$18 Million for Shia LaBeouf To Star In Transformers 4? (Updated)

Flag this completely under rumor considering the "source" but Celebitchy.com is reporting that Shia LaBeouf is game to reprise Sam Witwicky for Transformers for the price of $18 million. The same article says that Transformers 4 Executive Producer Steven Spielberg rejected the offer.

Shia took a shot at Transformers by saying, “I would just like to make movies about people now,” and “If I could give the money back and get all the credibility in the world that I’m seeking, I would do it tomorrow.” Well of course Shia didn’t mean a damn word of what he was spewing because he’s apparently on board for the fourth Transformers movie, and he’s demanded an $18 million salary as if the franchise should be grateful to have him. In an interesting twist and according to Star, Spielberg has apparently told Shia to stuff it.

This has not been confirmed at all so don't read to much into but suffice it to say if Spielberg says no, its not going to happen. Long story short, nothing has changed. Thanks to Ben for the link.

Update: In a comment to RumorFix, the story has been denied by LaBeouf's representative, "The story is a complete fabrication. While Shia remains very close with the filmmakers/studio, he was never attached to the fourth installment (nor is he in negotiations at this time). Salary did not impact his decision." Thanks to Ray for the heads-up.

Rosie: Shia Would Do Transformers 4

It seems that Rosie Huntington-Whiteley isn't convinced that Shia LaBeouf is done with Transformers. When asked by the LA Times (video below) about her wiliness to do Transformers 4, she said "I hope so, that is a question for Michael Bay." The interviewer then commented about Shia being done and she said "We'll see about that. We'll see about that."

She isn't really wrong, at least in Hollywood terms since all things come down to money. At this moment in time, Shia is done with Transformers. However, if Paramount decided to pay him say $20 million to do the next film, would that remain the case? Maybe not. As of right now, I think you should take any guesses about the casting, story with a grain of salt. Until Hasbro and Paramount in consultation with Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg decide where they want to take Transformers movies next, speculation like this is pointless.

Transformers 3 Cast Plays Nuts and Bolts

MTV has a little fun with the Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Malkovich, and Patrick Dempsey as they attempt to answer the question of which three robots they would f**k, marry or kill. Rosie was given options of C3P0, Terminator and Bicentennial Man. The men had to choose from Rosie from Jetsons, Eva from Wall-E, and Number 6 from Battlestar Galactica. While Rosie seemed mostly lost, Shia had the most fun with the question while the other two made the most of a weird but amusing question.

Details Profile on Shia LaBeouf

Details Magazine has an interesting article with Shia LaBeouf that reviews his career as he discusses his life, mistakes, and career. Among the revelations is his getting with his co-stars from the first two Transformers films. Below is the about the only quotes related to Transformers from the article which is worth the time to read. You can find it here. Thanks to Genocide Chaos for the link.

There was that time he rolled his truck while "philandering around," as he says, with his Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen costar Isabel Lucas. "It was sort of disastrous," LaBeouf says. "Neither one of us, I think, were in love. Just sort of experimenting or whatever." Technically the accident—in which LaBeouf's car flipped three times, pinning his arm and leaving his hand mangled—was the other driver's fault. But LaBeouf admits he'd had "three or four" beers a few hours before getting behind the wheel.

Asked if he hooked up with Fox, LaBeouf nods affirmatively. "Look, you're on the set for six months, with someone who's rooting to be attracted to you, and you're rooting to be attracted to them," he explains. "I never understood the separation of work and life in that situation. But the time I spent with Megan was our own thing, and I think you can see the chemistry onscreen." When I inquire about Fox's status at the time with her longtime boyfriend, Brian Austin Green, LaBeouf replies, "I don't know, man. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. . . ."—repeating the phrase exactly 12 times with various intonations, as if trying to get it just right. Finally, he says, "It was what it was."

Transformers 3 Cable Swing Comparisons

Last August, Transformers: Dark of the Moon was filming at a Chicago parking deck and Wabash Avenue that thanks to the Iridescent trailer (among others) we know was where they filmed the confrontation between Starscream and Sam. At the time the images shows Shia LaBeouf and Josh Duhamel (along with stunt doubles) flyng around on wires along with Sam wearing a "power glove" of sorts, which Jeff of Pixel Rally managed to capture. From that trailer and the pictures he has now created another gallery of images that compare what he saw last year with what is now on camera. Some of the comparisons have been tweaked to help with the imagery.

The left and two images below is a mix of his photos from then mixed with the trailer images. The fourth images is a track-move diagram. Jeff wrote, "Michael Bay set up a stereoscopic 3D camera that moves along a rail, and goes underneath two flipped cars... It was used to follow soldiers running, as it tracked along with them, and ended up at a 3rd overturned vehicle, where it filmed close-up on Shia LaBeouf and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (who were hiding inside the flipped truck)." The last image is the spot Jeff took many of his pictures from and it is possible that during the scene when Bumblebee "catches" Shia and Josh, a speck of his head can be seen in the background. If you want Jeff's gallery of images from the parking deck filming and more, click here.

Shia: Bay a "Big Brother" With Arguments

In a profile piece on Shia LaBeouf from Hero Complex, Shia LaBeouf provided a story from the set of Transformers: Dark of the Moon that led to Michael Bay posting a comment on it in the Shoot for the Edit forums. The story took place at Kennedy Space Center last October. Apparently the two were arguing over what song to play to help Shia get in the right emotional frame of mind for a scene. Shia wanted Feist’s “Brandy Alexander" while Bay wanted a track from The Dark Knight score.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon's Moscow World Premiere (Updated)

Today, Transformers: Dark of the Moon premiered in Moscow. The film opens the Moscow International Film Festival. As with all premieres, you get your usual red green carpet images of the stars and director. Linkin Park was also on hand with a free concert. With it comes a press conference and shorter one-on-one interviews. No press conference video yet available but below are links to galleries and video embeds of interviews with the cast. I will likely add links and whatever else that pops up as more news from the premiere hits the web. Thanks to Eanetdude for some links and Tamar for Moscow pics.

Update: Added more links to galleries and a new video from Paramount that summarizes the day's festivities with a tilt (of course) to promote the movie.

Galleries: TFormers | TFW2005 | MB.com | PopSugar | MovieGeeks (Linkin Park) | Movieline
Links: MTV Blog | THR | We Are Movie Geeks | Collider

Video Interview Summaries:

Dark of the Moon "The Duchess" Clip

No idea how I missed it but apparently this clip has been online for about a month. Called "The Duchess", it introduces Patrick Dempsey's character of Dylan Gould to Sam and he talks about his appreciated of Carly.
Update: Turns out I did post about this a month ago. Oops. Probably new to some.

Stills from Dark of the Moon & Chicago Comparisons (Updated 2)

Yahoo! Movies has posted 8 new stills from Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Most focus on the human characters but not all. Sadly the image sizes are not that big but still some cool shots. Thanks to Brendon for the link.

Speaking of still images, Jeff of Pixel Rally has posted more images from the Chicago set from when a lot of those stills were filmed. He also put together a comparison shots from the trailers & TV spots with what his camera captured last year. One of his observations is the building that gets squashed by the 100% CGI glass building (it was "built" on the neighboring empty lot) was changed between trailers, "they've made it look like there's a patio table instead of a person, and changed the styling of the building itself." He also has an image of Shia attacking a blue head while in Chicago which thanks to the TV spots we now know is Starscream so Jeff did a little Photoshop to the image to make the case. The comparison images are below, the full larger sized gallery can be found here.

Update Two need comparison images added by Jeff. One shows the "Power Glove" which actually appears to be a safety contraption as he swings around so can be "caught" by Bumblebee. The other gives you an idea of how cardboard face can be come more with Michael Bay and ILM doing their magic.

Update 2: Jeff, who was on site at the time it was filmed, argues that the glove is not a safety device, but "I think it shoots some grappling hook that Sam uses to climb up on the Decepticon, rides on it's head as he attacks it, and falls off, at which point Bumblebee catches him. There's other shots where the Josh Duhamel stunt double is trying to cut Sam free from the cable, and maybe he succeeds, so that's when they fall and Bumblebee skids in, Transforms, runs up the wall and saves them." He then provided a college to show the sequence of events (last pic below).

Shia Not Returning for Fourth Transformers Film

While at the MTV Movie Awards, Shia LaBeouf and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley briefly discussed Transformers: Dark of the Moon (videos below). Rosie spoke about Michael Bay, saying they have the same work ethic.

Shia spoke about how the film has "the best action" with "the most solid screenplay we've had since we started." More important, he made it clear he isn't returning for a fourth film. While Bay had suggested it in interviews, I do believe this is the first time Shia has gone on the record.

"I'm not coming back to do another one. I don't think Mike will either. It still is a hot property, I think, especially coming out of the third one. So I imagine they'll reboot it at some point with someone else."

I am not entirely sure why a reboot is needed but that is big in Hollywood right now so would not be surprised if that is what happens. Keep in mind so far there has been no discussion of a fourth film but look for that to change if this film does well, especially if it breaks the billion dollar barrier which could happen considering how well the last two films did.

Shia Talks Different Vibe on DOTM Set

In an interview with Hero Complex, Transformers: Dark of the Moon star Shia LaBeouf (Sam Witwicky) spoke about Megan Fox leaving and the change in vibe that the casting of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (Carly Miller) brought to the set. In short, he felt Megan couldn't handle being rudely treated a bit like a piece of sexy meat while Rosie has no problem with it or with Bay's abrasiveness.

“Megan developed this Spice Girl strength, this woman-empowerment [stuff] that made her feel awkward about her involvement with Michael, who some people think is a very lascivious filmmaker, the way he films women,” LaBeouf said. “Mike films women in a way that appeals to a 16-year-old sexuality. It’s summer. It’s Michael’s style. And I think [Fox] never got comfortable with it. This is a girl who was taken from complete obscurity and placed in a sex-driven role in front of the whole world and told she was the sexiest woman in America. And she had a hard time accepting it. When Mike would ask her to do specific things, there was no time for fluffy talk. We’re on the run. And the one thing Mike lacks is tact. There’s no time for [LaBeouf assumes a gentle voice] ‘I would like you to just arch your back 70 degrees.’”

1st Clip From Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Yahoo! Movies has posted the first clip from Transformers: Dark of the Moon titled "My Secret Weapon" as "Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whitely) introduces Sam (Shia LaBeouf) to her boss (Patrick Dempsey)." Thanks to Ryan and sp00ked_yuh for the link.

Countdown To Trailer Sam & Simmons Image

It seems that TFW2005 was able to get the final still from Transformers: Dark of the Moon early (supposed to come out around 11AM EST). The image joins Shockwave, Carly and the Decepticon spaceship. It shows Sam with Simmons in a wheelchair due to an injured left leg. The trailer itself will be out at 7PM on Apple Trailers.

Shia and Co. On LA TF3 Set

Just Jared and The Daily Mail have each posted galleries from the Culver City in Los Angeles set of Transformers: Dark of the Moon as Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley continued to film what looks like more blue screen work for the film. The stunts including something along a building wall, sliding down a facade (say a building as it falls) with other NEST troops, and Shia doing his screaming thing inside Bumblebee. Hit links above for the galleries. Thanks to rumah, Katie and Mauricio for the links.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon ET Report

Entertainment Tonight has posted their article of video of the behind the scenes report from the Chicago set of Transformers 3. The video includes set footage, explosions and the sales pitch of the movie from Michael Bay, Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tyrese Gibson, and Josh Duhamel. Pretty much no spoilers are revealed but the title does drop a "the" with official title being "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" which oddly enough does make a difference. If want to get a little meta, thanks to Colin Hinkle for the picture of behind the scenes of ET filming behind the scenes of TF:DOTM with Samantha Harris in the yellow dress. Also thanks to Teddy83 for the link.

"I think what we were lacking in the second movie was heart," says Shia about the last installment of the blockbuster franchise, 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.' "But, I think with the addition of Rosie and new characters … you still have the magic of the first film, but you have depth in the ending of the third."

"Sam's coming out of heartbreak," explains Shia about the film's emotional center. "He's looking for a rock. He's looking for stability. He's looking for a person who doesn't love him because of his involvement in the wars, or because of his involvement with the robots. … And, so he's looking to define himself and find a person who understands the definition and loves him for him, and he finds it in Rosie."

"The story, I think, is really rich," says Michael. "This is kind of a good old fashioned, kinda espionage 'Transformers' movie." He adds, "I just told Mayor Daley that I'm sorry about messing up his city."

Road Home, DC Video and TF Trailer Call-back

Even though current, but limited knowledge, indicates that Transformers: The Dark of the Moon is no longer filming in the states, the image taken by Denise T. shows Ironhide and Ratchet as they were transported on Monday around noon through Phoenix, Arizona in Eastbound lane. More than likely the destination is wherever the TFs are stored when no longer being used for filming or promotional use but maybe more is being done in LA.

Speaking of production, below is another video from Washington, DC filming. This one is shows more of the filming at Lincoln Memorial and what else Shia and Josh were up to after they ran across the lawn and what the flashing lights might have been for. The last video is the teaser trailer for the upcoming movie Skyline. Mostly posting it because found it amusing the use of the Transformers 1 trailer music queues and font designs complete with glowing light in the background. Thanks to Mauricio and and Jakenbocker for the links.

TF3 DC: Even More Videos, Images

To my knowledge, production in Washington, DC has come to an end. It is also possible the United States side of filming has also completed. This doesn't mean that more images and videos from DC are still not popping up online. Thanks to Topherlyon who posted a nice gallery of images from filming, including confirming it was Julie White, Kevin Dunn, Shia LaBeouf, and Rosie Huntington-Whitely filming at Constitution Hall on last Sunday. The full set can be found on Flickr.

He and his brother also posted two videos (below) that they edited together of the first two days of filming in the area. The 1st video is filming at Constitution Hall, the second is a look at some of the pre-prep before the Bayhem along Pennsylvania Avenue. Overall they report seeing 4 fire fights and 1 explosion with multiple takes.

Below is also a link to a 20 minute video on Facebook (no embedding available). It shows some of the Lincoln Memorial filming including a close-up of Michael Bay, Josh Duhamel, Shia and others doing their various tasks including filming a scene of them running together towards flashing lights (probably representing a distant fire fight) along with Shia finding various ways to kill time between takes. Part of it is various amusing ways to get himself going to make it seem he has been running for a while. Speaking of, for additional amusement Shia also got busted throwing coffee on paparazzi while in DC. Thanks Adam for Facebook link and rumah for coffee video link.

Videos: DC Facebook | Throwing Coffee

TF3 DC: Bayhem Arrives in the Capitol, Autobots Exiled

Despite the Bumblebee accident, the show must go on as it did last night in around the National Mall in Washington, DC. Michael Bay was able to get permission to bring his patented Bayhem to the scene with explosions and lots of gunfire as the videos below filmed near the Capital Building along Pennsylvania Avenue show. In addition he briefly spoke to a fan about the accident, joking around saying "there are always more" and "Washington cops wrecked my Bumblebee." Thanks to Eric Heise, Jeffrey from Pixel Rally and Katie for the video links.

A thread from Revenge of the Fallen, carried over with set images of an "Autobots Go Home" graphitti has hit a new level with a reveal from The Washington Post that indicates things are going very badly for the Autobots in this movie. Thanks to Richard P. for the link. Update: Politico provides a little more information including the name of the character as Dana Bash.

"While filming "[Transformers] 3" in front of the Capitol in D.C., director Michael Bay shoots a scene in which a "CNN reporter" broadcasts news that Congress has acted quickly to pass legislation that exile Autobots from American soil."

As the photos above and below show, Bumblebee is alive and well both in a trailer and on the DC streets thanks to Allison and Michael D. along with a few additional images. From the TF Parking Lot/Home Base, Allison reports that she scoped out the "Mad Max" truck and could not find any insignia to verify if it’s a Transformer or not. She did note a little dog on the front that to me suggests more terrestrial origins for the vehicle (or that its Wreck-Gar who started as neither Autobot or Decepticon in the G1 movie). She also spotted two additional Bumblebees, not including the damaged one. The rest of Michael's gallery from the streets of DC can be found here.

TF3 DC: More Set Pics, Mad Max Truck, New Accident Video

The news yesterday was mostly about the car accident between Bumblebee and a Washington DC cop, but that was not all that occurred yesterday. Transformers 3 was filming in several locations around the National Mall. Part of the reason Michael Bay was not spotted at the accident is because he was in front of the American Red Cross Headquarters, filming a retro scene that may tie into a rumored 1960s flashback that is related to space race. Meanwhile Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Kevin Dunn and Julia White drove around in the Datsun PL510 (from Chicago and Indiana) and other vehicles near the Lincoln Memorial. My understanding is today is when filming shifts into a night shoot starting around 6:30pm but not sure at what locations.

One other piece of information is the Mad Max truck from Chicago was spotted, not sure though if part of filming or just attached to the traveling filming caravan. The vehicle is rumored to be Megatron, something that "Astrotrain" reported to me as true:

Megatron is for a fact the Mad Max semi in TF3. I can send you more behind the scenes pictures from a storage facility where all the vehicles were kept while in Chicago. My father in law who works for a special effects company in Chicago was one of a group whose job it was as he said Michael Bay states "make this truck look more demented." Also not sure if it is known or not but Patrick Dempsey’s Character is a super Billionaire computer expert, who helps the transformers buy building additional ones to help. Those NASCAR transformers are not partially transformed those are ones he created, along with he "power glove" we have seen Sam wearing.

Duhamel About Rosie Casting

Shia LaBeouf and Josh Duhamel recently spoke with MTV while promoting their respective movies of Wall Street 2 and Life As We Know It. In both cases they had nothing but glowing comments about Rosie Huntington-Whitely who replaced Megan Fox on Transformers 3 and some of the Chicago footage they have seen. Thanks to Katie for the links.

"I think there's positives and negatives to her not being [in the movie]," said LaBeouf, who was at the Toronto Film Festival to promote "Wall Street 2." "It's awesome that we get the discovery again. I think when everybody's vetted and everybody's been through these wars, then that discovery of the first film is nonexistent. It's kind of beautiful in that we get a new set of eyes, a fresh set of eyes for the audience to vibe with. So you get the discovery again, which is something that wouldn't happen if Megan came back."

LaBeouf said she's "doing great," though there's little he could do to prepare her for the experience of working with famously fiery director Michael Bay.

"You can only do so much," he laughed. "Fight or flight. A tap on the back and a 'Good luck!'"

"I've seen about 10 minutes of it — just the stuff we shot in Chicago — and it's pretty awesome," [Josh] revealed to MTV News.