Don Murphy's Sunday Post: Happy Accidents

Sunday, August 20th, 2006 4:44PM CDT

Category: Movie News
Posted by: Seibertron Views: 29,246

Well fans, we've apparently hit a nerve with Mr. Murphy. Gotta love the Internet. There really isn't much news in his post today but it does confirm a few things. You can find his original post at http://www.d13satellite.com/donmurphy/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13292

Here's what he had to say today:

Happy Accidents (A Random Sunday Posting)
Hey there Stooges---

There’s a lot of good stuff to tell you about showing SHOOT-EM-UP to the studio and them loving it… about another project that looks like it will happen… about something I so desperately wanted to do in 2002 but got wronged by a friend, and now the karma turns. Like I say there is a lot of good stuff to tell you.

But let’s talk Transformers shall we? There has been a lot of leaks of photos, scripts, tidbits both true and false. Roberto and Alex spoke on a webcast this week. Lots of things coming out which are costing people their jobs. Good stuff, bad stuff.

But you know what? You haven’t actually SEEN a damn thing yet.

Now the negative ninnies out there, the people like Bowspearer who just live in a cesspool of hatred, will say “We’ve seen enough. This isn’t my Transformers.” To those people who are so old school and stuck in their ways I say the following- Go away. Seriously. We don’t need you here. You hate and you haven’t SEEN a damn thing yet.

Oh sure, Prime doesn’t look EXACTLY like he did in the cartoon. The Autobots are only five. The Decepticons don’t have Soundwave. There are complaints out the wazoo. Well you know what?

I have complaints too. There are things I wanted in this film which are not going to be in there. But I know what some of you know- filmmaking is not a democracy. Hell, Adam Goodman is in charge of production at Dreamworks. He’s the guy who BOUGHT this film. He is working day and night to get this ready for July 07. There are things I know he wishes were in the film. But they aren’t. You’ve talked online here to Brian Goldner. He owns the property but everything is not EXACTLY as he wishes. Tom Desanto is the most devoted producer out there- I know there are things he wishes were in there. You saw that Alex and Bob didn’t get everything they wanted. And Michael Bay, who spends 16 hour days shooting this mega-film? Michael Bay who sets up every shot himself and oversees to the point of operating the camera at times? He’s made a zillion compromises to get a great film he can be happy with.

No, filmmaking is a series of happy accidents. When Tom and I shopped this project around every studio passed, including Dreamworks and Paramount. When those two studios and others came around, we ended up with Dreamworks because Steven Spielberg and Adam Goodman (and creative VPS John Fox and Marc Haimes) knew that this was a BIG cool idea for a franchise. Hell, those guys wanted it in cinemas THIS summer. It’s now 07 because everyone wants to get it right. No one is trying to make anything but a great film here.

When I say you haven’t SEEN anything, think about it. You’ve seen a toy mold. A truck still. A Bumblebee model with a guy underneath it.

You haven’t SEEN Bumblebee transform. You haven’t SEEN Optimus walk or Megatron awaken. You’ve seen sketches, designs and stills. Most of you get it when Brian Goldner says “We are doing something here that has never been done.” He’s right. The technology is there to make a LIVE ACTION Transformers film. To make several of them. But this is not a cartoon. There are cartoons already. Hasbro is making more. This is something new and different. LIVE ACTION robots.

So you negative ninnies- I’d like you to give us a break. And if you don’t, I’d like you to go away for a while. Seriously. Come back in six months. Wait until you SEE something that Michael and ILM and all of us have done. Not some leaked bullshit from some coward. Wait till you SEE the magic that I believe will be Transformers the Live Action Movie. Then if you don’t like what you see, hate away. Till then, I challenge you to be a grown up and reserve judgment. Even the majority who seem to like what you see have a right to hate later on.

We’re trying to do this right- to appeal to the fans and the rest of the world. Cullen is hired. Welker is going through the process. Other things are being reviewed and considered.

There will always be someone who wants to hate. That’s so easy.

But I challenge the haters to wait until they SEE a Transformer in Live Action.

And the rest of you, most of you, thanks for the many suggestions and kind words. It continues to be a surprising and fun ride.

Hang Tight Stooges, Hang Tight.

Credit(s): Raymond T.