Didn't this come out already?

Hopefully Michael Bay will quit the project and this whole thing will get canned. My only question about this approach is how will they work in the Decepticons? It's obvious from the promos they will be involved. Maybe the school bully gets a slick car and it winds up being a Decepticon!!! ...

I just hope that the movie ends with the kid saying, "Oh Bumblebee" followed by a pan out where all the Autobots are laughing.

I don't know whether to or to get thinking about the possibilities of such a crappy plot... I agree with the comment about this sounding like another Herbie remake.

What really hurts about the "clunker" idea is that you know that's gonna be Bumblebee and Daniel and that'll just come across as an over-budget Herbie rip-off.

Actually, the animated film was called The Transformers: The Movie whereas this one is called Transformers: The Movie. It may be an insignificant difference but it'sa difference, nonetheless. Also, they slightly altered the tittle design. The animated movie and 80's series title had an Autobot logo serving as a sort of hyphen between Trans and Formers. This movie's title adds a Decepticon logo next to the Autobot logo.

I have to agree with Dr. DVD. If ever there was a movie with Bay's name written all over it, Transformers is it. I mean car chases, explosions, stunts, that is Bay's forte. What is not his bag is script and dialog, he needs a little practice in those areas.

I don't mind Clooney at all, although original voices would rock.

i want lots of lazers....

and robot noises

I agree with the Bay choice as well. This would be a perfect movie for him, as it's not like we are going to (or want to) delve into anything deeper than stuff getting blown the f' up.

Ugh, please never say that again. Combining multiple 80's franchises hasn't worked lately in comics and it'd be even harder to pull off as a theatrical film. I'm sure Bay will find a way to make this work; he's legitimately psyched for it and this is the type of movie that his style is made for.

Fun fact: I once got hammered with the guy who has voiced Optimus Prime for the past decade or so. He recorded an awesome drunken voicemail message for me in the voice of Prime, but my friend lost the tape.

I'm guessing that's Gary Chalk. Heh, I've heard he's a partier.

I don't know, I thought the Transformer vs. G.I. Joe miniseries was pretty cool. The Joes and Cobra mixing up Saving Private Ryan style in WWII, and then you throw a few giant robots into the mix. Plus the whole Snake-Eyes vs. Storm Shadow subplot was pretty sweet. I think it could make a pretty cool movie, but granted not really a movie that would have the mass appeal to justify the amount of money they're probably going to put into this thing.

Really? I thought he ment Peter Cullen. Though, Gary Chalk has been Optimus Prime in the latest shows.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=10358

Transformers Moved Back to 2007
Source: DreamWorks Pictures July 13, 2005

With Transformers writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci taking time off from the project to go to Rome and start working on J.J. Abrams' Mission: Impossible 3, starring Tom Cruise, DreamWorks and Paramount have moved the big screen robots adaptation back from November 17, 2006 to July 4, 2007.

The feature, based on the globally popular Transformers franchise, will be directed by Michael Bay (upcoming The Island, Armageddon). Steven Spielberg (War of the Worlds) is executive producing the film, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura (upcoming Four Brothers), Tom DeSanto (X-Men, X2: X-Men United) and Don Murphy (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) serving as co-executive producers.

DreamWorks head of distribution Jim Tharp stated, "Under the direction of Michael Bay, and with Steven Spielberg executive producing, we know that 'Transformers' is going to be the kind of explosive action movie that is perfect for the height of the summer movie season. By staking our claim on the 4th of July, 2007, we ensure that we not only have the time to make this movie the way it should be made, but also to build excitement and awareness leading up to its release."

"Fans around the world have wanted a Transformers live-action movie for a long time and we are thrilled to work with DreamWorks and Paramount to bring this legendary saga to life on the big screen," said Brian Goldner, President of Hasbro's U.S. Toy segment. "With some of the entertainment industry's best talent on board for this film, fans will experience Transformers in a way that is incredibly powerful."

DreamWorks will distribute the film domestically, while Paramount will handle the international release. Hasbro will work with the production team and DreamWorks on all aspects of the film's creative development, marketing and promotions, and will manage merchandising in conjunction with the release of the film.

This week, DreamWorks is launching the official Transformers movie website at Comic-Con International, being held from July 13 - 17 in San Diego, California. Transformers will also be making its presence at the convention known in a big way, with a huge 18-wheeler truck sporting the instantly recognizable Transformers logo dominating the area near the DreamWorks booth-and much of the convention floor-letting thousands of fans know that Transformers is coming to the big screen on 07-04-07.

Introduced in 1984, the Transformers brand took the world by storm with its compelling saga of the Autobots versus the Decepticons. The innovative "Robots in Disguise" resulted in a tremendously successful toy line from Hasbro and Takara, comic book series, television program and an animated feature film. More than 20 years later, a new generation has discovered the excitement of the Transformers brand and its legendary characters, including the two leaders of the opposing sides: Optimus Prime and Megatron. Today, the franchise features a popular toy line, an animated series on the Cartoon Network and a chart-topping comic book series from IDW Publishing.

huh, I always thought the toys came first?

anyway, all I can do at this point is hope it doesn't suck. Hopefully another couple years is enough time to make a decent flick.

Really not looking forward this film... especially after some of the crap posted on the Don Murphy boards and elsewhere. Looks like they're sticking with the "boy and his car" storyline.

I'll be the first to say it:

Don Murphy raped my childhood!!!!

Where on earth did Bay get the impression that Transformers fans have wanted a live-action movie for a long time?

can we really judge a movie that will arrive two years from now?

it makes us sound like we're studio execs, who'll toss aside movies at the one sentence synopsis of the movie.

vision people, look into it. :P

I hope it's like the old school power rangers. That stuff looked so real!

"ComingSoon.net caught up with Transformers writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci who are going to Rome to start working on "Mission: Impossible 3" before continuing the script for the big-screen robots adaptation. They talked a bit about what characters you can expect:

The Transformers legacy is so vast and full of characters, we just had to know who they may be including in the story. "The staple characters: Optimus Prime, Megatron, Soundwave, Shockwave, Starscream, Jazz," Kurtzman replied. "There's going to be a lot of them. You're going to have ten Transformers in that movie, and if that's not enough, you can go see 2, 3, 4 or 5."

shockwave is the best. i had a shockwave toy back in the day. i brought it on an airplane and they made me remove the batteries and keep it in a paper bag for the entire flight. i guess people thought i'd hijack a plane with a plastic purple ray gun.

god knows what they'd have done if i brought megatron on board.

I hear ya. My mother and I were excluded from a trip home while leaving FL when I was a kid. Not a Transformer, but a fake wooden gun bought at Disney brought Fort Knox security up to us. They eventually let us on a plane, but I had to wait for the gun via the mail!

Anyway, Starscream was always my favorite.

I just heard on Eliott in the morning that George Clooney is being discussed as Optimus Prime. Peter Cullen (the original voice) is still alive, right?

Yes, Peter Cullen is very much alive. I like Clooney alot but it's gonna be a very different Prime if he's the voice.

http://www.transformerslive.com/

A message from Steven Spielberg about Transformers. Amusing.