Transformers (film series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Transformers is a series of American
science fiction action films directed by
Michael Bay, and based on the
toys created by
Hasbro and
Tomy. The first film,
Transformers, was released in 2007, the second,
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, in 2009, and the third,
Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011. Despite Bay's original confirmation on
Dark of the Moon being his final installment in the franchise,
[1][2] Hasbro's CEO
Brian Goldner expressed his hopes for further films to be made with or without Bay;
[3] a fourth film has thus been confirmed, with Bay returning to direct, aiming for a 2014 release.
[4][5][6] To date, the series has been distributed by
Paramount Pictures,
DreamWorks, and
United International Pictures. It is currently the 11th
highest-grossing film series and the 4th highest-grossing when averaged to gross per film, behind the
The Lord of the Rings,
Harry Potter, and
Pirates of the Caribbean
film series. Though each film was financially successful at the box
office, the series has received mixed to negative critical reception,
with criticism focusing on the thin plots, undeveloped characters,
crude humor and the lengths of the films. However, many critics praised the visuals and action sequences.
Film series
Transformers (2007)
Transformers is the first film in the series. In
Transformers,
Sam Witwicky (
Shia LaBeouf) discovers that his new car, intended to impress upon
Mikaela Banes (
Megan Fox), is actually
Bumblebee (
Mark Ryan), an alien robot from the planet
Cybertron. He finds out upon meeting the Transforming warriors of Cybertron, the
Autobots, led by their leader
Optimus Prime (
Peter Cullen), that, after the destruction of their planet Cyberton, its life-source, a legendary cube, called the
AllSpark, crash-landed on Earth, several million years ago. However, the
Decepticons and their evil leader
Megatron (
Hugo Weaving)
plan to use the power of the AllSpark to transform human technology
into a new army of Decepticons, and take over the universe. In an
agreement, the Autobots decide to destroy the AllSpark, in order to save
Earth and Humanity. After the Autobots possess the cube, a battle takes
place in
Los Angeles between the Autobots and Decepticons. Megatron kills
Jazz (
Darius McCrary), however the Autobots manage to destroy the Decepticons
Bonecrusher,
Brawl, and
Blackout.
Megatron is ultimately defeated by Sam as he releases the AllSpark's
power into his chest, at the cost of the AllSpark itself. Knowing that,
(with the destruction of its life-source) Cyberton can no longer be
brought back, the Autobots accept Earth as their new home, and Sam and
Mikaela begin a relationship. In the end credits,
Starscream (
Charlie Adler) is seen fleeing into space, suggesting the battle is not over. The film was released on July 3, 2007.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is the second film in the series. Set two years after the events in
Transformers,
the now-larger group of Autobots have allied with the U.S. and U.K.
military to form a unit known as N.E.S.T which hunts down remaining
Decepticons on the planet. Megatron is resurrected by the
Constructicons under
Soundwave's (
Frank Welker)
command. Sam intends to go to college and have a normal life, but
Megatron attempts to obtain some symbols, implanted by the AllSpark into
Sam Witwicky's brain, in favor of his master,
The Fallen (
Tony Todd).
Sam eventually gets badly disturbed with the repeated visuals of the
symbols in his head, however things get worse when a huge army of
Decepticons arrive on Earth. Later, in a battle to protect Sam, Optimus
Prime is killed by Megatron. After his death, Sam, Mikaela, Bumblebee
and twins
Skids (
Tom Kenny) and
Mudflap (
Reno Wilson) join forces with Seymour Simmons (
John Turturro) and Leo Spits (
Ramón Rodríguez) to find out what the Decepticons are planning. They meet the early Transformer
Jetfire (Mark Ryan), and learn that the symbols consist of that information which was to lead the Decepticons to the
Matrix of Leadership,
and which, when inserted in an alien machine, hidden in an Egyptian
Pyramid for centuries, will give the Decepticons, the power to destroy
Earth's Sun.
With the help of Jetfire, Sam and the Autobots reach to the Matrix of
Leadership, and Sam and Mikaela make their way through the battle to the
N.E.S.T forces and Sam uses its power to resurrect Optimus. However,
The Fallen manages to get his hands on it, and activates that machine.
Jetfire sacrifices himself so that Optimus can use his parts. They are
used as a jetpack and battle armor, which Optimus uses to kill The
Fallen and gravely wound Megatron, who flees with Starscream. In the
aftermath, Sam returns to college. The film was released on June 24,
2009.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the third film in the
series. When the war on Cybertron between the Autobots and Decepticons
appears lost to the Autobots, their leader,
Sentinel Prime (
Leonard Nimoy), attempts to launch the
Ark from their planet, containing the technology that could have saved his race. However, it crash lands on
Earth's Moon in 1961. President
John F. Kennedy makes his famous promise to the nation to put a man on the Moon. The 1969
Apollo 11 moon landing was actually an investigation of the spacecraft. As Sam Witwicky goes into adulthood with a new girlfriend named
Carly Spencer (
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), the Autobots learn of the
Ark
and of Sentinel Prime. Thus, Sentinel Prime is brought back to Earth,
and revived using the Matrix of Leadership. Optimus Prime convinces
America's leadership that they must protect Sentinel Prime, and his
"pillars", which can help transport matter through time and space, but
Sentinel betrays the Autobots, as he allies with the Decepticons,
killing
Ironhide (
Jess Harnell)
in the process, and reveals to have made a deal with the Decepticons to
bring back Cybertron. America's leaders decide to send the Autobots to
another planet, wanting to avoid war. But as the Autobots leave, the
Decepticons shoot their ship down, believing that they had killed all of
the Autobots onboard it. With the Autobots gone, Sentinel Prime
activates the pillars, and
Chicago is seized by the Decepticons and their vicious/evil human ally,
Dylan Gould (
Patrick Dempsey).
Thus begins the reproduction of Cyberton, at the cost of Earth, its
resources and humanity. But, it is later revealed that the Autobots had
faked their deaths, and a battle ensues between the Autobots and
Decepticons in Chicago, for one final stand. The film was released on
June 29, 2011 in
3D and
IMAX 3D.
Transformers 4 (2014)
Transformers 4, producer
Lorenzo di Bonaventura stated that a fourth film is in the works aiming for a 2014 release with
Michael Bay to direct and produce the film.
[7] On the same day, Paramount Pictures and Michael Bay announced a June 27, 2014 release date for a fourth film.
[8] Ehren Kruger will pen the script and
Steve Jablonsky will score the film.
[9][10] The film will take place four years after the events in
Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
[11] Shia LaBeouf will not return in any future installments.
Mark Wahlberg has instead been cast in the lead role.
[12][13][14] In November 2012, casting began to search for two more leads.
Isabelle Cornish,
Nicola Peltz,
Gabriella Wilde and
Margaret Qualley were all considered to play the daughter of Mark Wahlberg's character while
Luke Grimes,
Landon Liboiron,
Brenton Thwaites,
Jack Reynor and
Hunter Parrish were all considered to play the racecar-driving boyfriend.
[15] It is also reported that the three leads are contracted for three films.
[16] Bay announced on his website that Reynor is the racecar boyfriend and that the fourth film will start a new trilogy.
[17] Peter Cullen, who voiced
Optimus Prime in the films, will reprise his role.
[18] Tyrese Gibson is in talks to reprise his role.
[19] Glenn Morshower stated that he was contracted for two films and he will reprise his role.
[20] Filming is expected to take place between April and November 2013 at London with a budget of $165 million once
Pain & Gain, a film that Bay is also directing, is finished editing.
[21][22]
On January 8, 2013, it was announced that Reynor would be joining
Wahlberg in the lead. On the Michaelbay.com forums Nelson, the
administrator of the website, confirmed that filming will take place in
Chicago.
[23]
Expanded franchise
In addition to the films, the film series has a promotional expanded
series that is set both before and after the events of the films. This
includes comic books, video games, and novels.
Cast and characters
Development
For the first film, Producer
Don Murphy was planning a
G.I. Joe film adaptation, but when the United States launched the
invasion of Iraq in March 2003,
Hasbro suggested adapting the
Transformers franchise instead.
[24] Tom DeSanto joined Murphy because he was a fan of the series.
[25] They met with comic book writer
Simon Furman, and cited the
Generation 1 cartoon and comics as their main influence.
[24] They made the
Creation Matrix their
plot device, though Murphy had it renamed because of the
film series The Matrix.
[26] DeSanto chose to write the
treatment from a human point-of-view to engage the audience,
[27] while Murphy wanted it to have a realistic tone, reminiscent of a
disaster film.
[26] The treatment featured the
Autobots Optimus Prime,
Ironhide,
Jazz,
Prowl,
Arcee,
Ratchet,
Wheeljack, and
Bumblebee, and the
Decepticons Megatron,
Starscream,
Soundwave,
Ravage,
Laserbeak,
Rumble,
Skywarp and
Shockwave.
[28]
Steven Spielberg, a fan of the comics and toys,
[25] signed on as
executive producer in 2004.
John Rogers wrote the first draft, which pitted four Autobots against four Decepticons,
[29] and featured the
Ark spaceship.
[30] Roberto Orci and
Alex Kurtzman, fans of the cartoon,
[31] were hired to rewrite the script in February 2005.
[32] Spielberg suggested that "a boy and his car" should be the focus.
[33]
This appealed to Orci and Kurtzman because it conveyed themes of
adulthood and responsibility, "the things that a car represents in
the United States".
[34] The characters of Sam and Mikaela were the sole point-of-view given in Orci and Kurtzman's first draft.
[35]
The Transformers had no dialogue, as the producers feared talking
robots would look ridiculous. The writers felt that even if it would
look silly, not having the robots speak would betray the fanbase.
[31] The first draft also had a battle scene in the
Grand Canyon.
[36] Spielberg read each of Orci and Kurtzman's drafts and gave notes for improvement.
[33]
The writers remained involved throughout production, adding additional
dialogue for the robots during the sound mixing (although none of this
was kept in the final film, which ran fifteen minutes shorter than the
initial edit).
[37] Furman's
The Ultimate Guide, published by
Dorling Kindersley, remained as a resource to the writers throughout production.
[37] Prime Directive was used as a
fake working title. This was also the name of
Dreamwave Productions' first
Transformers comic book.
[38]
Michael Bay was asked to direct by Spielberg on July 30, 2005, but he dismissed the film as a "stupid toy movie".
[40] Nonetheless, he wanted to work with Spielberg, and gained a new respect for the mythology upon visiting Hasbro. Bay considered the first draft "too kiddie", so he increased the military's role in the story.
[41] The writers sought inspiration from G.I. Joe for the soldier characters, being careful not to mix the brands.
[42] Because Orci and Kurtzman were concerned the film could feel like a
military recruitment
commercial, they chose to make the military believe nations like Iran
were behind the Decepticon attack as well as making the Decepticons
primarily military vehicles.
[43]
Bay based Lennox' struggle to get to the Pentagon phoneline while
struggling with an unhelpful operator from a real account he was given
by a soldier when working on another film.
Orci and Kurtzman experimented with numerous robots from the
franchise, ultimately selecting the characters most popular among the
filmmakers to form the final cast.
[25]
Bay acknowledged that most of the Decepticons were selected before
their names or roles were developed, as Hasbro had to start designing
the toys.
[44] Some of their names were changed because Bay was upset that they had been leaked.
[45] Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream were the only characters present in each version of the script.
[31] Arcee was a
female Transformer
introduced by Orci and Kurtzman, but she was cut because they found it
difficult to explain robotic gender; Bay also disliked her motorcycle
form, which he found too small.
[42]
An early idea to have the Decepticons simultaneously strike multiple
places around the world was also dropped, being used later in the film's
sequels.
[35]
For the Second film
Revenge of the Fallen, In September 2007, Paramount announced a late June 2009 release date for the sequel to
Transformers.
[46] A major hurdle that was overcome during the film's production was the
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, as well as possible strikes by the
Directors Guild of America and the
Screen Actors Guild. Bay began creating
animatics of action sequences featuring characters rejected for the 2007 film. This would allow animators to complete sequences if the
Directors Guild of America went on strike in July 2008, which ultimately did not happen.
[47][48] The director considered making a small project in between
Transformers and its sequel, but knew "you have your baby and you don't want someone else to take it".
[49] The film was given a $200 million budget, which was $50 million more than the 2007 film,
[50]
and some of the action scenes rejected for the original were written
into the sequel, such as the way Optimus is reintroduced in this film.
[51] Lorenzo di Bonaventura
said the studio proposed filming two sequels simultaneously, but he and
Bay concurred that was not the right direction for the series.
[52]
Writers
Roberto Orci and
Alex Kurtzman
originally passed on the sequel because of a busy schedule. The studio
began courting other writers in May 2007, but as they were unimpressed
with their
pitches, they convinced Orci and Kurtzman to return.
[47] The studio also signed on
Ehren Kruger, as he impressed Bay and Hasbro president
Brian Goldner with his knowledge of the Transformers mythology,
[53] and because he was friends with Orci and Kurtzman.
[54] The writing trio were paid $8 million.
[47] Screenwriting was interrupted by the
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, but to avoid production delays the writers spent two weeks writing a
treatment, which they handed in the night before the strike began,
[54] and Bay expanded the outline into a sixty-page
scriptment,
[55] fleshing out the action, adding more jokes,
[54] as well as selecting the majority of new characters.
[56]
The three writers spent four months finishing the screenplay while
"locked" in two hotel rooms by Bay: Kruger wrote in his own room and the
trio would check on each other's work twice a day.
[57]
Orci described the film's theme as "being away from home", with the
Autobots contemplating living on Earth as they cannot restore
Cybertron, while Sam goes to college.
[58] He wanted the focus between the robots and humans "much more evenly balanced",
[59] "the stakes [to] be higher", and more focused on the science fiction elements.
[60] Lorenzo di Bonaventura said that in total, there are around forty robots in the film,
[50] while
ILM's Scott Farrar has said there are actually sixty.
[61] Orci added he wanted to "modulate" the humor more,
[62]
and felt he managed the more "outrageous" jokes by balancing it with a
more serious plot approach to the Transformers' mythology.
[63] Bay concurred that he wanted to please fans by making the tone darker,
[64] and that "moms will think its safe enough to bring the kids back out to the movies" despite his trademark sense of humor.
[65]
Before
Transformers was released, producer
Tom DeSanto had "a very cool idea" to introduce the
Dinobots,
[66] while Bay was interested in an
aircraft carrier, which was dropped from the 2007 film.
[67] Orci claimed they did not incorporate these characters into
Revenge of the Fallen because they could not think of a way to justify the Dinobots' choice of form,
[58] and were unable to fit in the aircraft carrier.
[68]
Orci also admitted he was also dismissive of the Dinobots because he
does not like dinosaurs. "I recognize I am weird in that department", he
said,
[69] but he became fonder of them during filming because of their popularity with fans.
[70]
He added "I couldn't see why a Transformer would feel the need to
disguise himself in front of a bunch of lizards. Movie-wise, I mean.
Once the general audience is fully on board with the whole thing, maybe
Dinobots in the future."
[71]
However, upon being asked on the subject, Michael Bay said he hated the
Dinobots and they had never been in consideration for being featured in
the movies.
[72]
As a preemptive measure before the release of
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Michael Lucchi and Paramount Pictures announced on March 16, 2009, that a third film would be released in
IMAX 3D on July 1, 2011, which earned a surprised response from director
Michael Bay:
I said I was taking off a year from Transformers. Paramount made a mistake in dating Transformers 3—they
asked me on the phone—I said yes to July 1—but for 2012—whoops! Not
2011! That would mean I would have to start prep in September. No way.
My brain needs a break from fighting robots.
Screenwriters
Roberto Orci and
Alex Kurtzman, who had worked on the two previous
Transformers
films, declined to return for the third film, with Kurtzman declaring
that "the franchise is so wonderful that it deserves to be fresh, all
the time. We just felt like we’d given it a lot and didn’t have an
insight for where to go with it next".
[74] Revenge of the Fallen's co-writer
Ehren Kruger became the sole screenwriter for
Dark of the Moon. Kruger had frequent meetings with
Industrial Light & Magic's (ILM)
visual effects producers, who suggested plot points such as the scenes in Chernobyl.
[75]
On October 1, 2009, Bay revealed that
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
had already gone into pre-production, and its planned release was back
to its originally intended date of July 1, 2011, rather than 2012.
[76] Due to the revived interest in
3-D technology brought in by the success of
Avatar,
[77] talks between Paramount, ILM, and Bay had considered the possibility of the next
Transformers film being filmed in 3-D, and testing was performed to bring the technology into Bay's work.
[78]
Bay originally was not much interested in the format as he felt it did
not fit his "aggressive style" of filmmaking, but he was convinced after
talks with
Avatar director
James Cameron,
[79]
who even offered the technical crew from that film. Cameron reportedly
told Bay about 3-D, "You gotta look at it as a toy, it's another fun
tool to help get emotion and character and create an experience."
[80]
Bay was reluctant to film with 3-D cameras since in test he found them
to be too cumbersome for his filming style, but he did not want to
implement the technology in post production either since he was not
pleased with the results.
[81] In addition to using the 3-D Fusion camera rigs developed by Cameron's team,
[80][82] Bay and the team spent nine months developing a more portable 3-D camera that could be brought into location.
[79]
In a hidden extra for the
Blu-ray version of
Revenge of the Fallen, Bay expressed his intention to make
Transformers 3 not necessarily larger than
Revenge of the Fallen, but instead deeper into the mythology, to give it more character development, and to make it darker and more emotional.
[83] Unicron is briefly shown in a secret
Transformers 3 preview feature in the
Revenge of the Fallen
Blu-ray disc. Ultimately, the producers decided to forgo a plot
involving the planet-eating transformer, and no further comments were
ever made on the subject.
[83] Having been called
Transformers 3 up to that point, the film's final title was revealed to be
Dark of the Moon in October 2010.
[84] After
Revenge of the Fallen was almost universally panned by critics, Bay acknowledged the general flaws of the script, having blamed the
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike prior to the film for many problems. Bay promised to not have the "dorky comedy" from the last film.
[85] On March 19, 2010, the script was said to be finished.
[86]
Reception
The first film,
Transformers, received mixed to positive reviews. Review aggregate website
Rotten Tomatoes
reported that 57% of critics gave the film positive write-ups, based on
218 reviews. At the website Metacritic, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has
received an average score of 61, based on 35 reviews. IGN's Todd
Gilchrist called it Michael Bay's best film, and "one of the few
instances where it's OK to enjoy something for being smart and dumb at
the same time, mostly because it's undeniably also a whole lot of fun".
The Advertiser's Sean Fewster found the visual effects so seamless that
"you may come to believe the studio somehow engineered artificial
intelligence". The
Denver Post's Lisa Kennedy praised the depiction of the robots as having "a believably rendered scale and intimacy", and
ABC
presenter Margaret Pomeranz was surprised "that a complete newcomer to
the Transformers phenomenon like myself became involved in the fate of
these mega-machines".
Ain't It Cool News'
Drew McWeeny felt most of the cast grounded the story, and that "it has
a real sense of wonder, one of the things that’s missing from so much
of the big CGI lightshows released these days". Author
Peter David
found it ludicrous fun, and said that "[Bay] manages to hold on to his
audience's suspension of disbelief long enough for us to segue into some
truly spectacular battle scenes".
The sequel,
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, received
almost entirely negative reviews. Based on 237 reviews at Rotten
Tomatoes, the film received an average 21% overall approval rating.
Despite mostly negative reviews from critics, most audiences responded
better. However, CinemaScore polls reported that on a scale of A+ to F,
the average grade users gave the film was "B+". According to the
Washington Post,
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is Bay's worst-reviewed film, faring even lower than
Pearl Harbor.
Roger Ebert,
who had given the 2007 film three stars, gave the sequel only one,
calling it "...a horrible experience of unbearable length." Later in his
review, Ebert discouraged movie-goers from seeing the film by saying
"If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue
up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start
banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your
imagination."
[87] Ray Bennett of the
Hollywood Reporter
commented in his review that "for the uninitiated, it's loud, tedious,
and at 147 minutes, way too long." The film was also nominated for seven
Razzie awards, winning the awards for
Worst Picture,
Worst Director and
Worst Screenplay.
Though the third film,
Transformers: Dark of the Moon, was
better-received by critics than its predecessor, it still received
generally mixed to negative reviews, with many critics calling it better
than
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and praising its visual
effects and 3-D action sequences, but criticizing the below average
acting and script. Reaction from audience's this time were mixed, some
praising the story, but some criticizing the brief encounters with the
robots and the general full focus on the humans rather than the robots.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 35% based on 235 reviews and
a rating average of 4.9/10, saying "Its special effects -- and 3-D
shots -- are undeniably impressive, but they aren't enough to fillup its
loud, bloated running time, or mask its thin, indifferent script". As
with the second film,
Roger Ebert
gave the film one out of four stars, calling it "a visually ugly film
with an incoherent plot, wooden characters and inane dialog. It provided
me with one of the more unpleasant experiences I've had at the movies."
Richard Roeper
likewise panned the film, giving it a D and saying that "rarely has a
movie had less of a soul and less interesting characters." The film was
nominated for even more Razzie awards than the second film (a total of
eight, including Worst Picture and Worst Director for Bay), but all lost
to
Jack and Jill.
Academy Awards
Box office performance
| Film |
Release date |
Box office revenue |
Box office ranking |
Budget |
Reference |
| United States |
Foreign |
Worldwide |
All time domestic |
All time worldwide |
| Transformers |
July 3, 2007 |
$319,246,193 |
$390,463,587 |
$709,709,780 |
#29 |
#52 |
$150 million |
[88] |
| Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen |
June 24, 2009 |
$402,111,870 |
$434,191,823 |
$836,303,693 |
#15 |
#31 |
$200 million |
[89] |
| Transformers: Dark of the Moon |
June 29, 2011 |
$352,390,543 |
$771,356,453 |
$1,123,746,996 |
#23 |
#5 |
$195 million |
[90][91] |
| Transformers 4 |
June 27, 2014 |
|
|
|
|
|
$165 million |
|
| Total |
$1,073,748,606 |
$1,596,011,863 |
$2,669,760,469 |
N/A |
N/A |
$710 million |
N/A |
List indicator(s)
- (A) indicates the adjusted totals based on current ticket prices (calculated by Box Office Mojo).
|
Critical reception
See also
References
- ^ Breznican, Anthony (2010-06-11). "Next 'Transformers' is due for a switch". USA Today.
- ^ "'Transformers: Dark Of The Moon' Is 'Epic,' Michael Bay Says - MTV Movie News". MTV. 2011-02-10. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
- ^ "‘Transformers 4′ May Happen Without Michael Bay, ‘Transformers 3′ to Feature Mulleted Robot | /Film". Slashfilm.com. 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
- ^ Beard, Lanford (2012-02-14). "Michael Bay will direct the next 'Transformers,' but first he's pumped for 'Pain and Gain'". Insidemovies.ew.com. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- ^ "Michael Bay To Direct ‘Transformers 4,’ Producer Confirms". Movienight.mtv.ca. 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- ^ "Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura Says 'Transformers 4' Coming For Summer 2014 | The Playlist". Blogs.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam. "Paramount Eyeing a 2014 Release for TRANSFORMERS 4? [Updated with Details"]. Collider.
- ^ "Michael Bay Returning to Direct TRANSFORMERS for June 2014 Release". Collider. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ "Ehren Kruger Returns to Write TRANSFORMERS 4; Shia LaBeouf Definitely Out". Collider. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ 05:53 PM (2012-06-16). "Steve Jablonsky Scoring Transformers 4 - Transformers News". TFW2005. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ "TRANSFORMERS 4 to Take Place Four Years after TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON". Collider. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ "Mark Wahlberg May Star in TRANSFORMERS 4". Collider. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ "Michael Bay Considering Mark Wahlberg for TRANSFORMERS 4". Collider. 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ "Mark Wahlberg Confirmed for TRANSFORMERS 4, Plus a New Logo for the Film". Collider. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ "TRANSFORMERS 4, DIVERGENT and NEED FOR SPEED Casting Additions". Collider. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ Josh Wilding - 11/14/2012 (2012-11-14). "Isabelle Cornish, Luke Grimes And More Being Tested For TRANSFORMERS 4; First In A New Trilogy?". Comicbookmovie.com. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ "Jack Reynor : Michael Bay Dot Com". Michaelbay.com. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ 06:10 PM (2012-09-21). "Michael Bay Talks Transformers 4 - Peter Cullen Is Returning As Optimus Prime - Transformers News". TFW2005. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ 02:05 PM. "Tyrese Gibson In Talks For Transformers 4 - Transformers News". TFW2005. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ 04:20 PM (2012-09-23). "Glenn Morshower Talks Transformers 4 And 5 - Filming Starts December - Transformers News". TFW2005. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ 10:59 PM (2012-06-21). "Michael Bay Talks Transformers 4 - New Cast, Plot And The Budget - Transformers News". TFW2005. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ 11:54 AM (2012-10-21). "Transformers 4 to Film on Location in London - Transformers News". TFW2005. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b Kellvin Chavez (2007-02-21). "On Set Interview: Producer Don Murphy On Transformers". Latino Review.
- ^ a b c "Transformers: The Cast, The History, The Movie". Entertainment News International. 2007-06-15. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
- ^ a b "Don Murphy at TransformersCon Toronto 2006". TFcon. Retrieved 2007-01-07.[dead link]
- ^ Kellvin Chavez (2007-02-21). "On Set Interview: Producer Tom De Santo On Transformers". Latino Review. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
- ^ Scott Marble (June 2007). "The Mind of Tom DeSanto". Transformers Collectors Club Magazine: pp. 3, 10.
- ^ "Don Murphy Quotes Special". Seibertron. 2005-04-17. Retrieved 2007-02-18.
- ^ "TF Movie Screenwriter John Rogers Speaks out". Seibertron. 2004-11-30. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
- ^ a b c Zack Oat (2007-01-12). "Double Vision". ToyFare. Archived from the original on 2007-01-17. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ^ "Exclusive: New Transformers Writers". IGN. 2005-02-18. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
- ^ a b Robert Sanchez (2007-06-18). "Interview: Roberto Orci on Transformers and Star Trek!". IESB. Retrieved 2007-06-19.
- ^ Dave Itzkoff (2007-06-24). "Character-Driven Films (but Keep the Kaboom)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ a b Todd Gilchrist (2007-07-02). "Exclusive interview: Roberto Orci". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-04.
- ^ Roberto Orci (2009-03-14). "Welcome Mr. Roberto Orci, you may ask him questions". TFW2005. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
- ^ a b "Orci and Kurtzman Questions: Post movie". Official site's message board. Lasted from July 5 to 10, 2007. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ "Casting Call for Prime Directive". Seibertron.com. 2006-04-08. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
- ^ Chris Hewitt (August 2007). "Rise of the Machines". Empire: pp. 95–100.
- ^ "Michael Bay and the Edit of Transformers". Fxguide. 2007-07-09. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
- ^ a b "'Transformers' writers: A Revealing Dialogue". Wizard. 2007-07-10. Archived from the original on 2007-07-08. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ^ Roberto Orci (2009-01-14). "Major News/Spoiler Alert Robert Orci confirms...". TFW2005. Retrieved 2009-01-15.[dead link]
- ^ Adam B. Vary. "Optimus Prime Time". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- ^ Roberto Orci (2008-07-11). "The 'Welcome Mr. Orci Thread'. You may ask questions!". TFW2005. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
- ^ Pamela McClintock (2007-09-26). "'Transformers' sequel sets 2009 date". Variety. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ a b c Jay Fernandez (2007-10-10). "Heavy metal for sequel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ Danielle Davidson (2008-01-23). "Writer's Strike continues; DGA signs deal; Awards questioned". The West Georgian. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ Adam B. Vary (2007-07-04). "Optimus Prime Time". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ a b Nick de Semelyn (February 2009). "20 to watch in 2009". Empire: pp. 67–69.
- ^ "Transformers: Behind the scenes" (Video). The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
- ^ Brian Savage. "TCC Exclusive: Transformers Revenge of the Fallen at Toy Fair 2009". Transformers Collectors Club. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
- ^ Borys Kit (2007-10-04). "Writing team built fast for 'Transformers 2'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
- ^ a b c Alex Billington (2009-01-14). "Kicking Off 2009 with Writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci – Part Two: Transformers 2". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
- ^ Anne Thompson (2008-02-08). "Oscar Watch: Bay Hosts Transformers Tech Show". Variety. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
- ^ Patrick Lee (2009-03-31). "Orci & Kurtzman reveal Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen details". Sci Fi Wire. Retrieved 2009-03-31.
- ^ Stephanie Sanchez (2008-09-17). "IESB Exclusive: Kurtzman and Orci on Transformers 2!". IESB. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
- ^ a b Josh Horowitz (2008-07-24). "Writers Reveal Theme Of ‘Transformers’ Sequel. The Bad News? No Dinobots". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ^ Orci, Roberto (2008-05-25). "The official "Hey Roberto" Thread". Don Murphy. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ^ Topel, Fred (2008-07-21). "Transformers 2 Scribe Sets Record Straight". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ^ David S. Cohen (2009-03-31). "Michael Bay keeps VFX shops busy". Variety. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
- ^ "More on Transformers 2 From Writer Roberto Orci". Seibertron.com. 2008-02-18. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
- ^ Eric Goldman (2009-01-14). "Transformers 2 Rumor Confirmed". IGN. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
- ^ "Exclusive Video: Director Michael Bay talks TRANSFORMERS Revenge of the Fallen". Collider. 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ "Q&A With Michael Bay". Toy Fair 09, New York City. 2009. Retrieved 2011-07-07
- ^ "Transformer Producer Wants Dinobots in TF2". UGO Networks. 2007-06-05. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- ^ Patrick Kolan (2007-06-13). "Transformers Roundtable with Michael Bay". IGN. Retrieved 2007-06-13.
- ^ "Roberto Orci - Soundwave will not be a Pick Up In Transformers Revenge of the Fallen". TFW2005. 2008-10-18. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
- ^ Roberto Orci (2008-10-20). "he All New "Hey Roberto" Thread". Don Murphy. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
- ^ Roberto Orci (2008-06-19). "The All New "Hey Roberto" Thread". Don Murphy. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ^ Roberto Orci (2008-08-08). "Welcome Mr. Roberto Orci, you may ask him questions". TFW2005. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
- ^ "Michael Bay on the Dinobots: "I hate them."". Seibertron.com. 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
- ^ "Transformers 3 release date". Michael Bay. 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
- ^ Wayland, Sara (2009-08-10). "Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman talk STAR TREK Sequel, COWBOYS AND ALIENS, TRANSFORMERS 3, VIEW-MASTER Film, More". Collider. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
- ^ Desowitz, Bill (2011-07-06). "A Colossal Transformers Sequel| By". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
- ^ "Transformers 3: July 1st, 2011". Michael Bay. 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
- ^ "Michael Bay Testing 3-D for Transformers 3". /Film. 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ^ Cohen, David S.; Sunhee, Han (2010-02-02). "Korea's Stereo Pictures cues 'Cats' – Is Warner on 3-D overdrive?". Variety (Reed Business Information). Retrieved 2010-02-04.
- ^ a b Bowles, Scott (2011-06-28). "'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' aims to revive 3-D movies". Gannett Company. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ a b "Michael Bay & James Cameron Talk 3-D (Extended)". Michael Bay Official Youtube Channel. YouTube. 2011-06-26. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
- ^ Ditzian, Eric (2010-04-02). "'Breaking Dawn,' 'Transformers 3' And Other Films That Might Go 3-D". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
- ^ "Cameron's Avatar Cameras used for Transformers: Dark of the Moon". mystrious.com. 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2011-08-08.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Transformers 3 (2011) Hollywood Film Release Date-DVD-Cast and Crew-Trailer". Calcutta Tube. 2010-09-01. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
- ^ Fischer, Russ (2010-10-06). Third Transformers Film Titled 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon'. /Film. Retrieved 2010-10-06
- ^ Wintraub, Steve (2010-12-08). "Collider.com article about DOTM". Collider.com. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- ^ "'Transformers 3' Script Complete, Josh Duhamel Says". MTV. Viacom. 2010-05-19. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews". The Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
- ^ "Transformers (2007)". Box Office Mojo. December 12, 2012.
- ^ "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)". Box Office Mojo. December 12, 2012.
- ^ "Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)". Box Office Mojo. December 12, 2012.
- ^ Fernandez, Jay A. (May 25, 2011). "Michael Bay Reveals James Cameron's Secret Role in the Making of 'Transformers'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 2011, 2011. "The $195 million Dark of the Moon, which opens June 29, is the Pearl Harbor director's first foray into 3D filmmaking"
- ^ "Transformers". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
- ^ "Transformers". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. 2009-11-29.
- ^ "Transformers". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo!. 2009-11-29.
- ^ "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
- ^ "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
- ^ "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo!. 2009-11-29.
- ^ "Transformers: Dark of the Moon". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
- ^ "Transformers: Dark of the Moon". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
- ^ "Transformers: Dark of the Moon". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo!. 2011-07-01.
