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[Zeo]

Writers Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci did press rounds for "The Island" in NYC the other day and spoke briefly about how their work on the "Transformers" film adaptation is going. At present they're still working on the script.

Kurtzman told Latino Review that "We talked to Steven Spielberg about it. And he said, 'The action scenes of this movie are a given. But what is this movie really about? It's about a boy and his car.' We understood that immediately, because it's a throwback to the movies we were raised on... right now we're in the process of splitting the narrative, so that part of the movie is that story, and part is about the world's reaction to these aliens arriving - robots in disguise.

They also confirm that a lot of the origin/Cybertron stuff wouldn't be mentioned until a sequel. Around ten Transformers will be seen in the film including the main characters like Optimus Prime, Megatron, Soundwave, Shockwave, Starscream, Jazz. Whether Bay will direct or not will be decided upon the script's completion.

Hm, yep.

 

[Teddman]

The funny thing is, I bet this movie will be tamer than the original animated Transformers movie was.

 

[Ash Housewares]

The funny thing is, I bet this movie will be tamer than the original animated Transformers movie was.

well yea, everybody died, it was traumatic

 

[jett]

The Transformers is about a boy and his car? No it's not. Spielberg is a fucking douchebag.

 

[Escape Goat]

The Transformers is about a boy and his car? No it's not. Spielberg is a fucking douchebag.

He said thats what this movie is about. Its what happens to filmmakers who mellow in their old age.

 

[xsarien]

The Transformers is about a boy and his car? No it's not. Spielberg is a fucking douchebag.

I think the most commercially successful director in Hollywood's history knows what he's doing.

 

[Zeo]

I think the most commercially successful director in Hollywood's history knows what he's doing.

He sure does.

 

[xsarien]

He sure does.

Spielberg at his worst is still generally better than most directors at their best.

 

[Ash Housewares]

screw that guy, he hasn't made a good movie since Indiana Jones

 

[Deku]

I like Spielberg's stuff.

 

[xsarien]

screw that guy, he hasn't made a good movie since Indiana Jones

Yes. Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan were all CRAP, CRAP, and CRAP.

 

[Zeo]

Spielberg at his worst is still generally better than most directors at their best.

No, because Hook was a steaming pile of shit.

That said, I don't think Transformers will suck, but it simply IS NOT AT ALL and SHOULD NOT BE about "a boy and his car".

screw that guy, he hasn't made a good movie since Indiana Jones

Okay, that's just.. no.

 

[Ash Housewares]

Yes. Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan were all CRAP, CRAP, and CRAP.

that is what I was implying, good to see you're with me

 

[xsarien]

No, because Hook was a steaming pile of shit.

That said, I don't think Transformers will suck, but it simply IS NOT AT ALL and SHOULD NOT BE about "a boy and his car".

You're misinterpreting what he's saying. You can't have an hour and a half of shit blowing up. Well, you can if you're Jerry Bruckheimer, but he's not producing it. Spielberg is merely saying that amongst all the action, there's going to be need some kind of, you know, PLOT. Predictable given the movie's schedule? Probably. But it still needs one.

So be prepared for some poor college dork buying a VW bug and him freaking out when it starts talking to him.

 

[Geek]

Spielberg at his worst is still generally better than most directors at their best.

So, you haven't seen The Terminal yet. Consider yourself lucky.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

hook was fucking awesome.


Speilberg is a great director.....but he loves the melodramatic cheese.


Transformer: A lovely coming of age story between a boy and his car/robot.

*cue poster shot of Haley Joel and Optimus holding hands and walking off into the sunset*

 

[Firest0rm]

What is Speilberg doing if Michael Bay is director?

 

[xsarien]

So, you haven't seen The Terminal yet. Consider yourself lucky.

I did. My only real complaint is that it was 30 minutes too long. But really, consider it more a documentary on what sometimes even domestic travellers have to deal with at JFK.

(Fucking Delta.)

What is Speilberg doing if Michael Bay is director?

Executive Producer, IIRC.

 

[Zeo]

You're misinterpreting what he's saying. You can't have an hour and a half of shit blowing up. Well, you can if you're Jerry Bruckheimer, but he's not producing it. Spielberg is merely saying that amongst all the action, there's going to be need some kind of, you know, PLOT. Predictable given the movie's schedule? Probably. But it still needs one.

So be prepared for some poor college dork buying a VW bug and him freaking out when it starts talking to him.

Uh, apparently you know little about Transformers. It HAS a plot, a plot that could EASILY be turned into a 2 hour movie with action AND depth. If he's just saying it should have a PLOT, that's true. But to me it sounds like he is saying it is about A BOY AND HIS CAR.

That's not Transformers, I'm sorry.

 

[xsarien]

Uh, apparently you know little about Transformers. It HAS a plot, a plot that could EASILY be turned into a 2 hour movie with action AND depth. If he's just saying it should have a PLOT, that's true. But to me it sounds like he is saying it is about A BOY AND HIS CAR.

That's not Transformers, I'm sorry.

Friend, I know more about Transformers than most, with friends who know more. G1 has a plot as long as you ignore the litany of plot holes, contradictions, and retcons done over the years. If Spielberg wants to throw in some Spike-ish character just to give the movie a - dare I say it - human element, then all the power to him. It certainly can't be any less shallow than the '86 movie; it certainly can't fuck up the G1 timeline any more.

 

[Teddman]

I don't want that touchy feely boy-and-his-car crap. There is a tendency these days to mellow out and broaden the range of emotions in comic book movies to appeal to a wide demographic, and I'm getting tired of it. All those character moments in the Spider-Man flicks and whatnot.

Anyhow, there is plenty of story to the Transformers without making it about some lonely, misunderstood teen kid who finds himself by virtue of gigantic robots from space. I'll gag.

 

[Zeo]

Anyhow, there is plenty of story to the Transformers without making it about some lonely, misunderstood teen kid who finds himself by virtue of gigantic robots from space. I'll gag.

Exactly.

And I can't believe anyone (xsarien) would even THINK that would be even REMOTELY a good idea.

 

[xsarien]

Exactly.

And I can't believe anyone (xsarien) would even THINK that would be even REMOTELY a good idea.

And I can't believe you're flipping out over a pretty nebulous remark. Nobody said touchy; nobody said feely. Given that it's Transformers - a franchise built on robots that fire lasers at each other - Spielberg was likely being coy. But hey, if you have some kind aversion to things like sub-plots that may make the movie a bit more interesting than any kind of treatment G1's gotten before, hey whatever. I'm just not a status quo kinda guy.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Speilberg is clearly confusing Transformers with Turbo Teen.

 

[Teddman]

And I can't believe you're flipping out over a pretty nebulous remark. Nobody said touchy; nobody said feely. Given that it's Transformers - a franchise built on robots that fire lasers at each other - Spielberg was likely being coy.

I don't know, this sounds pretty earnest:

"We talked to Steven Spielberg about it. And he said, 'The action scenes of this movie are a given. But what is this movie really about? It's about a boy and his car.' We understood that immediately, because it's a throwback to the movies we were raised on... right now we're in the process of splitting the narrative, so that part of the movie is that story, and part is about the world's reaction to these aliens arriving - robots in disguise.

Bleh.

Weren't the robots hidden from most everyone on Earth for much of the first season anyway? My first reaction to those comments is that it sounds like Spielberg doesn't know jack about the Transformers and instead wants to make them fit the mold of the kind of films he's used to making. "A throwback to the movies we were raised on" my ass.

 

[iamthevillain]

a boy AND his car?

how about a movie where the boy IS the muthafucken car?

 

[xsarien]

I don't know, this sounds pretty earnest:Bleh.

Weren't the robots hidden from most everyone on Earth for much of the first season anyway

You mean like in the first few episodes, where they staged a battle in a crowded refinery? They weren't hidden at all, everyone knew about them. It was just spotting them when they were disguised as vehicles. Apparently the giant Autobot and Decepticon symbols weren't enough of a clue.

"A throwback to the movies we were raised on" my ass.

And obviously you know EXACTLY what kind of movies he was talking about. For all we know, he was talking about Moonrunners. I doubt it's going to be Herbie with guns, so just relax.

 

[Ash Housewares]

And obviously you know EXACTLY what kind of movies he was talking about.

wasn't every single Lucas-Spielberg movie a throwback to blah blah blah?

I find his response to be, as stupid as the boy and his car comment is, far too generic and vague to get upset about

 

[Teddman]

You mean like in the first few episodes, where they staged a battle in a crowded refinery? They weren't hidden at all, everyone knew about them.

But they always went back to hiding in the side of a volcano at the end of every episode and weren't discovered by man.

And obviously you know EXACTLY what kind of movies he was talking about. For all we know, he was talking about Moonrunners. I doubt it's going to be Herbie with guns, so just relax.

Maybe, but I'm having visions of E.T. with robots. Where, like half the movie is about how the new visitor impacts the kid's day-to-day and family life. The quote seems to say half the movie will be about a boy and his car, and half will be about the world's reaction to the Transformers.

What about the bloody raging Autobot-Decepticon war?

 

[bionic77]

The first movie was perfect. Best cartoon movie of all time. This is simply a movie that does not need to be made.

 

[Escape Goat]

someone post the link to the music video that was on the forum awhile ago

 

[levious]

Around ten Transformers will be seen in the film

By far the most disturbing comment. This movie will suck, but I've thought that from the moment it was announced that it was CG and real people.

Of course, the cartoon was pretty shitty as well looking back, not as bad as GI Joe, but nearly.

 

[xsarien]

But they always went back to hiding in the side of a volcano at the end of every episode and weren't discovered by man.

Their hideout was never found. Nobody found the Batcave either (Or, if they did, they were quickly dispatched to Arkham.) But all of Gotham still knew of Batman. The same applies to Transformers. Their presence was always pretty obvious, especially in and around the time frame of the movie. It's just that humans in that cartoon/comic/whatever never got to recognizing the good ones from the bad. (Well, sometimes. When it was convenient for the plot.)

Maybe, but I'm having visions of E.T. with robots. Where, like half the movie is about how the new visitor impacts the kid's day-to-day and family life. The quote seems to say half the movie will be about a boy and his car, and half will be about the world's reaction to the Transformers.

What about the bloody raging Autobot-Decepticon war?

I think everyone involved realizes this needs to be a summer action movie, not a summer family movie.

 

[Duck of Death]

No Transformers thread is complete without this:

 

[ScientificNinja]

Spielberg doesn't know shit about Transformers, but he does know how to sell it. His secret throughout the years has been the use of kids. They're in Jurassic Park and especially Jurassic Park 2. He loved the way people reacted to ET and experimented some more with it in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. He went batshit insane putting every hot kid he could find into Goonies, which flopped against Back to the Future. Bottom line - making a movie about a kid or a bunch of kids is one of his oldest tricks, and he's going to use it to mindfuck my childhood.

 

[VisionaryQuest0]

So how much you wanna bet Spielberg will try to get Haley Joel Osment? He's old enough to drive right?

 

[Boogie]

No Transformers thread is complete without this:

Actually, we could pretty well do without PBF in any Transformers thread

 

[Xenon]

I can see the ending of the movie now. Rodomis Prime destroys Unicron, they go back to Cybertron to find Optimus alive and that the autobots have built a holodeck where Spike can be reunited with his mother, but all this happiness is lost when Grimlock burst in to the room destroys everything, lets out roar all while a banner of "When the Autobots ruled the earth" falls on him!