Today it was confirmed that Bay will be coming back for Transformers 3, which begun pre-production today. The film hits theatres July 1, 2011.

michaelbay.com


QUOTE: Well its official: We have a great Transformers 3 story. The release date is now July 1st 2011. Not 2012.

Today is Day One. This morning started with an ILM meeting for five hours in San Francisco. Currently I'm flying with writer Ehren Kruger to Rhode Island to talk to Hasbro about new characters.

P.S. Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture. Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you.

Pain and Gain is right after shooting of Trans 3.

Michael


I don't know what to make of this, quite frankly. Like most people here I was supremely disappointed by the nonsense that was Revenge of the Fallen. I once thought this could be the next great action-adventure series, but that's probably out the window. The trailers will be cool and we'll all get hyped up, but I'm expecting nothing more than what we saw from Transformers 2, namely incoherent babble and disappointment.

go in with low expectations and you won't be disappointed.

Megan Fox showing ass and leg -

Giant robots transforming and kickin ass -

US Military blowin shit up real big -

Latest metal rock music soundtrack -


This isn't Martin Scorsese, go in expecting the above and you'll do fine.

Robert Orci posted on the Don Murphy message boards that he and Alex Kurtzman will not be returning to write the third film. Orci stated that Ehren Kruger will take on full writing duties.

source: Don Murphy message board

Too busy writing Star Trek XII, methinks.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, waitaminute - they "write" Michael Bay films? Seriously?

Not really "write" per se, but list out notes for when Megan Fox is supposed to bend over.

This has really surprised some of you? I honestly would have expected a third film. To be honest I still have yet to see Revenge Of The Fallen. However, I think once it comes out on Blu-Ray I will pick it up a long with Transformers 1.

I don't think it's the fact that there is a Transformers 3 coming that surprises us, but rather the timeline. 2011 is aggressive, especially with the writers previously tied up with star trek XII. Still, I understand the need to beat out the world panic of 2012.

They should just bang it out in a month and have the next movie ready for Christmas.

Like twilight?



Hrm, I think I'm going to hell for equating Transformers with Twilight.

That or you're in line for a development deal with a production company looking to tap into the as yet unexploited oversexed, mecha-fetishts demographic.



While we've got the cross talk going, I'd like to point out that the soundtracks for the last two flicks have been pretty weak and suggest the "Transformers" team bring the music supervisors from the "Twilight" flicks on board. I'll be damned if that Death Cab song hasn't piqued my interest for "New Moon."

Sold!

Make it happen. We need something to kill time between "Batman" and "Iron Man" movies.

So, you're expect I, Robot crossed with Debbie Does Dallas?

Basically, but let's keep it PG-13 so we can sell some toys.

Well that's no fun that's it, I'm out!

Hasbro and Activision are having this concept art removed from various sites. The consensus is that the art is for a Transformers III tie-in game. (frankell.blogspot.com)

JUNKION WARRIOR



JUNKION




AUTOBOT & DECEPTION SHIPS



JUNGLE PLANET




MECHANICAL PLANET



LITHOS




LITHOS PROTOFORM

They're still going with the "war in space" story, right?

Update from michaelbay.com: Newest Autobot, a Ferrari 458 Italia.

I was just about to post this. I presume it's Hot Rod?

In any case, my excitement is curbed after the disappointment of Transformers 2.

Is it bad for me to say I still have yet to see Transformers 2?

No its not bad, you've saved youself a world of hurt.

I enjoyed it for a couple things. The seeker mythology was nice to see. So was Jetfire.


as for the Ferrari, I'm actually puting my dibs on Sideswipe. wasn't he a ferrari? And if that's true, then will sunstreaker be far behind in an Lambo?

Sideswipe was the Vette in Transformers 2.

I thought the vette was mirage

Well I finally caved in and downloaded Transformers 2 from demonoid last night. Over all, it was all right but not as fun as the first Transformers. I mean it was cool to see the new Autobots and Decepticons but that's about it.

I'm a bit behind on the news but principle photography is now under way and there has been a lot of tidbits coming in lately, mainly casting announcements and filming locations.


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source: The Associated Press

Shia LaBeouf told The Associated Press that Transformers 3 "brings the heart back to the franchise." He starts working on the third installment on Tuesday.

The new script restores a human element that got lost in the second movie, LaBeouf said. "When I saw the second movie, I wasn't impressed with what we did," LaBeouf said at the Cannes Film Festival. "There were some really wild stunts in it, but the heart was gone."

Michael Bay returns for the third time as director of the science-fiction franchise, which centers on dueling races of giant robots that bring their war to Earth. The next movie will have what the last one lacked - a sense of human consequences, LaBeouf said.

On the second movie, "we got lost. We tried to get bigger. It's what happens to sequels. It's like, how do you top the first one? You've got to go bigger," LaBeouf said. "Mike went so big that it became too big, and I think you lost the anchor of the movie. ... You lost a bit of the relationships. Unless you have those relationships, then the movie doesn't matter. Then it's just a bunch of robots fighting each other."

With "Transformers 3," the toll of the robot war will be grave for our planet, LaBeouf said.

"There's going to be a lot of death, human death. This time, they're targeting humans," LaBeouf said. "It's going to be the craziest action movie ever made, or we failed."

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For better or worse, the Twins are back. (source: leftlanenews.com)

Megan Fox out of Transformers III (deadline.com, variety.com, cnn.com, etonline.com)

Megan Fox drawing attention to herself while promoting the bomb Jennifer's Body may have contributed.






Shia LeBeouf doing the same while promoting Wall Street II: Why @ Cannes 2010:

"I wasn't impressed with Transformers II"

• “When I saw the second movie, I wasn't impressed with what we did", "There were some really wild stunts in it, but the heart was gone... we got lost. We tried to get bigger. Mike [Michael Bay] went so big that it became too big, and I think you lost the anchor of the movie."

• “You lost a bit of the relationships. Unless you have those relationships, then the movie doesn't matter. Then it’s just a bunch of robots fighting each other.”

• “There's going to be a lot of death, human death”, “this time they're targeting humans”, “the craziest action movie ever made”. [RE: Transformers III]


"We botched the last Indiana Jones"

• "I feel like I dropped the ball on the legacy that people loved and cherished", "If I was going to do it twice, my career was over. So this was fight-or-flight for me."

• "You get to monkey-swinging and things like that and you can blame it on the writer and you can blame it on Steven [Spielberg]. But the actor's job is to make it come alive and make it work, and I couldn't do it. So that's my fault. Simple."

• "We [Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf] had major discussions. He wasn't happy with it either. Look, the movie could have been updated. There was a reason it wasn't universally accepted."

• "I'll probably get a call. But he needs to hear this. I love him. I love Steven. I have a relationship with Steven that supersedes our business work. And believe me, I talk to him often enough to know that I'm not out of line. And I would never disrespect the man. I think he's a genius, and he's given me my whole life. He's done so much great work that there's no need for him to feel vulnerable about one film. But when you drop the ball you drop the ball."

And there's one less reason to see #3. Who am I kidding, I'll still watch it for the great special effects. But I have to agree with everything Megan said. The second film had no heart and at some point in the first act I became bored as hell.

Shia Labeouf though

Not sure if this is the right thread but it's TF movie "news"



Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to replace Megan Fox in Transformers III

Rosie Huntington is in - the site that first broke the news is reporting this:

deadline.com

QUOTE: The other actresses on the short-list have been informed that the female lead will go to Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, so unless things fall apart at the negotiating table, she's the new Transformers 3 gal.



Also there is this:

E! Gossip

QUOTE: Our Transformers insider says Megan told him: “All [Bay] wants to do is shoot my ass and my breasts, I hate him!"

And this is a bad thing because?

I really don't know where she gets off being so high and mighty about her career thus far. If she really wanted to prove her acting chops and be known as something other than a sex object, then she should pull a Charlize Theron.

Maybe I'm just falling into the stereotype, but so far, i can't recall a movie where she hasn't tried to show off her assets.

And for a girl that talks about how she likes to bang Russian strippers in her free time...

BELOW: Victoria's Secret inadvertently confirmed Rose Huntington-Whiteley casting. Which led to MichaelBay.com confirmation.


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ABOVE: Transformers War for Cybertron E3 trailer featuring Trypticon!

I'm really looking forward to the War for Cybertron game. All the buzz and demo impressions have been pretty positive. Hopefully it won't disappoint.



On set photo of Ratchet with a new paint deco:

Yeah, gotta admit I was never that big a fan of TF as a kid but War for Cybertron definitely looks promising.

USAToday reveals Shockwave is a new villain plus other plot details.

• "I'll take some of the criticism," says Bay, standing at a set built to resemble a dilapidated nuclear reactor. "It was very hard to put (the sequel) together that quickly after the writers' strike (of 2007-08)."
  
• Bay calls the second film's villain, The Fallen, "kind of a (expletive) character." The new movie's foe is certain to make fans of the original '80s incarnation smile: Shockwave, the robot cyclops-turned-laser-cannon, who became dictator of their home world of Cybertron after the other Autobots and Decepticons journeyed to Earth.
  
• "One thing we're getting rid of is what I call the dorky comedy," Bay adds. So the twins, the two bumbling, slang-spewing robots? "They're basically gone," he says, though John Turturro returns for comic relief.
  
• Plot details are under wraps, but it delves into the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the USA, suggesting there was a hidden Transformers role in it all that remains one of the planet's most dangerous secrets. "The movie is more of a mystery," Bay says. "It ties in what we know as history growing up as kids with what really happened."
  
• Bay hints that there may be a lot of that. "As a trilogy, it really ends," he says. "It could be rebooted again, but I think it has a really killer ending."

I suppose it's somewhat encouraging that they are acknowledging that TF2 went totally off the rails. Also, I don't know if it was mentioned before but Silverbolt will be a new Autobot voiced by James Avery.

covetteblogger.com spotted a topless concept StingRay near a Transformers III shot.



Which means SideSwipe may return with an altered alt-mode.


A modified BumbleBee was at the recent Licensing International Expo



www.comicbookmovie.com

Current rumors suggest BumbleBee III robot-mode maturing in form.

New on set images from Chicago filming:
source: TFW2005






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Details from the shoot:

- Optimus now has his trailer.
- New nascar type cars armed with weapons (Autobots were chasing these guys)
- Autobots sighted - Bumblebee, the red Ferrari, Ratchet, Sideswipe with the roof down, Optimus prime and a purplish-blue sports car with black tires, Twins

Thundercracker. Arranged the images according to likeness. NASCAR Transformers look sorta


Past, Present, and Future Principal Photography:

• Los Angeles Filming Locations
- Filmed at 4th Avenue & S. Main area.

FIRST PHOTOS


www.justjared.com



www.comingsoon.net


• Chicago Filming Locations
- July 09 - 11 filming on Lasalle Street.
- July 15 - 19 filming on Michigan Avenue.
- July 18 - 20 filming at Bacino’s of Lincoln Park 2204 North Lincoln Avenue.


www.seiberton.com


• Florida Filming Locations
- September filming at the Kennedy Space Center.




From the shooting schedule - Kennedy Space Center is the next filming locale. Maybe a Space Shuttle Transformer is on it's way in the form of Sky Lynx or Astrotrain. Factoring in the whole launch platform and one could image a re-interpreted, movieverse Omega Supreme or Metroplex.

Seibertron.com has metric fucktons of pics and videos from the Chicago shoot.

A few choice shots of the Stunticons:



Pic Gallery 1 (478 images)
Pic Gallery 2 (139 images)
Autobot & Stunticon videos
Stunticon videos
Bayhem videos
Wacker Drive destruction videos

what's a "stunticon"? were they ever in any cartoons or comics or is this made up for the movie?

Stunticons were five combiner vehicles that Megatron had created to combat the Autobots Aerialbots. They combined to form Menasor.

Chicago on-set video filming - various Transfomers are featured driving away from an explosion.
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FEATURED:

- NASCAR Stunticons
- Topless Corvette
- Ferrari
- Benz
- Optimus Prime

Possible details for TF3 Opening Scene:
source: Chud

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[align=left]There's a disturbance on the Moon. A robot shaped disturbance. Scientists on Earth see this and the information gets passed up the chain of command. In the White House men in black suits are breathlessly running through the halls, and they burst into the Oval Office. The president is behind the desk, back turned to the door, looking out the window. One of the men tells the president, 'Sir, something's happened on the Moon!' The president turns around.

It's John F. Kennedy.

Yes, the opening scene of Transformers 3 takes place in 1961 or 1962. The gist of the story has to do with the Transformers' involvement in the space race, and this is the reason why JFK was so hot to make sure America was first to the Moon. It sounds like a fun direction; there are a lot of stupid conspiracy theories about Neil Armstrong et al meeting ETs on the Moon, and this is a fun way to play with them. I hear this was Spielberg's idea, and it really does sound like something he'd come up with. If you're like me and you like the Spielberg-influenced Transformers but hate the mostly Spielberg-free Transformers 2, this is all good news.
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Chicago Shooting cont:


Bumblebee Cutout & New Unidentified Transformer Cutout



Bay Action & Random Boot on Fire



Huntington-Whiteley & LeBeouf




www.thescorecardreview.com

Various news bits today:

- Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's character name is Carly. (Spike's girlfriend/wife's name in original cartoons.) (shootfortheedit.com)
- The Ferrari 458 Italia Autobot is called Rush. (shootfortheedit.com)
- The new robot is not Perceptor or Kup. (shootfortheedit.com)
- The Nascar trio are not Stunticons or Omnibots.
- New robot cutout sighted (possibly Shockwave?)


TFW2005.com


Sun Times interviews Michael Bay about the Chicago shoot:

QUOTE: Though Bay keeps his ''Transformers 3'' story line close to the vest, he did reveal the Chicago footage ''is at the very end of the movie and the city is under alien attack, so it's very critical and important to the film's climax.''

The scene shot Monday between Michigan and Wabash focused on ''a number of base jumpers who are part of Josh Duhamel's unit. The heroes in this movie have very few people coming to help them this time. I like to think of it as the 'Black Hawk Down' version of 'Transformers' -- it's much more intimate in terms of what's happening.

''Something very bad has happened to America -- and this is at the very end of the movie.''

Bay releases official video with "spoilers'
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Better look at the Shockwave (and Soundwave) cutouts: