New Details on Transformers Bumblebee Movie with Lorenzo di Bonaventura #BumblebeeMovie
Saturday, June 16th, 2018 4:21AM CDT
Categories: Movie Related News, People News, InterviewsPosted by: Va'al Views: 38,332
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In the piece, which you can read in full here, they touch on the idea of moving back on the Bumblebee story, shifting gears into a more 'vulnerable' role and look with the Volswagen beetle car mode, the choice of script and human lead Charlie / Hailee Steinfeld, what it might mean for the future of the movie franchise, and what other characters we're to expect in the movie itself - three Decepticons in total, including the jet who may or may not be Starscream after all. Partnering with our own speculations about the possible success of this new venture, why not join the discussion too, and let us know what you make of this direction for the movies?
“That was probably the most hotly contested thing, simply because: ‘Wow …. um, and the Beetle can go fast? Ooookay,’” di Bonaventura says. “But I’ve screened [a rough cut] three times, and there has not been a single comment from the audience that they didn’t like the fact that we made it the Beetle. The warmth of it certainly helps us, but also, the sheer freshness of it is really fun.”
That shape creates the sense of an under dog, which is a good thing for a hero who is in a strange world, all by himself, trying to find a way home.
“Psychologically, you’re absolutely right,” di Bonaventura says. “It’s kind of funny. A metal guy made out of a Camaro, or Bumblebee … is one is weaker than the other? I don’t know, but it is how you feel. It is what your experience is of it, in a way.”
[...]
“It’s nice it’s changing,” di Bonaventura says, acknowledging that the Transformers films haven’t exactly delivered strong roles for women. “When we were debating it, the idea of a young girl seemed to us to be a real change in our direction.”
And Steinfeld proved to be the fearsome flesh-and-blood lead they needed. “I’m just amazed at how talented she is,” di Bonaventura says. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen an actor never miss a beat for the entire shoot. It was crazy. We ended up ahead of schedule because she was just so on it all the time. We could move quicker.”
[...]
Another change was reducing the sheer number of robots-in-disguise featured in this movie. That allowed screenwriter Christina Hodson to focus on the bond between Charlie and Bumblebee and tell a coming-of-age story at the heart of this epic action adventure.
“She wrote a really beautiful script that really played into the emotion of the relationship of the two,” di Bonaventura says. “So looking at the movie from that perspective, we thought, we don’t want to overwhelm one Autobot with too many Decepticons. So he has three primary antagonists.”
Two others, who take the form of automobiles, are also being kept secret for now.
[...]
Right now, Bumblebee has to pull off his own film, though.
“If Bee’s successful, we can have a Bee 2, no doubt,” di Bonaventura. “We have a good sense of where a second movie would go. For me, the greatest thing that came out of the writer’s room was the sense that we could go in any number of directions. It opened up our minds to choices.”
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Posted by 1984forever on June 16th, 2018 @ 6:24am CDT
I’ll catch this crap on On Demand next April.
Posted by Burn on June 16th, 2018 @ 6:29am CDT
1984forever wrote:Transformers fans
You do NOT speak for all the fans, so don't presume you know what us "Transformers fans" do and don't want.
Posted by ToaLeePrime on June 16th, 2018 @ 7:20am CDT
I second this notion, every fan wants something different out of a new piece of media, and humans have always played a major role in the story of the Transformers.Burn wrote:1984forever wrote:Transformers fans
You do NOT speak for all the fans, so don't presume you know what us "Transformers fans" do and don't want.
Posted by 1984forever on June 16th, 2018 @ 7:50am CDT
Burn wrote:1984forever wrote:Transformers fans
You do NOT speak for all the fans, so don't presume you know what us "Transformers fans" do and don't want.
Paid to see TF1 two times with 2 different GFs the day it came out. Then paid to see it again the next day with my friend who only went because I told him it was a good movie.
Saw TF2 and 3 both times with my wife and then returned the next day each time to see it solo.
Saw TF4 with my wife and then once again with my son only because he wanted to see it.
Had to see TF5 by myself because 4 stunk so bad, and then did not return because 5 was pure garbage.
See a trend here? If SOME of us fans don’t get what we want, then SOME of us fans will stop spending SO MUCH of our money.
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 16th, 2018 @ 8:02am CDT
Posted by 1984forever on June 16th, 2018 @ 8:22am CDT
ZeroWolf wrote:But what if the fans who do want this, spend more money then you? Plus what ever contribution you or I make is dwarfed by the international markets, like China. You don't have as much sway as you think you do. Though you also didn't deal with burns main objection, which is you only speak for yourself, no one else.
I don’t only speak for myself because many fans have been very vocal about the amount of screen time the humans get and the desire to see different TFs in the sequels. TLK underperformed, and I will not be surprised when BB underperforms as well in the U.S. and ESPECIALLY abroad. I’ll be back next year to say “I told you so.”
Posted by #Sideways# on June 16th, 2018 @ 8:30am CDT
As for this discussion... I'd just like to point out that no matter what Hollywood makes, there will still be the group of people who say, "It's different, ergo I hate it." Simply put, it is easy to have a closed mind, even if one has already watched all of the movies.
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 16th, 2018 @ 8:41am CDT
1984forever wrote:ZeroWolf wrote:But what if the fans who do want this, spend more money then you? Plus what ever contribution you or I make is dwarfed by the international markets, like China. You don't have as much sway as you think you do. Though you also didn't deal with burns main objection, which is you only speak for yourself, no one else.
I don’t only speak for myself because many fans have been very vocal about the amount of screen time the humans get and the desire to see different TFs in the sequels. TLK underperformed, and I will not be surprised when BB underperforms as well in the U.S. and ESPECIALLY abroad. I’ll be back next year to say “I told you so.”
No you agree with other fans views but you don't speak for all of them. This is just your opinion. To speak for the fans you would have to be some kind of democratically elected spokeperson.
Also, what would you do if bb actually performs well? It's certainly not out of the realm of the impossible, it's got a smaller budget for starters and the director has a lot going for him.
Posted by Qwan on June 16th, 2018 @ 8:57am CDT
So yeah, I'll absolutely be paying to see it ASAP once it comes out. I'll be convincing my more casual friend to come along with me. And if things work out, hopefully we'll have a great time and show our support for this new direction at the same time!
Posted by 1984forever on June 16th, 2018 @ 9:21am CDT
ZeroWolf wrote:1984forever wrote:ZeroWolf wrote:But what if the fans who do want this, spend more money then you? Plus what ever contribution you or I make is dwarfed by the international markets, like China. You don't have as much sway as you think you do. Though you also didn't deal with burns main objection, which is you only speak for yourself, no one else.
I don’t only speak for myself because many fans have been very vocal about the amount of screen time the humans get and the desire to see different TFs in the sequels. TLK underperformed, and I will not be surprised when BB underperforms as well in the U.S. and ESPECIALLY abroad. I’ll be back next year to say “I told you so.”
No you agree with other fans views but you don't speak for all of them. This is just your opinion. To speak for the fans you would have to be some kind of democratically elected spokeperson.
Also, what would you do if bb actually performs well? It's certainly not out of the realm of the impossible, it's got a smaller budget for starters and the director has a lot going for him.
If it does well then I'll eat my words on a silicon wafer.
Posted by Stormshot_Prime on June 16th, 2018 @ 10:17am CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on June 16th, 2018 @ 10:41am CDT
That seems to be what this movie's gonna try and do with Bumblebee himself.Stormshot_Prime wrote:Female roles are fantastic and all, but what’s wrong with the audience making a connection to the actual Cybertronians, making them real and likeable characters facing the heavy weight of the war? These movies would do so much more if the transformers were more than war machines.
Posted by Evil Eye on June 16th, 2018 @ 11:38am CDT
Stormshot_Prime wrote:Female roles are fantastic and all, but what’s wrong with the audience making a connection to the actual Cybertronians, making them real and likeable characters facing the heavy weight of the war? These movies would do so much more if the transformers were more than war machines.
TBH they kinda did that with Optimus Prime himself (until they ruined the development with TLK), showing him getting progressively more and more disillusioned with humanity after he sacrificed so much to protect them and they threw it all back in his face. And predictably everyone whined about it because "B-But Optimus Prime can't react realistically to his freinds being slaughtered by the race he swore to protect! RUINED FOREVER! Bring back the Giant Purple Griffin!".
Posted by Burn on June 16th, 2018 @ 5:04pm CDT
1984forever wrote:If it does well then I'll eat my words on a silicon wafer.
You willing to put your loud mouth to the test?
You've got three warnings there. They can disappear.
I'm still waiting on a shiney new Metroplex from the last fool to run his mouth and bet against me.
You in?
Posted by 1984forever on June 16th, 2018 @ 6:11pm CDT
of course I'm in. And I'm not like whoever owes you a Metroplex, I pay my debts bro.Burn wrote:1984forever wrote:If it does well then I'll eat my words on a silicon wafer.
You willing to put your loud mouth to the test?
You've got three warnings there. They can disappear.
I'm still waiting on a shiney new Metroplex from the last fool to run his mouth and bet against me.
You in?
Posted by Burn on June 16th, 2018 @ 6:14pm CDT
1984forever wrote:of course I'm in. And I'm not like whoever owes you a Metroplex, I pay my debts bro.
Cool cool ... but a shiny new Metroplex may be hard to find these days, so I'll settle for a shiny new PotP Predaking should I win. Should you win, your current three warnings go bye bye.
I guess now we need to decide what defines "performs well".
Posted by william-james88 on June 16th, 2018 @ 7:15pm CDT
Burn wrote:1984forever wrote:of course I'm in. And I'm not like whoever owes you a Metroplex, I pay my debts bro.
Cool cool ... but a shiny new Metroplex may be hard to find these days, so I'll settle for a shiny new PotP Predaking should I win. Should you win, your current three warnings go bye bye.
I guess now we need to decide what defines "performs well".
A movie needs to do at least double what it cost to make to break even. So, knowing this, how about four times the cost of the film? In total. The investors will surely think that is performing well, so we should too. This would mean a total of 400 million.
Posted by 1984forever on June 16th, 2018 @ 7:51pm CDT
Good deal. Just got Predaking in the mail yesterday because impatience got the best of me, but I don't want him now because the individual figs are ultra class.william-james88 wrote:Burn wrote:1984forever wrote:of course I'm in. And I'm not like whoever owes you a Metroplex, I pay my debts bro.
Cool cool ... but a shiny new Metroplex may be hard to find these days, so I'll settle for a shiny new PotP Predaking should I win. Should you win, your current three warnings go bye bye.
I guess now we need to decide what defines "performs well".
A movie needs to do at least double what it cost to make to break even. So, knowing this, how about four times the cost of the film? In total. The investors will surely think that is performing well, so we should too. This would mean a total of 400 million.
Posted by Qwan on June 16th, 2018 @ 9:45pm CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on June 16th, 2018 @ 9:55pm CDT
Posted by Burn on June 17th, 2018 @ 12:34am CDT
Sabrblade wrote:What about critical acclaim? A bad movie can still be a commercial success by making a lot of money (case in point: ROTF). I'd think this film would also need positive reviews from audiences and critics alike to enhance the wellness of its performance.
It's about performance, not reception.
william-james88 wrote:A movie needs to do at least double what it cost to make to break even. So, knowing this, how about four times the cost of the film? In total. The investors will surely think that is performing well, so we should too. This would mean a total of 400 million.
Are we talking Internationally or just US domestically? 'cause I'm only in for Internationally.
(Considering only two movies have broken the 400 million mark this year)
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 17th, 2018 @ 7:16am CDT
Posted by 1984forever on June 17th, 2018 @ 7:46am CDT
ZeroWolf wrote:I would say in total, so domestic and international.
Basically if 400 million is good for them (studio, investors etc) then it's good for me. I'm fully expecting to hear words like "flop" and "box office bomb" thrown around come January though.
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 17th, 2018 @ 8:09am CDT
Posted by william-james88 on June 17th, 2018 @ 11:25am CDT
ZeroWolf wrote:I would say in total, so domestic and international.
Yes that is what I meant when I wrote total. 400 million total.
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 17th, 2018 @ 11:55am CDT
Posted by Aimless Misfire on June 19th, 2018 @ 2:57am CDT
Burn wrote:1984forever wrote:Transformers fans
You do NOT speak for all the fans, so don't presume you know what us "Transformers fans" do and don't want.
I'm with 1984forever. Transformers is plural. As in a crap ton of characters. We don't need a stupid movie that revolves around just 1 Transformer. We all have our favorite characters but they've been shoving this little yellow jerk down our throats for 11 years now. It needs to STOP!
And this movie has Bumblebee totally out of character. The Autobot Bumblebee would not be cowering the corner like a friggin Care Bear who's scared of a little human girl. What is that about??? Who's the idiot that thought that was a good idea? This looks like a preschool Rescue Bots movie aimed at little girls. They won't be getting any money from me.
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 19th, 2018 @ 4:06am CDT
Until we see what happens in the time gap between him working with mi6 in the 1960s till the movie, he may have a good reason to shy from human contact. Plus I wouldn't call the main character a little girl...or are you saying in relation to the size of the two characters?
Posted by Ironhidensh on June 19th, 2018 @ 5:16am CDT
Aimless Misfire wrote:Burn wrote:1984forever wrote:Transformers fans
You do NOT speak for all the fans, so don't presume you know what us "Transformers fans" do and don't want.
I'm with 1984forever. Transformers is plural. As in a crap ton of characters. We don't need a stupid movie that revolves around just 1 Transformer. We all have our favorite characters but they've been shoving this little yellow jerk down our throats for 11 years now. It needs to STOP!
And this movie has Bumblebee totally out of character. The Autobot Bumblebee would not be cowering the corner like a friggin Care Bear who's scared of a little human girl. What is that about??? Who's the idiot that thought that was a good idea? This looks like a preschool Rescue Bots movie aimed at little girls. They won't be getting any money from me.
It's very much in character with the original Bumblebee.
Posted by Michael Alex Kawa on June 20th, 2018 @ 4:26am CDT
What I see in the trailer is a the closest I have seen in live action of the source material, and I am not talking about the animated show, but the very first piece of Transformers fiction to ever be released........the very first Marvel Comic issue. Sure Charlie is nothing like Buster, but that scene in her garage reminds me so much of when Bumblebee is injured in the Witwicky's garage. Sure it is not "exact", but it has that feel.....at least to me it does.
I have been collecting Transformers since 1985, and I am excited for this movie, and I know some others are and some definitely are not....which is fine because I am not disillusioned enough to believe that I speak for "every fan", I just speak for this one.
Posted by william-james88 on June 20th, 2018 @ 9:18pm CDT
The Bumblebee trailer took the community by storm not only due to its departure in tone from previous films but also due to the new robot designs. The one that stoo out was the Transformer who turned into a jet. Now that Transformer being a jet coloured grey and red with a seeker head made us all assume in was **********, and for good reason. If anyone still had any doubts, an official description of the film published on the website of Paramount's parent company, Viacom, confirms that the ********** looking bot is indeed **********.
This confirmation does bring a lot into question such as just how embedded this film is with the Michael Bay continuity since while Bumblebee retains certain features of his previous movie looks, ********** does not. This further adds to the notion that Hasbro and Paramount are distancing themselves from the Bayverse we know and that this film was already doing that before we heard news of a possible reboot.
Here is the description where you can see the confirmation:
Before The Last Knight or the Age of Extinction, before Decepticons started leveling American cities and destroying military bases, a yellow Volkswagen Beetle sits forgotten in a California junkyard. It’s been neglected long enough that a honeycomb of bees buzzes beneath its wheel well. Seventeen-year-old Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), takes it home.
She gets more than a car. As Charlie slides beneath her new ride to inspect it, the bug erupts in an intricate flipping puzzle of zinging metal parts, rearranging itself into beloved Autobot Bumblebee.
“Let me tell you something, the driver don’t pick the car, the car pick the driver,” a hauntingly familiar voice-over – it’s the late Bernie Mac, warning Sam Wtiwicky (Shia LaBeouf) in 2007’s Transformers – announces at the trailer’s opening moments. “It’s a mystical bond between man and machine.”
In this case, it’s woman and machine (and a woman, Christina Hodson, wrote the script), but the bond between Charlie and Bumblebee looks as strong as any.
The two become great pals. They go to the beach. They go swimming. Charlie goes no-hands through the sunroof down the Pacific Coast Highway, perhaps pioneering the self-driving car in the film’s 1987 setting.
But things get hectic. The military lurks. So does a dreaded Decepticon. Charlie gets banged up. Helicopters fall from the sky.
The film, helmed by Oscar-nominated Kubo and the Two Strings director Travis Knight, promises to wrap this action in a powerful story informed by the Transformers’ heritage. “I wanted to return to the essences of what made the Transformers franchise so impactful right from the beginning: character, emotion, spectacle,” Knight told attendees at April’s CinemaCon.
Which is not to say that echoes of Paramount Pictures’ five previous Transformers films won’t ricochet off the screen. “… and explosions,” Knight continued, “lots and lots of explosions.”
Posted by Seibertron on June 20th, 2018 @ 10:11pm CDT
“… and explosions,” Knight continued, “lots and lots of explosions.”
Posted by Shuttershock on June 20th, 2018 @ 10:27pm CDT
Seibertron wrote:They had me until“… and explosions,” Knight continued, “lots and lots of explosions.”
Well, as long as it’s not more fireworks-burst explosions. For some reason those really annoyed me in the past. Like, it just LOOKS like a cheap effect at a stunt show.
Posted by Fires_Of_Inferno on June 20th, 2018 @ 10:34pm CDT
Besides, if the writing is better, the explosions won't matter. So long as we get Nitro Zeus back.
Posted by Sabrblade on June 20th, 2018 @ 10:42pm CDT
He's not in this movie.Fires_Of_Inferno wrote:So long as we get Nitro Zeus back.
Posted by Seibertron on June 20th, 2018 @ 10:42pm CDT
Shuttershock wrote:Seibertron wrote:They had me until“… and explosions,” Knight continued, “lots and lots of explosions.”
Well, as long as it’s not more fireworks-burst explosions. For some reason those really annoyed me in the past. Like, it just LOOKS like a cheap effect at a stunt show.
Thank goodness someone else thought the same thing. Here I was thinking that those fireworks looked really cheesy and hadn't read anyone online talking about that (not that people weren't talking about ... just that I hadn't seen anyone talking about it).
Posted by EvasionModeBumblebee on June 20th, 2018 @ 10:43pm CDT
Posted by Fires_Of_Inferno on June 20th, 2018 @ 10:48pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:He's not in this movie.Fires_Of_Inferno wrote:So long as we get Nitro Zeus back.
SSSHHHHHHHHHHH!
Posted by Seibertron on June 20th, 2018 @ 10:54pm CDT
EvasionModeBumblebee wrote:Now that I’m looking at it, the mouth area does kinda resemble our established movie Starscream’s mouth.
It does? I don't see it at all.
Posted by dragons on June 20th, 2018 @ 10:59pm CDT
Fires_Of_Inferno wrote:Being honest, the explosions don't bother me at all. It's a movie about giant robots, afterall. Other than the Iron Giant, ALL giant robot movies need explosions!
Besides, if the writing is better, the explosions won't matter. So long as we get Nitro Zeus back.
If that’s all you will be looking for in movies from now on you should be sticking with books for better writing Shakespeare’s , transformers books, you want to be entertained for two hours forget about real world watch movie if your going to be picky about movies from now stick with books,
Posted by Fires_Of_Inferno on June 20th, 2018 @ 11:05pm CDT
dragons wrote:Fires_Of_Inferno wrote:Being honest, the explosions don't bother me at all. It's a movie about giant robots, afterall. Other than the Iron Giant, ALL giant robot movies need explosions!
Besides, if the writing is better, the explosions won't matter. So long as we get Nitro Zeus back.
If that’s all you will be looking for in movies from now on you should be sticking with books for better writing Shakespeare’s , transformers books, you want to be entertained for two hours forget about real world watch movie if your going to be picky about movies from now stick with books,
Wow, calm down buddy. Didn't mean to personally offend you.
Posted by william-james88 on June 21st, 2018 @ 12:14am CDT
Seibertron wrote:EvasionModeBumblebee wrote:Now that I’m looking at it, the mouth area does kinda resemble our established movie Starscream’s mouth.
It does? I don't see it at all.
Neither do I but regardless, we never see his face fully transformed since it keeps moving before they cut to something else. I am guessing it will be a more streamlined mouth and face.
Posted by Michael Alex Kawa on June 21st, 2018 @ 3:07am CDT
william-james88 wrote:Seibertron wrote:EvasionModeBumblebee wrote:Now that I’m looking at it, the mouth area does kinda resemble our established movie Starscream’s mouth.
It does? I don't see it at all.
Neither do I but regardless, we never see his face fully transformed since it keeps moving before they cut to something else. I am guessing it will be a more streamlined mouth and face.
I kind of see it, but now I don't if I do because it was mentioned.
I do have a slight theory, perhaps appearances of the Transformers change according to what they have scanned. Characters like Megatron and Barricade have had completely different face designs during the Bay movies they have been in. Even when Optimus got his new alt mode in AOE, parts of his face design changed. Sure it is an easy excuse/out to explain how this is Starscrem and still connected to the Bay-verse, but it is the best I can think of.
Posted by vadertime on June 21st, 2018 @ 7:28am CDT
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 21st, 2018 @ 1:22pm CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on June 21st, 2018 @ 5:57pm CDT
Posted by ZeroWolf on June 21st, 2018 @ 6:37pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:Starscream's name has been scrubbed from the original Viacom article.
Then doest his mean it is or isn't him then? Also why have it as a suprise? The toy listing some will no doubt be revealed soon enough mind, we'll know then for sure
Posted by babylon queen on July 1st, 2018 @ 9:58pm CDT
Posted by Starman99 on July 6th, 2018 @ 4:23pm CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on July 6th, 2018 @ 10:34pm CDT
Bee and maybe Optimus (somehow) are the only Autobots in this movie.Starman99 wrote:I hope this new film will be a good reboot for Transformers, Although i do hope they show other Autobots at the end of the film like Wheeljack or Cliffjumper