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."