Transformers 4 - ongoing news thread

[Megatron]

Next 'Transformers' Trilogy Will Be 'Completely Different' - Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura says he doesn't expect a Shia LaBeouf cameo (MTV, 4/02/2013):

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A few weeks ago, Bay enthusiastically revealed that the next movie kicks off a new trilogy, but did not comment on whether he will stay on to direct the last two installments. While excited about the prospect, di Bonaventura couldn't say what Bay's roll will be in the rest of the series. "I can't speak for Michael. I hope he would [direct the next two]. It would be great, but it's certainly something in our design of this," he said. "It's going to be an ongoing story, so the possibility, again, as long as the audience shows up for us, there's a lot of story still to be told."

Since studios toss the term "reboot" around with abandon, the extent of the reset on "Transformers" is still unclear. From how di Bonaventura describes it, the new films will introduce many new characters and settings, while staying true to the tone of the first trilogy. "There's a lot of new elements. I wouldn't say we've completely changed this world, and yet it's completely different," he said. "There are new characters, new situations. I don't think we revisit a single location. Michael really has a great way of approaching this thing."

But what about Sam Witwicky, the hero of every "Transformers" movie up until now? Di Bonaventura leaves the door open for a cameo, but he does not see it right now. "I don't believe that would be true. You never know. Things are not set in stone, and if something evolved and that came naturally. That wouldn't be the intention," he said. "The intention is this is new world, with new characters, with Mark Wahlberg leading us. It's a different movie, but a lot of the things that you love about the other ones are joining the ride."

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To view the MTV video interview with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, follow the link above.

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Here's an excerpt from an article about comments Jack Reynor made at the London Evening Standard British Film Awards recently, Transformers 4 Star Reynor Dazzled by 'Amazing Hero' Fassbender (Kildare Nationalist, 5/02/2013):

The up-and-coming actor also revealed landing the lead in Michael Bay's robot adventure 'Transformers 4' was a big thrill because the franchise taps into his boyhood fantasies.

Jack explained: "I'm nervous about it and I'm really excited. I haven't been in touch with [co-star] Mark Wahlberg yet, but I think its going to be a lot of fun.

"I was a big fan of it before - I mean, what young guy doesn't like watching things being blown up and really good looking girls and cars racing round the place?"

[Megatron]

Just another Wahlberg interview. Mark Wahlberg on screen violence, Seth MacFarlane and the next Transformers (British GQ, 26/02/2013):

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You've signed up to star in Michael Bay's fourth Transformers film. What do you think is the secret to a good sequel?
To make it better than the last one! My experience with Michael is fantastic - on Pain & Gain we had a blast and worked really well together. So when he asked me to come onto Transformers, once he told me the idea, I said, "Absolutely." It' s a completely different take on it, so I'm thrilled. We've just got to bring our A-game. There's no phoning it in when it comes to me or what Michael wants to do. And Ted 2 is in the pipeline too - they're writing it now, they've already done the deal and I'm excited about it. Seth [MacFarlane]'s idea is fantastic - and he comes from television, so he continued to write and take these characters further. People who make movies, if the movie is a hit they want to make another one and it's a scramble. But with Seth's background, he could do 50 of them and they would all be great.

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Mark Wahlberg On Ted 2 & Transformers 4 (Empire, 01/03/2013), (link includes a podcast of this interview):

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On the Transformers 4 front, Wahlberg also explained how that gig came about.

"Michael [Bay] and I had an amazing experience working together on Pain & Gain. That movie is insane. It’s like Boogie Nights meets Pulp Fiction meets Fargo. Michael made that movie for $25m and then he asked me if I wanted to work with him again, told me his idea and I said, ‘I’m in’. It’s very different from the other three."

But who is his character in Transformers 4? "I play a man," comes Wahlberg's response. "Who has a child." And what about the stories of Michael Bay saying the film is going to be smaller than the other three? "It will [be smaller]," he explains. "It will just be a couple of people in a room talking."


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[griffin]

Apparently some pre-production filming is now taking place.

[Bidoofdude]

Wait for an official source... yeah right...

[Megatron]

Prepare Yourself For A 'Dark' TRANSFORMERS 4 (ComicBookMovie.com, 07/03/2013):


So far, we know Transformers 4 will have a time-skip, picking up four (or five years depending on who you ask) after the events of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Joining Mark Wahlberg will be relatively new Hollywood faces, Brenton Thwaites and Nicola Peltz in a film that's been described as being smaller than its predecessors. There's also unconfirmed talk from the Hasbro side of production that even the Autobots and Decepticons could undergoe slight redesigns. Besides these tidbits little else is known about the film. In the recent issue of Total Film Magazine, Mark Wahlberg reiterated some things that were previously known like the film is a reboot and that he's excited about it and that the film will be something special. But when the followup question was if the film will be darker and grittier, Wahlberg let slip, "Yeah...I don't want to get fired before I get started, but you're on the right track!" While I think a lot of moviegoers may be nearing "dark and gritty" fatigue, this might actually be a good development for a Transformers franchise that's given fans some pretty silly comic relief and one-punch humor. Is this the direction you'd like the Transformers franchise to go? Sound off in the comment section below. You can read more from Wahlberg in the latest issue of Total Film Magazine out now.

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TF4 to be darker and grittier?

[SharkyMcShark]

Unfortunately for TF3 Bay seemed to interpret that as 'more slow motion robot cranium destruction'.

Which was fun and all, but it didn't really add much.

[GoktimusPrime]

Joining Mark Wahlberg will be relatively new Hollywood faces, Brenton Thwaites and Nicola Peltz in a film that's been described as being smaller than its predecessors.

That might be a good thing. ROTF and DOTM ended up getting too big for their own good (especially ROTF), biting off more than they could chew. TF1 was the smallest and simplest of the Bayverse TF films, but also the best IMO. I'd rather have a small good film over a big lacklustre one.

[Sinnertwin]

I'd rather have a small good film over a big lacklustre one.

Very true.
Im having a brain-melt. If the movie is set 4/5 after DOTM how does.it become a reboot? Wouldnt the previous films act as a reference of some sort?

[Megatron]

Very true.
Im having a brain-melt. If the movie is set 4/5 after DOTM how does.it become a reboot? Wouldnt the previous films act as a reference of some sort?

TF4 won't be an actual reboot, but will be going into a "full, new, different direction" (see below) so will acknowledge (or at least won't contradict) what has gone before.

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“Transformers 4" one of a sci-fi trio to film here (ReelChicago.com, 14/03/2013):

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The biggest film of the futuristic trio is director Michael Bay’s “Transformers 4,” which is expected to return in June to the city the Decepticons had turned into rubble four years earlier.

Neither the production schedule nor cast has been completed, although Chicago location scouts have been hired and the L.A. production staff is expected to land here en masse in June and reportedly will shoot from July through October.

Executive producer/star Mark Wahlberg said he’ll be hunting for a house rental for four months, which suggests the production will be enjoying its entire summer here.

In earlier interviews, Bay promised that while “Transformers 4” would have “the same lineage, it’s going in a full, new, different direction” with a new cast and a new design that will feel natural as it moves on.

That might explain why Wahlberg (co-executive producer with Steven Spielberg on the movie) and Jack Reynor are the only two signed actors announced to date. There’s internet chatter, however, about Josh Duhamel returning to reprise his character.

“Transformers 4’s” budget is also subject to speculation, but since 2009’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” that filmed here had an estimated $200 million budget (and earned $836 million worldwide), the budget for the new film in the franchise should be comparable.

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[Sinnertwin]

Cheers, Megatron