The Energon Pub

MTV has posted an interview with Michael Bay and Mark Wahlberg as they promote their soon to be released film "Pain & Gain". During the interview they discuss their other joint venture, 2014's Transformers 4. According to Bay he only wanted to do one more Transformers film, but Wahlberg has been harassing him to do more. The full interview can be viewed in the video embedded below.

"One day he was just like, 'Hey, do you want to do another movie?' and I said yes," Wahlberg recalled to correspondent Josh Horowitz. "He goes, 'You wanna know what it is?' [I replied] 'Well if you want to tell me, but I want to do it." That film turned out to be "Transformers 4," a project that Wahlberg jumped at the chance without even knowing the role he would play. "[Michael Bay asked] 'Do you want to know what the part is or what the story is?' I go 'Whatever you want to tell me, tell me, but I'm in.' "

Bay's desire to return to the franchise, one he seemingly concluded with 2011's "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," came while the director waited in line for the Transformers ride at Universal Studios. "I was like, 'Wow, a lot of people like this.' I wanted to do it one more time... but then I brought Mark in and he's actually harassing me to do more."

Hmm. So it's sounding like he's going to do all three of the next trilogy. That'll make the fans have a conniption fit.

Autobot032 wrote:Hmm. So it's sounding like he's going to do all three of the next trilogy. That'll make the fans have a conniption fit.

I look forward to it. Besides the fact they're fun movies half the enjoyment is from the bitter tears of the fanboys.

And to that I proclaim: Long live the Bay!

i officially hate mark wahlberg now, the franchise needs a change not sit stagnant like it is. If hasbro doesnt want the franchise to die they need to do something & fast, & this isnt it.

whatever makes money.

Megatron Wolf wrote:i officially hate mark wahlberg now, the franchise needs a change not sit stagnant like it is. If hasbro doesnt want the franchise to die they need to do something & fast, & this isnt it.

You clearly have no idea how much good the films have done for the franchise. The more successful the films are, the more money Hasbro earns, the more Generations toys we get. We're getting Springer, Blitzwing, Metroplex, etc. thanks to the massive moolah the films have garnered.

BUT, that isn't to say anything about the quality of the films, no. I'm not saying they're flawless, masterpiece works of art. Far from it, even. The movies are flawed on so many levels, but that type of unsophisticated entertainment is simply what sells and gets as wide an amount of commercial and financial success as the the films have had.

Capt.Failure wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:Hmm. So it's sounding like he's going to do all three of the next trilogy. That'll make the fans have a conniption fit.

I look forward to it. Besides the fact they're fun movies half the enjoyment is from the bitter tears of the fanboys.

And to that I proclaim: Long live the Bay!

Nicely put.

Sabrblade wrote:

Megatron Wolf wrote:i officially hate mark wahlberg now, the franchise needs a change not sit stagnant like it is. If hasbro doesnt want the franchise to die they need to do something & fast, & this isnt it.

You clearly have no idea how much good the films have done for the franchise. The more successful the films are, the more money Hasbro earns, the more Generations toys we get. We're getting Springer, Blitzwing, Metroplex, etc. thanks to the massive moolah the films have garnered.

Exactly. It might even be fair to say that the movies helped save Transformers, honestly.

We only got Classics as a filler line because they knew the movie was coming and they needed something to keep fans/kids interested and keep sales going. Had the movies not been coming out, what would've?

Animated might've worked without the movies coming before it, but I doubt it. CN canceled it, the toys weren't the biggest sellers, and the animation style is a tough cookie to swallow. (And I say this being a fan. I loved Animated.)

Rescue Bots? As far as we know, it wasn't even remotely ready at that point.
Prime? Same. Heck, without the movies, we wouldn't have Prime. We wouldn't have had Orci & Kurtzman producing it.

I don't know what would've been next, but chances are it wouldn't have made it as far as it has. Cybertron ended in '05/06 and this is now 2013. That's 7-8 years. A lot can happen and change in that time. It could've been another G1 for all we know. (Ending on a really sour note.)

We now have the 30th. anniversary coming up, without the movies, I don't think we'd be celebrating it.

Are the movies perfect? Absolutely not. Are they fun moneymakers? Yup.

Fine here. That's just 4-5 years of movie toys I don't have to buy. As long as the Classics toys keep coming, they can keep making those train-wrecks of movies all they want. I only cringe thinking there's an entire generation of children growing up thinking that's what Transformers are "all about." Groan.

Autobot032 wrote:Prime? Same. Heck, without the movies, we wouldn't have Prime. We wouldn't have had Orci & Kurtzman producing it.

While not necessarily Prime, I think we still might have gotten the Aligned continuity in some form, as Hasbro was beginning to put together the Binder of Revelation around 2007-ish.

I could see War for Cybertron still coming out, but with some differences. If Prime did come out, it certainly wouldn't look as much like the movie style as it does now, so it might have been more G1 looking.

Though, I agree in not seeing Animated come out since it too was meant to be a filler series between films (with an unexpectedly overwhelming positive reaction).

So, maybe instead of Classics being a filler to tide us over until the films, it might have instead tided us over until the (radically different, but still similar in spirit to the) Aligned continuity, coming to life much sooner than 2010.

gothsaurus wrote:Fine here. That's just 4-5 years of movie toys I don't have to buy. As long as the Classics toys keep coming, they can keep making those train-wrecks of movies all they want. I only cringe thinking there's an entire generation of children growing up thinking that's what Transformers are "all about." Groan.

It's not your place to decide what new fans should and should not enjoy. Part of being a healthy member of a fandom is accepting that things change with the times. Transformers can't be stuck in 1986 forever. These films do the series a service by introducing so many new fans to Transformers that would have ignored it otherwise. These films are absolutely what Transformers is all about.

Megatron Wolf wrote:i officially hate mark wahlberg now, the franchise needs a change not sit stagnant like it is. If hasbro doesnt want the franchise to die they need to do something & fast, & this isnt it.

Here come the grumps... so who cares who does the films and whos in it has longest i get to see the thing i love other than my family i realy dont care i still get chills when i see the films who else is gonna make our thing come to life i mean who of us real fans hasent ever thought about what it would be like if they where real i love the fact that someone is putting the money and someone else is putting the effort in doing it, i for one love the films and exited to see whats next maybe three more after three more i dont care ill be watching with my son til i turn grandpa and take my grand children i say keep em comming bay!!

Megatron Wolf wrote:i officially hate mark wahlberg now, the franchise needs a change not sit stagnant like it is. If hasbro doesnt want the franchise to die they need to do something & fast, & this isnt it.

Here come the grumps... so who cares who does the films and whos in it has longest i get to see the thing i love other than my family i realy dont care i still get chills when i see the films who else is gonna make our thing come to life i mean who of us real fans hasent ever thought about what it would be like if they where real i love the fact that someone is putting the money and someone else is putting the effort in doing it, i for one love the films and exited to see whats next maybe three more after three more i dont care ill be watching with my son til i turn grandpa and take my grand children i say keep em comming bay!!

Capt.Failure wrote:These films are absolutely what Transformers is all about.

You had me up until this. The TFs play second fiddle to the humans in these films, being either background material or guest stars in their own movies. There's so much more to the Transformers than what these film portray. At best, these films can act as a conduit to get new fans interested in the brand and seek out more stuff beyond the films so they can experience a better idea of the heart and soul of the Transformers fiction.

Megatron Wolf wrote:i officially hate mark wahlberg now, the franchise needs a change not sit stagnant like it is. If hasbro doesnt want the franchise to die they need to do something & fast, & this isnt it.

1-1.5 billion dollars in box office revenue from a franchise immune to critical backlash. The introduction of Transformers to new generations of fans. The revitalization of the toy lines. New interest in Transformers TV shows.

Apparently money, popularity, and new fans kill franchises now.

Sabrblade wrote:

Capt.Failure wrote:These films are absolutely what Transformers is all about.

You had me up until this. The TFs play second fiddle to the humans in these films, being either background material or guest stars in their own movies. There's so much more to the Transformers than what these film portray. At best, these films can act as a conduit to get new fans interested in the brand and seek out more stuff beyond the films so they can experience a better idea of the heart and soul of the Transformers fiction.

No, wrong. While the Transformers had less screen time in the first film (a practical step since it was an origin story and they had less budget) to say the latter two films suffered this problem is at best stretching the truth and at worst an outright lie. Just because you don't like them doesn't mean they are somehow "not Transformers." If anything they acted as a necessary step up in quality from the garbage we'd been served post-Beast Wars.

My statement was just that kids won't know or respect the ROOTS of Transformers. This Bay "chapter" isn't what I'd prefer to see it judged by. Either way, I'm entitled to my opinion — and to buy what I want.

Capt.Failure wrote:

gothsaurus wrote:Fine here. That's just 4-5 years of movie toys I don't have to buy. As long as the Classics toys keep coming, they can keep making those train-wrecks of movies all they want. I only cringe thinking there's an entire generation of children growing up thinking that's what Transformers are "all about." Groan.

It's not your place to decide what new fans should and should not enjoy. Part of being a healthy member of a fandom is accepting that things change with the times. Transformers can't be stuck in 1986 forever. These films do the series a service by introducing so many new fans to Transformers that would have ignored it otherwise. These films are absolutely what Transformers is all about.

Hang on sec here.

He hasn't decided for anyone, nor has he implied such. "I only cringe thinking" is what he said. Even if I don't agree with his point of view, I see it as a statement, not a declaration of action.

While I agree we can't be stuck in 1986 forever, some people only like G1. Some only like the movies. It's all a matter of opinion. And people are allowed to have and voice their opinions.

While we don't agree with them, we do have to respect the people giving them. So please be careful where we step, folks. I know the movies are polarizing, but let's not let it get us in trouble.

Autobot032 wrote:

Capt.Failure wrote:

gothsaurus wrote:Fine here. That's just 4-5 years of movie toys I don't have to buy. As long as the Classics toys keep coming, they can keep making those train-wrecks of movies all they want. I only cringe thinking there's an entire generation of children growing up thinking that's what Transformers are "all about." Groan.

It's not your place to decide what new fans should and should not enjoy. Part of being a healthy member of a fandom is accepting that things change with the times. Transformers can't be stuck in 1986 forever. These films do the series a service by introducing so many new fans to Transformers that would have ignored it otherwise. These films are absolutely what Transformers is all about.

Hang on sec here.

He hasn't decided for anyone, nor has he implied such. "I only cringe thinking" is what he said. Even if I don't agree with his point of view, I see it as a statement, not a declaration of action.

While I agree we can't be stuck in 1986 forever, some people only like G1. Some only like the movies. It's all a matter of opinion. And people are allowed to have and voice their opinions.

While we don't agree with them, we do have to respect the people giving them. So please be careful where we step, folks. I know the movies are polarizing, but let's not let it get us in trouble.

Apologies. I just find the idea that newcomers should distance themselves from the films as soon as possible to be a ridiculous notion, especially since it's fueled by individual dislike for the films.

Capt.Failure wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:Hmm. So it's sounding like he's going to do all three of the next trilogy. That'll make the fans have a conniption fit.

I look forward to it. Besides the fact they're fun movies half the enjoyment is from the bitter tears of the fanboys.

And to that I proclaim: Long live the Bay!

Here, here!

Seriously, the movies are just good fun, all blockbuster explosions and high quality CGI everywhere! Now, yes, I would like to see fewer human things, and perhaps less of "The United States is the world," but they're FUN. The movies are FUN, period. Just go and enjoy them! You know you want to!

Capt.Failure wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Capt.Failure wrote:These films are absolutely what Transformers is all about.

You had me up until this. The TFs play second fiddle to the humans in these films, being either background material or guest stars in their own movies. There's so much more to the Transformers than what these film portray. At best, these films can act as a conduit to get new fans interested in the brand and seek out more stuff beyond the films so they can experience a better idea of the heart and soul of the Transformers fiction.

No, wrong. While the Transformers had less screen time in the first film (a practical step since it was an origin story and they had less budget) to say the latter two films suffered this problem is at best stretching the truth and at worst an outright lie. Just because you don't like them doesn't mean they are somehow "not Transformers." If anything they acted as a necessary step up in quality from the garbage we'd been served post-Beast Wars.

In all three films, the TFs are not the main stars. No matter how you look at it, they are not in the lead roles. I never once said that they are "not Transformers films", I said that they do not adequately represent what Transformers is all about. There's more, much more, to it that simple "Autobots vs. Decepticons". The films just sorta-kinda scratch the surface of what Transformers is all about, but not quite. They are still very much Transformers films (in the most basic, bare minimum ways), but they are far from perfect examples of TF fiction.

Bay's desire to return to the franchise, one he seemingly concluded with 2011's "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," came while the director waited in line for the Transformers ride at Universal Studios. "I was like, 'Wow, a lot of people like this.' I wanted to do it one more time... but then I brought Mark in and he's actually harassing me to do more."

I officialy love mark now something i never said about shia

Sabrblade wrote:

Capt.Failure wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Capt.Failure wrote:These films are absolutely what Transformers is all about.

You had me up until this. The TFs play second fiddle to the humans in these films, being either background material or guest stars in their own movies. There's so much more to the Transformers than what these film portray. At best, these films can act as a conduit to get new fans interested in the brand and seek out more stuff beyond the films so they can experience a better idea of the heart and soul of the Transformers fiction.

No, wrong. While the Transformers had less screen time in the first film (a practical step since it was an origin story and they had less budget) to say the latter two films suffered this problem is at best stretching the truth and at worst an outright lie. Just because you don't like them doesn't mean they are somehow "not Transformers." If anything they acted as a necessary step up in quality from the garbage we'd been served post-Beast Wars.

In all three films, the TFs are not the main stars. No matter how you look at it, they are not in the lead roles. I never once said that they are "not Transformers films", I said that they do not adequately represent what Transformers is all about. There's more, much more, to it that simple "Autobots vs. Decepticons". The films just sorta-kinda scratch the surface of what Transformers is all about, but not quite. They are still very much Transformers films (in the most basic, bare minimum ways), but they are far from perfect examples of TF fiction.

Their representation of what Transformers is all about is pretty spot on. There's not much to Transformers really. I'm a fan but I don't let my enjoyment of the franchise convince me there's some deeper meaning that isn't there. The convoluted mess of continuity that is the Transformers lore and setting does not qualify it as "deep" by any objective definition. It's more like a poorly maintained toybox, full of bits and pieces of stuff that can be picked and chosen to have fun with.

Ultimately Bay gets it right by trimming the accumulated fat, even if you don't agree. Whether he reaches deeper into the proverbial toybox with the next three films we have yet to see. Ultimately though the quantity of the Transformers lore does not equal quality. And the quality is rather poor.

DEMEXICONZ wrote:Bay's desire to return to the franchise, one he seemingly concluded with 2011's "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," came while the director waited in line for the Transformers ride at Universal Studios. "I was like, 'Wow, a lot of people like this.' I wanted to do it one more time... but then I brought Mark in and he's actually harassing me to do more."

I officialy love mark now something i never said about shia

That's because LeBouf is a worker after a paycheck regardless of the film he's in. Walberg is an actor. Major difference there.

Capt.Failure wrote:Their representation of what Transformers is all about is pretty spot on. There's not much to Transformers really. I'm a fan but I don't let my enjoyment of the franchise convince me there's some deeper meaning that isn't there. The convoluted mess of continuity that is the Transformers lore and setting does not qualify it as "deep" by any objective definition. It's more like a poorly maintained toybox, full of bits and pieces of stuff that can be picked and chosen to have fun with.

Ultimately Bay gets it right by trimming the accumulated fat, even if you don't agree. Whether he reaches deeper into the proverbial toybox with the next three films we have yet to see. Ultimately though the quantity of the Transformers lore does not equal quality. And the quality is rather poor.

I wan't referring to either the lore or continuity. What the TFs in these films lack compared to other TF fiction is personality. Most the bots in the films are stock characters who lack development or character exploration, with most of those qualities being given to the human cast. Sam was the one growing and developing (for better or for worse) in the films, with the people he interacted with affecting him and vice versa. The bots, however, were given next to no reasons for us, the audience, to really care for them as characters (Ironhide's death only bugged me in that they killed off a guy I barely anything about and wanted to know more about, but wasn't going to get to know him because of the films not letting us get to know him before he got axed). They're meant to be flashy special effects and nothing more, which is not the case in just about every other piece of Transformers fiction ever created.

I'm pretty neutral about the films right now, I don't tend to get too bent out of shape when it comes to them but...

I just find it kind of interesting that Hasbro won't consider revamping G1 because they want to continue moving forward with the franchise (which I think in a lot of ways makes sense no matter how sad it makes me). It doesn't really make sense to me, at least in regards to their feelings about moving ahead with Transformers instead of dwelling on older continuities, that they would make another trilogy. Especially since it won't be a real departure from what has already been done.
Shall I say it's a little hypocritical, or is that too harsh?

Anyway, I suppose it is simply the nature of the beast.

inspider wrote:I'm pretty neutral about the films right now, I don't tend to get too bent out of shape when it comes to them but...

I just find it kind of interesting that Hasbro won't consider revamping G1 because they want to continue moving forward with the franchise (which I think in a lot of ways makes sense no matter how sad it makes me). It doesn't really make sense to me, at least in regards to their feelings about moving ahead with Transformers instead of dwelling on older continuities, that they would make another trilogy. Especially since it won't be a real departure from what has already been done.
Shall I say it's a little hypocritical, or is that too harsh?

Anyway, I suppose it is simply the nature of the beast.

The difference between continuing the movie continuity and continuing the G1 continuity is that the former is still fairly recent and the most mainstream thing with Transformers of today, while the latter is over two decades old and more niche with today's audiences. "Currently mainstream" is more appealing for good business than "currently niche" is.