Michael Bay News

Despite the prospect of having millions of dollars thrown at them, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have decided to walk away from Transformers 3.

The screenwriting duo behind the first two Transformers films and J.J. Abrams' recent Star Trek reboot have confirmed that they will not be penning the planned third film, leaving Ehren Kruger, who also worked on Revenge of the Fallen, to go toe to toe with the boisterous Bay. 

Bay, who himself had recently told the press he desired a vacation from the world of Optimus Prime, has shown no signs of slowing down production of Transformers 3 since announcing the planned release date of July 1st, 2011 earlier this month. Bay has even invited Megan Fox to join along in the pyrotechnics again, as we reported earlier.

To be honest with you guys, I can't tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I've never really been a fan of anything Kurtzman and Orci have done, having loathed the writing in both Transformers films, and found the new Star Trek to be fun but flimsy at best. And as much as I'd like to champion any misfortune that befalls Mr. Bay (c'mon, it's fun!), I don't know if this is a boon or bane for him, let alone the film.

So far, Kruger's record with Revenge of the Fallen isn't looking so hot, but if the creative team has taken anything away from the negative critical reaction to their second outing, maybe they'll learn from their mistakes. Yeah, right. I just hope that Bay and Speilberg see more than dollar signs and finally give us a Transformers film that doesn't piss all over my childhood like Bumblebee on John Turturro.

Hey Michael, you mentioned back in June that you might be interested in making a film that doesn't have explosions in it. I know that film won't be Transformers 3, but I for one would really like to see you keep your word. Just because you hear "cha-ching!" when you make things go "ka-boom!" doesn't mean the rest of us aren't going "zzzzzzzzzzz".

Transformers 3 is a go!

Director Michael Bay took to his blog today and even announced the scheduled release date for the next film in this franchise. He wrote:

Well its official: We have a great Transformers 3 story. The release date is now July 1st, 2011. Not 2012. Today is Day One. This morning started with an ILM meeting for five hours in San Francisco. Currently I’m flying with writer Ehren Kruger to Rhode Island to talk to Hasbro about new characters.

Bay also confirmed that actress Megan Fox, with whom he's reportedly been feuding, is welcome back into the fold, stating:

P.S. Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture.

Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you. Michael

As if we needed another reason to buy a ticket for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen:

The movie will be director Michael Bay's final foray into the action genre.

"After the three and a half years I've spent making these movies, I feel like I've had enough of the Transformers world," he said this week. "I need to do something totally divergent, something without any explosions."

Uh-oh. Will straight males between the ages of 12 and 39 see a movie ever again?

"It's easy to go shoot an art movie in a winery in the South of France. But people have no idea how hard it is to create something like Transformers," Bay said. "[The critics] review me before they've even seen the movie."

During a recent panel discussion at ShoWest, director Michael Bay spoke on the differences between Transformers and the upcoming sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

"I'm very confident in the movie; the movie is way different [from the first film]. It's epic, it goes around the world, and it's the first film to shoot on the pyramids in like 40 years," he said.

Regarding the special effects, Bay added:

"The robot technology is far more advanced than the way it was in the first movie in the terms of the acting level we were able to get out of the robots. It feels different... I'm confident in it!"

According to a very reliable source, promotional efforts for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are about to begin in earnest.

Here's what director Michael Bay wrote in his most recent blog entry:

First there will be a teaser poster soon after the new year, and the teaser trailer will be out either in the theaters early Feb. or on the Superbowl. Cannot decide yet. I'm going to release some set stills on this site in a few weeks. I'll keep you informed. Going back to do more selects now from my portable avid that I take home from work. It's late, see you.