Quote Originally Posted by DELTAprime View Post
The original draft script for Transformers The Movie has been revealed at TFNation 22 and will soon be available in full online for everyone.

https://www.seibertron.com/transform...on-2022/47161/
I was going to post up a copy of what was at that link, but after reading through it I think it is necessary to read it with all of the inserted images. The images help visualise some of the elements, but NOTE - all of those artwork images in that news posting (including the "movie poster" at the top) are brand new for this presentation done by some (fan?) artists... the original script that was recently acquired for this presentation did not come with any images or concept sketches, so all of the images are just interpretations of what was written in the script.

This is one of those things that long-time fans should check out in some form (either the write-up at that link above or the video links in the post above this one, or the full script when it ends up being uploaded), as it gives massive insight into what eventually became our iconic 1986 Movie. Even though this original draft script was about 90% different to the finished movie, there is a number of key plot elements and characters that are worth knowing, such as where the name "Sweeps" came from.

One thing that stood out to me was the date this first draft was completed... before the first cartoon episode even aired in 1984. Hasbro must have been that confident of their hit toyline (based on retailer orders) lasting at least 3 years, that they started this project before they started working on Season 2 of the cartoon.

This script draft was first written in August 1984, before the first episode of the G1 cartoon had even aired. Literally right after the final episode of Season 1, "Heavy Metal War", had been written. Season 2 hadn't even been conceptualized yet.
When you look at the timeline in 1984...
- February had the American Toyfair, which gave Hasbro record pre-order sales to the retailers, knowing that they had a winner on their hands.
- March had the first season of the cartoon being scripted for production.
- May had the first issue of the comic released in America.
- August is when this first draft of the Movie script was done. (which must mean the project would have been planned and green-lit in June or July)
- September is when the first episode of the cartoon screened in America... and I think it was when the toys started showing up in stores there too.
It would be another two years (September 1986) for the Movie to be released in cinemas.