The Energon Pub

IESB.net has posted an interview with the Transformers Movie producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura wherein he states that, baring any delays from the on-going writer's guild strikes in Hollywood, the sequel to the blockbuster Transformers Movie should begin filming on June 2nd, 2008 - what di Bonaventura calls their "unofficial" start date.

Di Bonaventura goes on to say that director Michael Bay has "designed alot of great stuff already" and has "alot of great sequences imagined".

You can read the entire interview on IESB.net by clicking here

Sounds like the June 2009 release date is still pretty accurate. As I remember, it took about a year from the beginning of filming of the first one until the release...maybe a tad longer. Good news though. Here's to ending the strike soon.

This worries me... shouldn't they have a script first?

Bay: "Okay... guys... you're driving in Bumblebee... and you have a discussion. Now... talk."

Shia: "Um... what do I say?"

Bay: "Well... we don't have a script, so just make things up. We'll dub it in later!"

Shia: "@@#%@#%"

Bay: "Great!"

Nowwhere has it been said that they don't have a script. Also he specifically says "barring any delays" so that could mean many things, but if they are planning a start date then they have something ready to work with.

Good Scripts = Good Movies.

I will wait until Xmas 2009 if I have to, and the delay would probably sort it out nicely...

That said, I would imagine that Orci et. al. have already ironed out the major events for both the second and third sequel. As you say above me, the draft is already done, it's good editing that is needed. As someone who is (trying to) finishing a major writing project, editing is where the rubber meets the road, for sure.

I would also imagine, however, since so much money is at stake, and Orci et. al. stand to benefit as much as anyone, that they are probably slipping drafts and notes back and forth across the "picket line" in the form of clandestine, encrypted, proxied emails. I don't see anything wrong with this either, since the whole point is to enhance writers' stakes in their projects. In any case, I doubt it's as if Bay hasn't convened with his writing team in some fashion since the strike began, at least informally to get business settled so production can go ahead.

$$$

condensed version: their script, like all Hollywood scripts, probably didn't get any rewrites before the strike. Rewrites are necessary to clean up the script to prune out unnecessary dialog or make things more "in-character". A script will filter through a handful of writers (some credited, some not) before it's good to go.

SolCross wrote:condensed version: their script, like all Hollywood scripts, probably didn't get any rewrites before the strike. Rewrites are necessary to clean up the script to prune out unnecessary dialog or make things more "in-character". A script will filter through a handful of writers (some credited, some not) before it's good to go.

So TF2 will be like the first one.

Already? Can't we have some more time to heal after the horror that was the first one?

polystyleneman wrote:Already? Can't we have some more time to heal after the horror that was the first one?

You can have all the time you want. The rest of us will be waiting to see how they tackle a new story and compliment the first one.

Just bring it on!!!

Let's hope the strike ends soon, so we can get this movie made...as well as get rid of all of the reality TV crap on the air.

Gee, I wonder who Bumblebee will piss on this time...

Nemesis_Apoc wrote:Gee, I wonder who Bumblebee will piss on this time...

All of the people that incessantly whine about the movie for no real good reason other than it's not what they expected it to be in the mind.

Didn't they say most of the writing was complete before the strike even started.

Hell, I bet most of it was done when Paramount said they'd do more of these films.

June 2nd is quite a long time, im guessing this date is a prediction. I believe Bay and Co believe that the strike will be over by then and a working script will be ready

TV shows are coming back without the writers, that right there hurts them alot.

Basicly, they will get something from all this, but Late Night has pointed a gun that the rest of the media is just waiting to pull the trigger on...

Liege Evilmus wrote:TV shows are coming back without the writers, that right there hurts them alot.

I think you mean talk shows are coming back. Normal TV shows ain't budging anytime soon until that strike ends, so don't expect to see any new scripts for Lost, Heroes, or anything else.

Robinson wrote:

Nemesis_Apoc wrote:Gee, I wonder who Bumblebee will piss on this time...

All of the people that incessantly whine about the movie for no real good reason other than it's not what they expected it to be in the mind.

Agreed completely!
It's the pre-conceived notions that people have or what they expected to see in the movie just because it has the name Transformers in it that ruined it for them, not Michael Bay.
We already had Transformers the 1986 animated movie, why do we need another one or even a live action cgi movie with the exact same designs.
This movie was a retelling to a certain extent with enough elements of G1 for even the casual transformers fan to like, this was never intended to be a hardcore G1 fan boy wet dream film and to those that thought that I say have fun living in 1984 for the rest of your lives.
I love G1 but there needs to be room for other things too and while the first movie was not perfect it was good and hopefully they will get better.
Just remember that there are a lot people that think that Empire strikes back is better than Star wars so I see the potential in the sequel...just imagine the potential it can have if they learn from some of the mistakes of the first one.

People don't "whine" about TF because its a Transformers movie, they criticize it because it was a failure of a movie by almost every respect.

It's just a fact. You can still choose to enjoy it or even donate money to Bay's bankrolls by buying DVDs or whatever if you like. Although you deserve much better for your money.

polystyleneman wrote:People don't "whine" about TF because its a Transformers movie, they criticize it because it was a failure of a movie by almost every respect.

It's just a fact. You can still choose to enjoy it or even donate money to Bay's bankrolls by buying DVDs or whatever if you like. Although you deserve much better for your money.

lol opinion

polystyleneman wrote:People don't "whine" about TF because its a Transformers movie, they criticize it because it was a failure of a movie by almost every respect.

It's just a fact. You can still choose to enjoy it or even donate money to Bay's bankrolls by buying DVDs or whatever if you like. Although you deserve much better for your money.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

I wish I could make 800 million dollars and still be considered a failure.

Can't wait for it. How can people hate this movie but love the new animated crap?

omega666 wrote:Can't wait for it. How can people hate this movie but love the new animated crap?

It's called "Different Taste"

polystyleneman wrote:People don't "whine" about TF because its a Transformers movie, they criticize it because it was a failure of a movie by almost every respect.

It's just a fact. You can still choose to enjoy it or even donate money to Bay's bankrolls by buying DVDs or whatever if you like. Although you deserve much better for your money.

No, they did and do continue to whine that it is not just a bad movie but that it was a bad transformers movie otherwise they would not care if there were lips on optimus prime if this was just any other robot movie, those were specific to transformers the movie from existing transformers fans and not just the average movie going public and I can't recall coming across anyone saying before that this was just "a bad movie".
Rabid fan boys complained about specific issues such as bumblebee not being a volkswagon and FAR too many other petty issues well too bad because Bay had no choice in that matter and that is a fact!
Facts are also that you can choose to hate it just as much as the next person chooses to like it so it goes both ways but to the far too many disgruntled G1whiners too bad, go raise 200 million dollars and when everyone nitpicks everything about the movie that they've created then don't cry about it.

Was the movie perfect ? no, there is always room for improvement but lets all keep in mind these facts...

Fifth most popular movie in the world for 2007.
Third most popular movie in the USA for 2007.
703 million dollars worldwide.
Made that much money on half the movie screens of most other movies released at the same time.
Successful toy line and other merchandise lines of the movie.
Most popular dvd of 2007.
Most pirated movie of 2007 ( consider that as more popularity for it too )

I guess that means failure in hollywood these days then ?

***Galvatron*** wrote:

polystyleneman wrote:People don't "whine" about TF because its a Transformers movie, they criticize it because it was a failure of a movie by almost every respect.

It's just a fact. You can still choose to enjoy it or even donate money to Bay's bankrolls by buying DVDs or whatever if you like. Although you deserve much better for your money.

No, they did and do continue to whine that it is not just a bad movie but that it was a bad transformers movie otherwise they would not care if there were lips on optimus prime if this was just any other robot movie, those were specific to transformers the movie from existing transformers fans and not just the average movie going public and I can't recall coming across anyone saying before that this was just "a bad movie".
Rabid fan boys complained about specific issues such as bumblebee not being a volkswagon and FAR too many other petty issues well too bad because Bay had no choice in that matter and that is a fact!
Facts are also that you can choose to hate it just as much as the next person chooses to like it so it goes both ways but to the far too many disgruntled G1whiners too bad, go raise 200 million dollars and when everyone nitpicks everything about the movie that they've created then don't cry about it.

Was the movie perfect ? no, there is always room for improvement but lets all keep in mind these facts...

Fifth most popular movie in the world for 2007.
Third most popular movie in the USA for 2007.
703 million dollars worldwide.
Made that much money on half the movie screens of most other movies released at the same time.
Successful toy line and other merchandise lines of the movie.
Most popular dvd of 2007.
Most pirated movie of 2007 ( consider that as more popularity for it too )

I guess that means failure in hollywood these days then ?

I would love to fail like that.


Michael