformers 3 in an interview with Den of Geek. Considering the Fallen was killed in the second film there is no telling what the role could be as he could lend his voice to the Fallen (say via a flashback), a new character, or he could have been hired to play a human character for the movie. It is a bit of casting news can't complain about once it's officially verified. Below is the Transformers related portion of the interview where he discusses his casting (but no details) and working on Transformers 2. Tony also talks about other career highlights, recent directing work and more in the full interview. Thanks to Chris and RY for the link.

Are you involved in Transformers 3 do you think?
Yes.

Definitely?
You want to quote me? What I was told last month, yes. But that's Hollywood!

Is there anything you can tell us about it? It's got to be worth a try.
No! There's more of it! [Laughs, starts thumping desk and making explosion sound effects]. Something along those lines!

It must be fun to do?
I felt like a big kid. When Michael Bay called me, I'd worked with him before on The Rock, and he called me and said, "Tony, I might have something for you." I said, "Okay, you haven't called me in ten years!" He said, "I've been busy!" I said, "I've been busy too Michael, glad we could make our schedules match!"

So he brings me and he's got this enormous computer bank with these half-finished robots, and it looks like a little bit of animation, drawings, black and whites, finished stuff. I can see the joy in him, because he's a big kid with a director's set. And he's got robots, 250 people working for him, and he's saying, "You see this, you see that, you're going to take over the world." I'm watching this man showing me, and I'm like, " Do you want me to do it like that, or do you want my interpretation of it?"

How many days were you on it?
I did ten sessions, and the sessions usually last for three or four hours. And as a matter of fact, I was doing a play in New York, August Wilson's Fences, and in the middle of rehearsals I get a call saying they need another session. So they sent me to a remote place which is not like Michael, because he's very hands on. And when I showed up I could tell that these guys had just got a phone call from somebody, because they were white as ghosts. They were not looking at me. It was top secret shit or something. And I looked at the transcript that had come over the fax and it didn't say what the project was. It just said ‘Tony Todd's lines'. So I knew that the fear of God had been instilled. That's when I knew I was in a Michael Bay film!

And then he was directing me over the phone, my cell phone. While we're looking at this, and these guys weren't even looking what was on screen, as I guess everyone's afraid of piracy these days. Rightfully so, I guess.

Orci, Kurtzman Working on CG Transformers: Prime

When the next Transformers cartoon debuts on Discovery Kids this fall, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Transformers movie writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, "are working on ...the "Transformers" CG-animated series for upcoming Hasbro/Discovery channel the Hub. The CG cartoon is going to be called "Transformers: Prime" according to actor Jeffery Combs website.

It is unknown what style of CG that will be used. Hasbro (and really most cartoons) has used an Anime influenced style for the last decade or so likely to continue that as it’s believed kids prefer it. However, Orci and Kurtzman are clearly fans of the Beast Wars era of cartoons (see use of Sparks as example) which might give hope that Hasbro will move away from this and maybe attempt something that actually takes advantage of advancements in CG since Beast Machines left the air.

Super Bowl: Optimus Prime - Saints Fan

In the United States tomorrow, our yearly version of the World Cup is held with Super Bowl XLIV which pits the Indianapolis Colts against the New Orleans Saints.

As the images and video below show, Optimus Prime clearly has a favorite team. Personally I don't particularly care who wins, I just hope the movie trailers that usually premiere during the game are good. Thanks to Jonnyroobs for the links.

Custom Made Devastator Video Reviews

Before Peaugh reviewed Human Alliance Mudflap and Barricade, he did "Devastator Week" which was seven video reviews of a custom figure created by Frenzy Rumble. Below is the final video that shows the combined figure and the result is pretty darn sweet looking. Click the links below for all seven parts. Also FrenzyRumble's YouTube channel has slideshow videos of each figure.

Bonecrusher | Hook | Long Haul | Mixmaster
Scavenger | Scrapper | Devastator

Next Cartoon Called Transformers: Prime?

Long time character actor extraordinaire Jeffrey Combs may have accidently revealed prematurely the name of Hasbro's next cartoon for Transformers that will likely make its debut on the new Discovery Kids channel that is launching this fall. On his official blog:

TRANSFORMERS: PRIME

Debuting later this fall Hasbro in conjunction with Discovery Communications Inc will release a new Transformers cartoon on a new TV channel currently called Discovery Kids called Transformers: Prime.

Jeffrey will be the voice of Ratchet, a very well known character in the Transformers world. There are 26 episodes scheduled for the first season. Exact details of the show are currently unavailable but will be posted here as soon as they are made available.

Jeffrey is quite thrilled with the opportunity to be cast in the role of Ratchet. He's not able to talk too much about the show this early in the production but did have this quote: "What I can say is that it is an honor and a privilege to be a part of such a prestigious project."

The cartoon has been rumored for a while now so really this posts seems to confirm two things, one the title and two the casting of Combs as the voice of Ratchet. For those that don't know, Jeffrey Combs is the man if a fan of 80s horror films, sci-fi TV and just goofy characters. He played the Dr. West in the Re-Animator films, multiple alien characters for the Star Trek television shows (Weyoun on DS9, Shran for Enterprise, and more), voiced the Scarecrow for Batman: The Animated Series, The Question for Justice League Unlimited, Dr. Burkhoff on The 4400 and much more. This is one of the few bits of TF related casting news over the years that has a real geek grin on my face.

Welcome Mr. Combs to the wild world of Transformers and Transfandom. (image source)

Transformers Linkfest

Voyager Sea Spray Gallery and Video
From S250, a look at the new Voyager toy that will be released later this year with an alt mode of a hovercraft that has a deck that is large enough to transport scout class figures. Also above is a video of the figure in action. This is part of the first wave of Transformers toys that dropped the "Revenge of the Fallen" name while continuing the design atheistic from the movies. This one might just join my wishlist, wait and see what Peaugh comes up with.

Voyager Payload in Package - Another Transformers toy for later this year, only this time a yellow repaint of the Constructicon Long Haul.

NEST Global Alliance Ravage Promotion OfficialHasbro has issued a press release making official the NEST Global Alliance mail away offer for a Special Edition Ravage figure (a repaint of the ROTF deluxe toy). As part of the promotion there will be NEST stickers and 12 "Cyber Missions" webisodes that have already started airing at transformers.com. If your in Canada this figure will be easier to get, but may cost more as it will be a an exclusive for Toys R US Canada.

Ironhide Mini-series Planned
IDW's Andy Schmidt spoke with Comics Continuum about upcoming plan for Transformers and revealed that despite his death in the Transformers #1, the character will get his own mini-series. He also reviewed that Megatron returns in issue seven as "a changed robot, if you will." Apparently this is a two part interview (one two), but for whatever I reason I was unable to get either part load on my computer, hopefully you will have better luck.

New Knight Morpher Commander Gallery
From Mastermind Creations is this huge 88 image gallery of what appears to be the final version of the fan made creation the Knight Morpher Commander which is really Optimus Prime from the Heart of Steel comic book. The result is a pretty sweet looking toy that I am very tempted to purchase whenever it becomes available.

Simon Furman Teases Nefarious #2
Click the link to read long time Transformer writer Simon Furman's summary of the second issue of Transformers: Nefarious which is a sequel to Revenge of the Fallen. The story follows Soundwave's investigation into the return of Ravage and the Initiative.

Human Alliance Mudflap Video Review

Yesterday was the review for HA Barricade and now Transformers reviewer extraordinaire Peaugh has posted his review of Human Alliance Mudflap with Agent Simmons and Chromia. To bad Peaugh probably doesn't live near me, he would have a field day going through my 25 year collection of TFs from the US and Japan to review (sadly much without their boxes). Any case, the HA Mudflap is essentially a mirror of HA Skids so if like one will probably like the other. I keep hoping Target or someone else would put all the Human Alliance figures on sale as would like a whole set, but not willing to pay $30 for each to do it. Thanks to Bruno for the link.

Transformers 3 in 3D?

Thanks to the huge success of Avatar in 3D, it seems a movie isn't even allowed to be released without taking advantage of the format. Even the new Clash of the Titans movie is being converted to take advantage of the new found interest in 3D even though it wasn't designed or filmed for the format.

Hoping to ride that 3D train, Paramount seems to be attempting to force Transformers director Michael Bay to film Transformers 3 in 3D. Bay has said last year he thinks 3D is a gimmick saying "The way I shoot is too aggressive for 3D cameras. It’s a time consuming thing. Who knows… It might be a fad. I’m kinda old school. I’m old school because I like to shoot on film. I like anamorphic lenses, and that is old school.”

According to Variety, "there have been discussions among Bay, Paramount and Industrial Light & Magic about going 3D with the pic. The big stumbling block is the extra time required to do production and visual effects in 3D, as the movie's release date is already set. Having the pic post-converted could alleviate that problem."

At the end of the day money talks and Bay is a business man so I wouldn't be surprised if a 3D version is released. This does create some problems though as Bay was worked on both Transformers 1 and 2 almost up to the last minute, something a 3D conversion wouldn't allow. This means that his theoretical one and half year lead to shoot the film and complete post-production, voice work etc has probably shrunk by a good three or so months. Another question is will this impact how Bay shoots the film? Will he embrace 3D or just ignore the conversion and shoot the film the way he planned to begin with? As always time will tell. Thanks to Kris for the link.

Michael Bay Top Earner in 2009

Michael Bay may have had a few bad days in the awards department with multiple Razzie nominations and only one Oscar nod but he is laughing all the way to the bank with an estimated 2009 earnings of $125 million thanks to the success of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and other movies. The info is from a Vanity Fair's Top 40 Hollywood Earners article for 2009 that breaks down the probably sources of revenue for the big players in Hollywood.

Here is Bay's breakdown:
Estimated 2009 earnings: $125 million
- $75 million: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (back-end profit participation for directing and producing, based on worldwide box-office gross of $835 million)
- $28 million: Transformers: R.O.T.F. (share of estimated $280 million in DVD revenue)
- $12.5 million: Transformers: R.O.T.F. (share of toy and other licensing royalties)
- $4 million: Friday the 13th (back end for producing, based on worldwide gross of $90 million, and share of DVD)
- $2 million: The Unborn (back end for producing, based on worldwide gross of $77 million, and share of DVD)
- $2 million: A Nightmare on Elm Street (fee for producing inexplicable remake)
- $1.5 million: Royalties from older films, other income

Remaining Top 10:
2) Steven Spielberg - $85 million ($15 of which from TF2)
3) Roland Emmerich - $70 million (for 2012)
4) James Cameron - $50 million (more coming for 2010 Avatar grosses and DVD sales)
5) Todd Phillips - $44 million (for The Hangover and Due Date)
6) Daniel Radcliff - $41 million (for Harry Potter Deathly Hallows films)
7) Ben Stiller - $40 million (various movies)
8) Tom Hanks - $36 million (Angels & Demons, Toy Story 3, etc)
9) JJ Abrams - $36 million (Star Trek, Morning Glory)
10) Jerry Bruckheimer - $35.5 million (The Sorcerer's Apprentice, etc)

James Avery Casting in Transformers 3?

According to a recent episode of Unscripted, James Avery has been cast to voice Silverbolt in Transformers 3. If James Avery is familiar it might be due to the recent commercial were he is the professor that supposedly has a video lecture go viral. He also played Philip Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

In the video he discusses his career and life. Oddly though is the blurb on the site describing the actor which says "He is also currently working as voice talent for the upcoming "Transformers 3" film (set to release in 2011), playing 'Silverbolt'." This information is not repeated in the video interview so unknown if this is from Avery or some other source.

Silverbolt has been around since the Generation One days with an alt mode of a Concord SST jet liner and leader of the Aerialbots that formed Superion. The name was used again for Beast Wars as a noble knight character that was a fusion of an eagle and wolf. Long story short, the character has history that is a perfect addition to the movie cast of characters.

As for feasibility of the rumor, who knows really but for now I now take it with reservations until more information comes out. With Transformers 3 pre-production underway and at least a draft or two of the script likely completed, it is possible that casting has already begun. However, for the two previous films it seemed that Bay always waited until after the film was nearly complete before he started nailing down the voice roles and their lines. Maybe this time he decided to change up the process. Either way, as a fan of the actor I hope this works out. Thanks to Chris and RY for the link.

Human Alliance Barricade Video Review

Peaugh is back with a review of Revenge of the Fallen Human Alliance Barricade with Frenzy. Overall, if you like the Deluxe version, this might be worth it as the transformation and look is nearly identical (just bigger). As I didn't, I think I will take a pass.

Transformers: ROTF Recieves Only One Oscar Nomination

This morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its official list of nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards. The goal - to win the coveted Oscar, which indicates the winners produced the best work in their field for 2009 and of course get to add that line "Oscar winning..." to their resumes from now on.

The Academy gives out a lot of awards with only the prime categories being award live on ABC Sunday, March 7th, 2010. Sadly Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was shut out in all categories except for Sound Mixing. I really thought they were going to get nods also for Sound Editing and Visual Effects. Instead the FX nod is for Star Trek, District 9, and Avatar (which has the easy win here). Click here for the full list of nominees in the various categories.

Sound Mixing
“Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
“Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
“Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Revenge Nominated for Seven Razzies

Today was not a good day for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen which seven nominations for the Razzie Awards tied it with Land of the Lost as the worst film of 2009. Where the Oscars reward for excellence in film, the Razzies "reward" for making bad films. Clearly their nominating committee did not like the film at all. It seems they didn't like Bay's directing, the script, Julie White's high on brownies performance, anything to do with Fox and more. Some of the nominations (Fox, the script) seem valid, but others do not (White, Bay, etc).

'Transformers,' to me, is the personification of what's wrong with Hollywood right now," [Razzie Author John Wilson] said. "It's all about do what already worked, pander to the audience, put in a lot of special effects. ... It's almost as though when they were editing the thing they had a little egg timer running, and every seven minutes something had to blow up or somebody had to yell, 'Go go go go! Run run run run!'

The "winners" receive a hand-made, spray-painted gold trophy" that is worth about five dollars. Much like the nominations are announced the day before the Oscar noms, so too is the reward "ceremony". The Gala 30th Annual Razzie Awards will be held March 6th at Barnsdall Gallery in Hollywood, CA. The categories and the competition for ROTF is below, click here for find out the rest.

Worst Picture
'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'
'All About Steve'
'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'
'Land of the Lost'
'Old Dogs'

Worst Actress
Megan Fox - 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'
Beyonce Knowles - 'Obsessed'
Sandra Bullock - 'All About Steve'
Miley Cyrus - 'Hannah Montana: The Movie'
Sarah Jessica Parker - 'Did You Hear About The Morgans?'

Worst Screen Couple
Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox or any Transformer - 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'
Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas - 'Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience'
Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper - 'All About Steve'
Will Ferrell and any co-star, creature or "comic riff" - 'Land of the Lost'
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson or Taylor Lautner - 'Twilight Saga: New Moon'

Worst Supporting Actress
Julie White - 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'
Candice Bergen - 'Bride Wars'
Ali Larter - 'Obsessed'
Sienna Miller - 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'
Kelly Preston - 'Old Dogs'

Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel
'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'
'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'
'Land of the Lost'
'Pink Panther 2'
'Twilight Saga: New Moon'

Worst Director
Michael Bay - 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'
Walt Beeker - 'Old Dogs'
Brad Silberling - 'Land of the Lost'
Stephen Sommers - 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'
Phil Traill - 'All About Steve'

Worst Screenplay
'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'
'All About Steve'
'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'
'Land of the Lost'
'Twilight Saga: New Moon'