Ask Orci: Nimoy Voicing A Transformers 2 Character?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Will The Fallen have any dialogue?
Yes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

More Ask Orci Stuff

Roberto Orci continues his dedication to the transfans by occasionally dropping in the Don Murphy forums and answering questions. For those, like me, just a little tired of the same toy news, here are the latest that seemed worth posting about. As usual, my comments in parenthesis.

Is Ravage the only minion palling around with Soundwave this time around?
not exactly...
(Perhaps he is referring to the robot thing seen on the Princeton campus set)

Any truth to the rumor that Starscream is an independent player in ROTF?
no
(I think this is in reference to the Reign of Starscream comic where he did try to take over the Decepticons briefly.)

Any chance of another full trailer which might reveal more to the story than it's tone? It did a great job of showing off the frantic pace and darker vibes, but very little by way of story. Any revelations coming?
Yeah, I'm sure another trailer is in the works that shows more of the story. Don't know when it'll be out. Maybe in front of Trek?
(Honestly I will be absolutely dumb-founded at the stupidity of the decision makers if a new trailer doesn't debut with Star Trek considering both are Paramount projects and summer tent pole movies.)

Hey Roberto, an admittedly long-winded question here. When I watch TF1 now, it always feels like it's split into 2 movies, the first half being more grounded in day to day reality, and the second being a little more high concept sci fi. I would call the Autobot arrival scene the transition between the 2 halves.
My question is do you think that TF2 will have a similar transition? Because from what I've seen so far, I think it might, but you just might know better than me.
Interesting question. In a sense, yes, because both movies have a structure where the world changes at the midpoint. In the first movie, that meant the full arrival of the autobots. In this movie, there is also a mid point that changes the movie. Very perceptive.

So when was the last bit of writing done for TF2 or are you still doing bot dialogue and such?
Oh yeah. Last bit was last week! We'll be working on it until the bitter end.

Having fun?
Yes. Except when we fight with Bay. But in retrospect, that's also part of the fun.

Haha fighting with Bay? that must be intense... Does it happen a lot?
Every time!

Who wins?
50/50. But only because there's three of us against 1!
(I posted the bit about the fighting as found it amusing. That there can be fights at all means that Bay is receptive to ideas. After all he has the position to simply say "I don't want to hear it, just do as I say" like most bosses tend to do.)

Orci: "Megatron Returns!"

Transformers writer Roberto Orci confirmed that Megatron returns in Transformers 2. His exact quotes are "Megatron returns!...Keep it quiet". I guess this is big news but then the Voyager class toy packaging gave this away already.

What still confuses me is Michael Bay saying Megatron doesn't return. If he said it to fan sites, you can file it under intentional misdirection. However, he apparently said that (love a direct quote to verify) to Empire Magazine and as general rule of thumb it is a bad idea to "misdirect" the press. I get the feeling that both are telling the truth as part of the storyline. Time will tell. Thanks to Michael for the link.

More Ask Orci Answers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More Ask Orci Q&As

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Orci, Kurtzman Talk Writing Transformers 2

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

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

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

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

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

Orci Confirms Rumors

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

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

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

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

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

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

Orci Answers More Questions

Here are more questions asked by fans and answered by Transformers writer Roberto Orci over at TFW2005. There really isn't much new information (unless you just want to read more into his replies then need to). My comments in parenthesis and italics.
On what day did / will filming end?
two days left
(This suggests that filming will end on November 6th, which contradicts the post on Michael Bay's board. Not sure what to make of it, could just mean that 1st unit wrapped last week and 2nd unit wraps this week.)

How do you and your writing team go about selecting characters and storyline
for movie?
Different for each movie. For TF2, we start with the characters we know we have to have and start by imagining what they'd be up to two years later if we were merely thinking realistically, and we go from there.

Will Primus be mentioned/referenced in Revenge of the Fallen?
Perhaps... certainly some form of deep back story and mythology will be important
(I read that as no on Primus, but yes on some established Transformer mythology might be used, possibly in the backstory of the Fallen?)

When I think of the decepticon Soundwave, three things come to mind: 1) His distinctive vocoder voice, 2) His loyalty to Megatron, 3) His (cassette) partners such as Ravage & Laserbeak. My question is, will we experience all three of these characteristics in the next movie?
All signs point to yes

I was wondering if the Beasties had any influence in the Original Transformers design. Can we expect more beast-like qualities/references?
Not for us. We didn't indicate that type of design in the writing. You'd have to ask Bay and Hasbro and designers.

Can you comment on this supposed concept art for Soundwave?
I thought you said he wasn't going to be a pickup truck?
This concept art appears to imply it is Ravage who is a truck, no?
(I read this as a non-answer where he is not confirming nor denying anything.)

Are their going to be evil humans that work with the decepticons?
Certainly, not every human will be on their side.
(This could hint at the rumor on Alice...or it could just mean any number of other things.)

How much input is given to Jablonsky on the score? Or do you happily let him do his own thing? Will there be more, separate, themes for the Decepitcons?
The input he was given in general was to make sure the score was more melodic and classic in nature, rather than being too electronic, which could be a temptation when dealing with robots.

Have you ever, even fleetingly, discussed a nod or crossover with G.I. Joe with Lorenzo di Bonaventura? Or does that film being set ten years into the future prohibit the idea?
No, but in a way, the Transformers vs GI Joe series inspired the first movie -- hence the heavy soldier presence. In a way, that is what we did.

Roberto Orci Answers More TF Questions

Transformers 2 writer Roberto Orci has had a busy week due to Star Trek but took the time to reveal a few tidbits about Transformers over at TWF2005's Ask Roberto Orci thread.

A few of the questions are directly related to recent information released primarily through TFW TF Insider source that said that Devastator is in the movie, comprised of seven separate vehicles, Soundwave's alt mode of a satellite and truck, and Arcee's three part mode.

Personally I have been very skeptical of the source's information but I do like his ideas and hope most of it is true (except the Soundwave bit). Apparently, Orci might be in agreement based on some of his answers to those and many other questions. My comments are in parenthesis ().

Why is Tidal Wave, the aircraft carrier, removed from the sequal?
Couldn't make it work for the story.

tell us if Soundwave is really turning into a pickup truck...
Soundwave is not a pick up truck...

A number of fans, myself included, noticed a lot of similarities between Movie Scorponok and his Beast Wars namesake, certainly more than existed between him and the more famous G1 Headmaster version. Were these just coincidental similarities based on a similar size and altmode, or was Movie Scorponok a conscious BW nod? If so, might we see any more in future films?
Conscious nod to BW. We wanted to find some organic way to do something more than just vehicles, and when we hit upon the notion of soliders trapped behind enemy lines being hunted by a Decepticon, Skorpy seemed to fit the bill.
(I think the use of "sparks" alone shows that Beast Wars, a great series btw, had a huge influence on the writers.)

Can we expect lots of fights as cool as Optimus vs. Bonecrusher from TF1 but longer?
Yes, indeed.

Bob, if you are you at liberty to say so, have any of the leaks from the TFW TF2 Insider been misinformation?
Some. Yes.

Is there a robot called The Fallen? If so is he playing a role in Transformers Revenge of the Fallen?
Maybe. On the other hand, Fallen may simply be a synonym for the defeated side.
(So basically he re-iterated the two prevailing theories on who "The Fallen" is.)

I heard Peter Cullen would be makeing a cameo. Is this true?
We wrote a cameo into the script. I actually don't know if he was able to do it or not.

Also i asked you a little while ago if the movie was going to be released to the world at the same time in every country? You said you would find out? Do you know yet?
Most of the world, yes. But not all.

These are from the Don Murphy Forums Ask Orci Thread.

Bob is there any combiner in the TF2. Or at least can you say if something really big is in it.
BIG, yes
(Now my source says that "Devastator" is not a combiner but based on the world's largest earth mover, so this answer really means all theories remain valid.)

...can you comment on the photo of the Green Chevy Beat that has the license plate named Skids?
no idea -- sorry

Bob, have the transformers' names been set yet, or are they still up in the air like movie 1?
nothing's ever set until the movie rolls
(For example, that the license plate on Skids is a perfect background for CGI work to change it to something else. Course be a waste of money but still doable.)

Roberto, are any humans gonna get squashed? It has to happen, you know, seeing as giant robots are walking round, blowing each other up. I think that would be good to see.
I think you might be right.

Orci: "Lot about the mythology"

IESB.net interviewed Transformers' writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman as the promoted Eagle Eye that is coming out September 26th. They briefly discuss writing Transformers and plans for the story (but no details of course).

IESB: On Transformers it's a bit different on the writing process because you've got Ehren [Kruger] working as well. How did that work out for you guys?
Bob: We couldn't have done it without Ehren. It would have literally been impossible because we were producing Eagle Eye...
Alex: And with the strike, it really ran out the clock so when the strike ended, we had four months to get a shooting draft together. And so the three of us locked ourselves into a hotel, or I should say, Michael Bay locked us in a hotel... We would work in one room, Ehren in another room and then we'd get together twice a day and trade pages and go over each other's stuff. It was actually great, it was a lot of fun and having him come in with a fresh perspective and not having had any of the baggage we had from the first movie was key to making the second one it's own movie, distinct from the first one.
Bob: And Ehren's the greatest too because he's equal parts fan boy and grown-up and I think he is able to get the best of both perspectives and so it was just a very fun team and it felt, we worked together on a movie he had written for us as producers, but this was the first time to really sit down and write together and I think it was the easiest transition I can imagine.

IESB: Real quickly on Transformers, it looks like it's definite that the Constructicons and Devastator are in, Soundwave is in, can you give us any hints, any clues of what else we are going to see?
Bob: You are going to find out a lot about the mythology. It's officially going to tell you what the Transformers history is and I think a lot of it is going to be taken, somewhat, from gospel. I think we all settled on the fact that the source material and the myth that established in much of the Transformers back story was perfect for this movie. And that should be satisfying to genuine fans.

IESB: One of the things that we got teased about, and that I loved, was looking at Cybertron. Are we going to actually see it this time? Are we getting the same - explain it in the beginning of the movie and then back to Earth?
Alex: I think in the spirit of what we gave you in the first movie, there will be similar things in this movie.
Bob: Meaning, "no comment." (laughter)

Note that while the interviewer mentioned specific TF characters that are unconfirmed to be in the movie, the writers skipped right past it without confirming or denying them.

Sci-Fi Wire Writer's Blurb

Sci-Fi Wire briefly spoke with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman about their goals when they wrote Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The full article is here.

"We loved Superman II, we loved Empire, we loved Aliens," Kurtzman said. "And those were all movies that felt like they truly stood apart from what had come before them in great, great ways."

Orci: "And even though they were bigger, per se, it was not just about that. There really was something else going on."

Transformers 2 will bring back many of the first film's characters while introducing some new ones and raising the stakes for all.

"I think the serious answer to your question is, obviously, people will say, 'Look, the explosions are going to be bigger,' but I think Bob and I felt that it was our job--and continues to be our job--to say, 'It's not really about that, because those things, in a way, are a given,'" Kurtzman said.

Orci added: "Yeah, those things are the easy part."

Kurtzman: "What it's about is making sure the emotional stakes feel like they are at a new place and that this movie has a reason to tell itself beyond just 'The studio wants another Transformers movie.' And a lot of that has to do with 'How do you make this movie more emotional? How does this movie stand out from the first one?'"

Orci: "And now that the Transformers are characters, how do you bring them to life some more?"

Transformers 2 is about a month away from the end of principal photography, the writers said.

Orci: Possible Cullen Cameo in TF2

Transformers 2 writer Roberto Orci occasionally pops in on TWW2005's Ask Roberto Orci thread and answers fan questions. As a result, sometimes info of interest comes out including a comment about Peter Cullen possibly performing a cameo in the movie. Here are some recent highlights

- On Peter Cullen's cameo: "Its in the script... let's see if Bay shoots it..."
- On introducing new concepts versus expanding TF1 concepts in sequel: "50/50"
- Writer commentary for movie: "If Bay lets us. He's an attention hog. If not, Alex and I are going to do one for itunes for both movies." (cool idea).
- Orci: "This movie will deal much more with the specific mythology of the Transformers."
- Return of Jazz: "No" (this idea needs to die, why waste story time bringing back Jazz when can use it to introduce new Autobots - TFLive).
- Soundwave's (not) alt-mode: "Without confirming an ice cream truck -- NO." and "No ipod Soundwave."
- Time left in TF2 shoot: "another 5 weeks or so..."
- Update: Orci also says "no" to the Chevy Volt being Soundwave.

A Peter Cullen cameo would be very cool. Hopefully Bay wil film it. As far as Soundwave's alt mode, nice to know what he isn't, be glad to find out what it is. Currently TF2 production is at Holloman Air Force Base for the next week or so, then Egypt. After that is a question mark.

Orci Talks Script, Injury with MTV

Roberto Orci spoke with MTV the other day about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen storyline and Shia's injury. As usual he remains silent on details. Thanks to VAWitch for the link.

“You want to make a different movie, not just a repeat,” Orci said. “It’s a different kind of film that the last one. It’s not a disaster [movie] paradigm.”

What he means is that “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” won’t have multiple storylines told from different points of view all converging in one place for the climax. Instead, expect a different kind of narrative with a different emotional centerpiece.

“We didn’t have to reshoot anything,” Orci said, “but we put [an injury] in there. We wanted to make sure that we put it in so he could be protected, because he’s running around a lot and bashing into things, and he needed something to hold it like a sling [after his hand surgery]. So we wrote it into the script to explain it away.”

“I think there’s an expectation that there will be a deeper mythology where the Transformers came from,” Kurtzman said. “The key is not to get so mired in the mythology that it can’t propel the movie forward. We just touched the tip of the iceberg.”

Orci Comments on Hand, Marketing

Roberto Orci recently commented briefly on Shia's hand and promotional push for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Michael Bay said several weeks ago that Shia LaBeouf's hand would be incorporated into the movie's storyline and Orci has verified that it has been done. "Luckily nothing has to be reshot. Yes, we were on set last week to write it into the movie, not because it's absolutely necessary, but more because we want to make sure Shia's hand is protected for the remainder of the shoot..."

He also had commented that "Starting in November, you'll start seeing the MASSIVE [marketing] push..." for TF2. While Orci makes no mention whatsoever of trailer plans, a marketing push without a trailer just seems like a waste of time to me so I think this is just further verification that November is the launch month of the first teaser trailer.

Now that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been moved to a July 17th release (making it TF2 biggest competitor next year...again), it seems to be that leaves only two movies worth releasing the trailer with - Twilight (taking 11/21 spot vacated by Potter) and James Bond's Quantum of Solace (moved yesterday to 11/14).

Transformers 2 Trailer With Eagle Eye?

Roberto Orci, the great teaser that he is, posted on the Don Murphy message boards regarding when the trailer might come out. "Maybe -- or maybe in front of EAGLE EYE... who knows."

Eagle Eye (out September 26th) stars Shia LaBeouf so it’s a natural fit but at this point I think the studio is aiming for bigger game by attaching it either to Harry Potter or James Bond. I bet some people are kicking themselves for getting something out in time for The Dark Knight considering that movie is on track to become the second highest grossing movie of all time.

Thanks to the site readers for the heads-up.

Writers Reveal Transformers Theme; No Dinobots

MTV discussed Transformers 2 with script writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. Sadly the interview pretty much confirms what we all knew was probably the case - no Dinobots. "We couldn’t quite figure out how to justify a robot that would pretend to be a dinosaur" Orci said.

When asked about the return of Megatron, Orci responded "That would be silly" suggesting maybe the "Fallen" is not Megs as many believe. Of course this could just them having fun with providing a little misinformation and hiding plans that they plan on the "silly" return of Megatron.

They also revealed the theme of the sequel. Where the first is about a boy and his car, the second according to Orci is "It’s about being away from home. It’s a few years later and Sam is going to finally go to college and he’s going to face being away from home just as the Autobots are having to deal with being away from Cybertron."

"Oh, and what about that title? Why “Revenge of the Fallen”? Orci deadpanned, “Because ‘Transformers 2′ sounds stupid.”"

The picture is from KNX1070 that shows the San Diego Comic-Con display for TF2. Link provided by JFuller.

Orci: "Stakes are a little higher"

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen writer Roberto Orci spoke with Sci Fi Wire about Transformers 2 and the story. Pretty much Orci just re-iterated information we where already aware of. Thanks to Chris and Moriah for the link.

"The humor will be similar, but the structure of the movie is a little bit more like many sequels, which is, the stakes are a little higher and the tone is a bit more sci-fi," Orci said in an interview at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., on July 14. "It's got a little more of a sci-fi element. ... The bad guys are little more coherent in terms of what their plan is and what they're attempting to do. So it feels like more of a sci-fi battle."

The sequel will also offer a better balance between humans and robots, added Orci, who was promoting his upcoming Fox SF series, Fringe. "Maybe there's less humans," he said. "The first movie was predicated on the structure of a mystery, at which point, at the midpoint, the Transformers are revealed. This movie is structured differently in that you now know there are Transformers in the world, and therefore you can get right to them. As a result, there's kind of more Transformers throughout the movie."

Orci, who co-wrote the first movie and the sequel with partner Alex Kurtzman, remained coy about what new Transformers audiences will see. Arcee, the female Autobot who transforms into a motorcycle, "was in an early draft of the first movie, and she may make an appearance," he said. "We'll see."

But expect to see Soundwave, the Decepticon who was cut out of the first film. "Yes," Orci said. "Soundwave's in it." It's unclear whether he will transform into a tape deck, as in previous incarnations, or into something else.

Orci also declined to comment on rumors that the film will spend a bit more time on the Transformer homeworld of Cybertron.

But Orci promised that fans won't be disappointed. "If you liked the first one, you'll like this one," he said. "But if you were a genuine fan of what Transformers was and felt a little bit left behind by the first one, I think this one's going to be more for you."

Targetmasters in TF2?

In the "Hey Roberto" thread on the Don Murphy forums, of other the members of the writing triumvirate, Roberto Orci answered an interesting question:

Roberto, will there be Transformers that transform into Weapons in TF2?
yes!

Now Targetmasters is a bit of an exaggeration because in G1 toy line they where humans joined to a suit that allowed them to transform into a weapon but the concept is more or less the same. Technically speaking Transformers inherently weapons so he could just be confirming a pre-existing character trait. If the literal interpretation holds, this adds a new aspect to the film beyond the combiner ideas.

Transformers II To Have 20 Robot Cast?

In various reports online Roberto Orci, member of the Transformers II writer triumvirate, wrote on the Don Murphy boards that the TF cast will be 20 robots in total, about 10 on each side.

Who those ten will be remains a mystery. It is probably not a stretch to assume at least 7 of them (Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Barricade, Starscream, and Soundwave). Jazz remains a question mark to me.

Orci's post is here, now that Don Murphy's site is back up.

"I'd love and think we could almost barely manage ten on each side, with some front and center and others as more supporting."

Interesting choice of phrasing in that quote. Rather then saying there is 10 on each side (for 20 total), its phrased more as a preference or desire. Basically that means the number of total TFs in the movie remains unknown with 20 just being a ballpark number.

Update: From a post today, Orci pretty much confirmed that the 20 Transformers cast was more of a wish then an exact number, "it's kinda maybe not entirely accurate whatsoever."

Orci: Soundwave in Transformers II

IGN is reporting that Roberto Orci, one of the writers on Transformers 2, has verified that fan favorite Soundwave will be in the movie. Orci remained mum on details such as what form he will take, the role in the story, and whether Ravage (rather then asking about Laserbeak for some reason) will show up.

From the interview:

Q: What's the status of Transformers 2?
ORCI: That starts shooting in three weeks.

Q: What do you want to do that builds from the first one?
ORCI: We want to follow some of our lead characters which we thought were so successful. Shia's character; where is he two years later? His girlfriend, where is she two years later? But for fans, I guess I'll address this more for the fans, because I think if you didn't know Transformers at all and you came in and you liked the first movie, you'll like the second one. However, some of the die hard fans, which we were a member of that group, felt, well, maybe it's a little light. Maybe it wasn't science fictiony enough. And I think the second one will deliver on a true Transformers story. You know, the first one, we had a limited budget for what it was. Every second of Transformer time is a million dollars or whatever the heck it is, so this time, because we were able to prove through the whole thing that it's a viable live-action movie, we have a little more freedom this time to actually learn about the Transformers, see them, hear them. It's a better balance between the humans and the Transformers.

Q: Is there one particular Transformer, good or bad, that you absolutely had to get into the sequel?
ORCI: Yes.

Q: You're not gonna tell us.
ORCI: I'll tell you. We had to get Soundwave in there.

Q: Nice. Where Soundwave goes, will Ravage follow?
ORCI: Perhaps! Who's Ravage? ... I'm kidding! You know, we had Ravage in an early draft of the first movie and Soundwave, and we couldn't do it right and I think this time hopefully we'll have the ability to do it.