Transformers 3's DC Schedule, Street Closings

The District Office of Motion Picture and Television Development (MPTD) has issued the official shooting dates for Transformers 3 production along with streets that will be closed and related parking restrictions. The shoot is schedule to run from October 11th to October 15th with closings centered on the National Mall area. Considering that the last time streets were closed in Chicago it led to lots of action sequences, it does seem to indicate that Michael Bay might be able to film some action sequences.

"The Dreads" In Indiana

Collecticon.org has posted two videos from the video shoot in Hammond, Indiana from last month. The first video has Agent Simmons' Mayback, Autobots and the Decepticon SUVs (called "The Dreads" by crew) as they filmed on the I90 Skyway. The second video gives you a good look at the digi-truck (not Prime) that was "later destroyed in a stunt where the front of the truck was heavily damaged." The truck's color is so it can be replaced by post-production visual effects.

Transformers 3 Filming Discovery On Wednesday

The NASA Space Flight website is reporting that Transformers 3 production is scheduled to film Discovery on the Launchpad this Wednesday. Filming began at the Kennedy Space Center this weekend as the shuttle runs through the various steps necessary to be ready for the November 1st launch. The highly technical article gets into the specifics of prepping the craft but here is the Transformers 3 specific portion.

...flashes and bangs of a different nature can be expected at the pad over the coming days, as movie crews film scenes for the Hollywood blockbuster Transformers 3, with Saturday processing information noting work to support filming should proceed as planned over this weekend.

Scenes are expected to be shot at Pad 39A on Wednesday – understood to be timed with Discovery being on show with the RSS retracted, meaning the Shuttle may gain herself some credits in the movie.

Hundreds of extras have received security clearance to be in the grounds of KSC during the filming, while Cape Canaveral sources noted Atlas and Delta resources will also be involved in some scenes. Director Michael Bay had previously filmed at KSC during the making of Armageddon – which involved scenes with Atlantis and Endeavour.

"Sideswipe" posted some more details about Wednesday filming.

"...word has it they will be filming on the pad Whether it be 39A or B on Wed ...and delta and Atlas rockets are also suppose to be involved. They've also said that the RSS (which encloses the shuttle on the pad) will be at it's park position to load the payload canister for STS-133. There has also been discussion of rolling the crawler up and down the ramp, for those who don't know, the crawler itself detaches from the actual pad and can be rolled away or back by itself.

If you are interested in seeing more of the Discovery Launch prep there are video feeds and media galleries to look through. The reason for filming the craft, even without a launch, may have something to do with news that in some form or fashion part of the plot for Transformers 3 involves the 1960s space program. Of course shuttles were not used then so maybe it was changed to involve today's program.

John Malkovich On Transformers 3 Role

Way back in March it was revealed that John Malkovich signed on to the cast of Transformers 3 and yet the only detail learned was the character was the boss of Sam. Finally, in a interview with Hit Fix to promote Secretariat, the actor finally added a few small details including the name of the character as Bruce Brassos. Based on the description he is essentially playing the equivalent of the Rainn Wilson character from Transformers 2. If watch the video, the TF3 portion starts at 2:15.

A newcomer to the series, Malkovich plays the boss of our hero Sam (the always present Shia LaBeouf) and said he was subject to only one day of action. And he bluntly and slyly describes his "loudmouth" character as, well, a "jerk." He also volunteers he had a "very, very enjoyable time" shooting with John Turturro, Rosie Perez and LaBeouf. Malkovich ends with, "For me, it was a blast."

Duhamel About Rosie Casting

Shia LaBeouf and Josh Duhamel recently spoke with MTV while promoting their respective movies of Wall Street 2 and Life As We Know It. In both cases they had nothing but glowing comments about Rosie Huntington-Whitely who replaced Megan Fox on Transformers 3 and some of the Chicago footage they have seen. Thanks to Katie for the links.

"I think there's positives and negatives to her not being [in the movie]," said LaBeouf, who was at the Toronto Film Festival to promote "Wall Street 2." "It's awesome that we get the discovery again. I think when everybody's vetted and everybody's been through these wars, then that discovery of the first film is nonexistent. It's kind of beautiful in that we get a new set of eyes, a fresh set of eyes for the audience to vibe with. So you get the discovery again, which is something that wouldn't happen if Megan came back."

LaBeouf said she's "doing great," though there's little he could do to prepare her for the experience of working with famously fiery director Michael Bay.

"You can only do so much," he laughed. "Fight or flight. A tap on the back and a 'Good luck!'"

"I've seen about 10 minutes of it — just the stuff we shot in Chicago — and it's pretty awesome," [Josh] revealed to MTV News.

"It's all in Michael Bay's head, so you never know what the film's going to turn out like, but judging by the script and what we've shot, it's, I think, every bit as good, if not better than, the first two," he declared.

"It's the best movie we've made out of the three, by far," LaBeouf gushed. "I'm super-proud of this movie, man. ... It's balls out. This is the best movie we've made, period."

"I think she's doing a great job," Duhamel shared. "I love her attitude. I think she's a good actress. I think she's perfect for the part."

Transformers 3 Toyline Sizes

The movie maybe just a touch under a year from release but that isn't stopping Hasbro from laying the groundwork. According to TFW2005, Toys R US Canada has already received some information about the prices and classes that will be released for the movie.

Transformers MV3 Activators ass.---$9.99 USD
Transformers MV3 Cybertech DLX-----$16.99 USD
Transformers MV3 Cybertech Lead----$59.99 USD
Transformers MV3 Cybertech voy-----$29.99 USD
Transformers MV3 Cyberverse basic--$5.99 USD
Transformers MV3 Cyberverse plus---$9.99 USD
Transformers MV3 GO BOTS ass.------$12.99 USD
Transformers MV3 Revving robots----$24.99 USD

Basic is another name for Legends class and Plus replaces Scout. The main new class additions are Go-Bots and Revving Robots but no clue what they mean. Not really sure what "Cyberverse" or Cybertech means but probably has something to do with whatever gimmick is designed into the toy.

Tony Todd Not In Transformers 3?

Despite reports from early this year that Tony Todd would return to Transformers 3 as a human character, it seems that is no longer the case. The voice of The Fallen was recently interviewed by ScreenRant for his film Hatchet II and briefly spoke about Michael Bay and the film.

SR: So let me just ask, are you involved with Transformers 3?
TT: No, not yet, no.

SR: Because there was some rumor that you would be playing a human character in Transformers 3 because you did the voice-over work in Transformers 2, but it was just speculating.
TT: It would have been nice, but no.

I guess it is possible that Todd could be tapped for whatever production is doing overseas but I doubt it.

Transformers Linkfest

No new news yet for Transformers 3 in Florida so here are links to galleries and reviews of upcoming toys that will be hitting toy shelves over the next few months. Make sure to view the sweet fan created film that is a nod to the Nokia robot from the first film.

Generations Wreck-Gar
The Transformers Collector's Club has provided the first look Wreck-Gar. I believe the last time we saw this character was for Transformers: Animated and now we are getting a Generations line toy that is closer to his G1 origins. While the robot mode is pure G1 goodness, his alt mode is no longer a motorcycle. The figure is coming sometime next spring.

Transformers Camera Battle
Below is a sweet Transfan short film that pits two transforming cell phones against each other, using the transforming Nokia phone design and sounds from Transformers. Over all a pretty sweet looking and highly detailed creation that is worth watching.

Costco Limited Edition Battle Ops Bumblebee
Hit the link to view an edition of Battle Ops Bumblebee that sports a metallic paint job along with legends Bumblebee and Mudflap. Based on the images, if thinking of getting this version of Bumblebee this might be the one to get.

Upcoming Transformers Galleries - Wave 4 toys Mindset and Fallback Powercore Dinobots Alliance Ironhide
Hit the links to view the rest of the various images of the next wave of Transformers toys from Hasbro. By some reports, many of these toys will hit shelves starting in November to take advantage of the Christmas buying season.

G1 Optimus Prime Matrix of Leadership Kit
Hit the video below for a review of a non-Hasbro kit for the various releases of Generation One Optimus Prime (or Classics Prime) that gives him a the Matrix, jet pack, new fists, sword and G1 cartoon accurate gun. The cost is for the set is around $20USD.

Transformers Classics Hot Rod Video Review
A look at the Classic line figure that I think was actually released a few years ago. I don't think this is being released with the current Generations line. Really no idea what he means by "protected armor". Any check it out if you are curious.

Battle Hooks Optimus Prime Video Review
A Peaugh review of the Takara version of this Voyager class Prime and provides a comparison with the Battle Swords version that it is a re-release of.

Hunt for the Decepticons Tomahawk Video Review
The last review is for Deluxe Tomahawk with helicopter alt mode. One of the few new molds for the Hunt line, the result is a pretty solid figure in both robot and alt mode.

Transformers 3 In Florida, DC Start Date

The cast and crew have arrived in Florida and have already started filming. Also it seems that the Washington, DC shoot finally has a solid start date with the week of October 11th.

While much of the filming is expected to occur around the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, it does seem that isn't the only spot. The Walton Sun (and Destinlog with same article) reports that the crew filmed today at Northwest Florida and Regional Airport and Hurlburt Field.

“It’s a closed set,” [Michael Wesley, the film crew’s assistant location manager] said. “We’re trying to keep the media to a minimum and we’re not releasing information.”

Don Arias, a spokesman with the Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt, said the base is cooperating with the crew because of the positive view the movie will give of the military. “They’ll be showcasing Air Force personnel as well as the CV-22 Osprey on Wednesday (today),” Arias said. “The filming is not open to the public, the media or base personnel.”

The crew checked in at the La Quinta Inn in Fort Walton Beach on Sunday and is scheduled to stay through today. Rohit Trivedi, general manager at the La Quinta Inn, said 30 to 40 crew members have been filtering through the hotel, some wearing “Film Crew of T3” shirts.

After Florida, the cast and crew are expected to descend on Washington, DC. The exact dates have been in limbo for a while now but the TBD.com site is reporting that Josh Friedman from the DC film office provided them with a start date of October 10th.

It looks like Transformers 3 is now locked in for the week of October 11. Mostly the same locations as previously reported, but there are a few items that are still being finalized. Once all of the details are locked in, in the next few days, public notifications (traffic alerts, etc.) will be going on from various agencies with more information.

The website also provided a description of a scene being filmed that may or may not involve John Malkovich's character. The site admits to any real knowledge about the film and characters so the degree of accuracy is highly suspect. Once DC wraps, that will likely finish the USA side of principle photography as the remainder will be filmed overseas at undisclosed locations and times.

...Shia LaBeouf could be speeding across a downtown intersection, John Malkovich on his tail I'm just throwing names together from IMDb, as I've never seen these movies and don't know who is enemies with whom while robots lumber after them near the ... well, near the what? Where are they shooting? The "previously reported" locations, best I can tell, are the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and the Red Cross building, both of which will provide their best imitation of the White House. Let's hope those "few items" not yet finalized are exciting. I'm crossing my fingers for a big makeout scene on the South Lawn.

International Filming Classified, Tyrese Tweets

A few odds and ends related to Transformers 3 production. International filming has not been completed but it is doubtful we will get a full list of locations and dates anytime soon as Nelson posted, "International locations and dates are not being released due to security issues." With filming rumored to be ending by mid to late October, I am guessing that it is the overseas filming that is next on the schedule after Florida (and DC) wraps.

Tyrese has commented a few times over the last few days about the production. One tweet verifies production has finished in Detroit when he tweeted "Detroit.... Were ALL DONE in your town.. God bless you ALL we were ALL treated with the best of respect and love..." Of note is while production is moving to Florida, Tyrese may not be with them as he posted "On yet another plane.. Headed back to the AtL got some HUGE scenes in the AM with Vin, P.Walker, and my dude @Ludacris #FF5 Full THrottle!!" He does seem to be commuting between TF3 and Fast and Furious 5 so it’s possible he isn't scheduled to join them in Florida until later in the week.

He also posted the pics of him in costume with the Ferrari and the guy to the right with comment "Ladies and Gents this is the guy thats been driving Optimus Prime in Transformers for ALL 3 Movies.. Wow!! http://twitpic.com/2skvsc" Just in case the Optimus driver doesn't excite you, he also tweeted a video interview with the voice of Prime, Peter Cullen from back around Transformers 1.

Update: Forgot that Washington DC is after Florida. Also, here is the quote that Tyrese posted with the Ferrari picture, "When I was Detroit I had lunch with the REAL star of Transformers... Jealous!??". Speculate away.

Sector 7 Preview #1 Preview

The new Transformers mini-series Sector 7 hits comic store shelves tomorrow and TFW2005 has a five page preview of the issue. The series will fill in the gaps on the history of the organization that joined TF canon in the first movie. Click here for a look.

John Barber (w) • Joe Suitor (a) • Josh Nizzi (c)
At last—the secret history of the Transformers is finally revealed, through the multigenerational saga of the clandestine spy group code-named SECTOR 7. Events in this series tie directly into all of the massive hit Transformers movies, but trust us when we say—there has never been a movie-tie in comic like this before!
• 2 covers, shipped in 1-to-1 ratio • 32 pages • $3.99USD •

TF3 Detroit: Final Day Report

Closing time for Transformers 3 in Detroit as production finished its final scenes in the city today. The clean-up has begun as the caravan is moving to Florida and the Space Center area for a week of filming from September 29th to October 5th. In the mean time J1000 has provided his final set report with gallery that includes meeting Josh Duhamel, news the set jet prop might be a Decepticon (more fuel for the Shockwave theory) and a continued reminder that the Transformers 3 crew continues to treat fans with nothing but respect and kindness that is appreciated. A huge thanks to J1000 for the last few weeks of images and video for bringing the Detroit shoot to the rest of us.

Well, the smoke is settling in Detroit. Filming wrapped here this morning, with some final scenes shot around the various sets. They are breaking down the sets, and going into clean-up mode, and getting ready to head to Florida tomorrow. I met a really cool girl that works with the locations department over the weekend, who invited us down to check out one of the sets. Just before we ran into here, we got to get some pics of/with some NEST soldiers, then with Josh Duhamel himself! A few minutes later, a crew member saw us and gave my son an ILM/TF3 Crew hat, and another gave him a yellow TF3 sticker like the ones they handed out in Chicago. When we met up with the girl I mentioned, she took us back on the set where the jet was filmed against the skyscraper section and bluescreen, and described some of what we would see in the movie regarding it. She said it would take place 18 floors up, when Sam would jump onto the ship, and the bluescreen would be replaced with Chicago skyline. Another crew member said "Did you guys see the Decepticon ship?".. soooo sounds like it may be Decepticon after all (unless he was mistaken). She described what a lot of the props were for, and pointed out a lot of prominent members of the production that were nearby, such as Simon (Assistant Director), the director of 3D recording, the lead sound editor, etc. Just before we left, Shia walked by about 10 feet away in costume; they were getting ready to wrap up, so we left at that point, with a bunch of awesome memories, pics, videos, and souvenirs. Everybody we met involved with the movie was extremely friendly, very cool, and very gracious with their time, and I thank them all for that! Well, that's it from Detroit everybody; can't wait to see what Florida brings!

J1000

Transformers: Prime Website Launched

Hasbro and Discovery has finally launched HubWorld in the run up to the official launch of The Hub network on October 10th. The site provides a few new details on all their cartoons including Transformers: Prime. The site provides images of the characters in robot and alt mode, a few videos and other features. Click here to view the Prime portion of the site or click here to view TFW2005's gallery that puts it all together in a more user friendly way.

TF3 Detroit: More Images And Videos

Unicron.com and SuperheroHype have recently posted their own galleries and video from the Transformers 3 sets in Detroit. Unicron.com's images show off the sets from the last week in Detroit including the Packard Plant's Train Wreck set, the Griswold stretch, and the TF Gunship thingy. The site also said Friday was the last day of filming at the Griswold and Grand River location. SHH's gallery is images of the downtown Detroit set taken from the rooftops. Some videos and links to everything else are below.

Pics: SuperHeroHype | Hog's Breath | Packard Plant | Downtown Videos: Gunned Down | On Gunship | Optimus Prime

G1 Transformers On The Hub Schedule

Behind the Voice Actors was able to get hold of the first two days of the schedule for Hasbro's The Hub network that is launching on October 10th. Transformers: Prime isn't listed on those two days but G1 Transformers is represented with a Monday slot of 11:00p CST. Other shows of note on the 1st two days are G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Wonder Years, Batman, Batman Beyond, and G.I. Joe Renegades. (via AllSpark)

TF3 Detroit: Detroit Goes Boom

Day 2 of filming of Transformers 3 continues along the "Griswold stretch" near the Farwell Building in Detroit. J1000 and Surge29 once again provides us with images from the set. The first set of photos is thanks to Surge29 which includes a close look at the blue Wrecker that shows how it is rigged so the roof weaponry can be fired. He also wanted to give a "Big Thanks to Tyrese Gibson for giving my kids an autograph poster." The last picture in the set shows off the poster. The second set of pictures and two HD videos is thanks to J1000 including the below set report. The videos show a practice take then the real take with lots of Bayhem boom.

What a night! Earlier in the evening, at the Deli/bar set on Clifford, Prime and Sideswipe were around the Jet prop, as Shia and Rosie were filming around/on/in front of them all; there was a soldier on the fire escape behind the building, aiming his weapon around. Down the street, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Ratchet, and the two new Autobots and Wreckers were on set for some other shots at the Farwell set. Later in the evening, they moved the jet prop away from the front of the deli/bar building, then filmed several takes of a bunch of extras running and screaming from the building and surrounding streets, then blew the set! It was quite a series of explosions; awesome to see in person! As my son and I made our way back to my truck, we were crossing one of the blocked side streets, and had to wait for a black SUV that was coming from the set, flashing it's headlights for the PAs to move the barricades. As it got through and slowly drove past us and around the corner, I realized it was Bay in the passenger seat right in front of us. I yelled "Michael!" and waved; he turned and waved back as they rounded the corner. My son was excited to finally see him up close. Great night on set! I overheard a PA tell another onlooker that they've got one more day of filming here (at this set, I believe).

J1000

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Megatron Rumor, Florida And Detroit End Date

This is kind of a catch-all post for various news and rumors related to Transformers 3 which continues production in Detroit. The rumors in include a Megatron alt mode, Florida casting, and Detroit schedule info.

To start, a new rumor is making the web rounds that Megatron might have a new alt mode. Specifically the Mad Max-ish truck that was spotted in Chicago back in early August. The Imagination Studios posted info without any sources or details to attempt to vet its veracity. Just add it to the theory pile along with the rest (the Ferrari, the Fire Truck, etc) for which vehicle is for which character.

Next, a source tells me that today began the casting process for extras for when TF3 shows up at the Kennedy Space Center. Specifically it was for "badged" employees at the center so not really for the general public. Sounds like work is going to get a lot cooler for a select few. Update: An added note is around 600+ Space Center employees were at the extras casting call with the intent to use them sometime during the September 29th to October 7th date range of the shoot in Florida.

To swing things back to Detroit, The Detroit Times blog is reporting that filming in the city is schedule to end on October 1st. Filming will continue along a "three-block stretch of Griswold. The Griswold stretch, from State Street, past Capitol Park and up to Clifford Street, looked like a war zone, with charred cars flipped everywhere, building burned out, and broken concrete scattered. It was really cool to walk through." This was the location that J1000 and Surge29 captured their images and video. Filming along that stretch will wrap over the weekend.

TF3 Detroit: Downtown With The Big Gun And Bayhem

The area around the Farwell Building in Detroit and the Clifford and Woodward area was invaded today by Transformers 3 production. Most of the Autobot vehicles showed up along with the gigantic gun/jet prop, and the cast. Part of the filming appears to be a continuation of the scene from last week with Shia and Rosie on the prop sharing a hug then later that night which brought some more Bayhem boom to the set (video below). Thanks to J1000 and Surge29 we have two galleries of pictures and videos to enjoy from the day. The set report, first set of pics and last videos are from J1000. The second set of pics and 1st video is from Surge29.

Lots of great stuff going on today; Shia and Rosie were filming on the TF Jet prop (which now appears to definitely not be an "arm" or anything like that, as it was sitting street-level as they climbed on and off of it in front of the deli/liquor store set on Clifford. They were also shooting at the Farwell building with probably close to 100 (maybe more) extras running to the center of the intersection, as they were preparing to blow out a store front there. Towards the end of the evening, as the guys that haul the Autobots around were packing them up for the night, they were very cool and gave me a chance to get some pics of my son with Bumblebee and Sideswipe; then, one of the guys gave my son a NEST logo sticker that they actually us on the vehicles! What a cool souvenir! As you can see in the pic, he's super excited about that! I also noticed the classic silver Mercedes in the hauler that has been seen on other sets. I had my wife and kids with me, and we even got a mention in the local paper (Detroit Free Press), who was there covering some of the goings-on.

J1000

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TF3 Detroit: Transformers At Central Station

J1000 returns with more pictures and video of Transformers 3 production in Detroit. Today brought cast and crew, along with basically all of the Autobot Transformers vehicles including the Wreckers, Twins, Ironhide, Prime (with trailer), etc to Michigan Central Station. At same time the crew was putting the finishing touches on the Clifford and Woodward faked store front set while adding the huge Transformers jet thingy prop from last week. J1000's report, pictures and 9 videos below speak for themselves.

Things are full speed ahead in Detroit now! They were filming at Michigan Central Station most of the day, followed by a quick trip over to the Packard Plant in the late evening for some other shots. The downtown sets should be shooting tomorrow; the Deli/Liquor store they've been setting up at Clifford and Woodward now has the Transformer Jet prop assembled in front of it; they were putting it together around lunch time (the engines were still at Packard at that point), and had it assembled when I came back by around 5PM. At Central Station, they were filming Shia, and I think Duhamel and Tyrese and possibly Hardcore Eddie, as well.

The Wreckers were being filmed racing across the front of the Station, while Ratchet was positioned at the left side door, and tires could be heard squealing inside the station. They were shooting closeups of the NEST squad and Shia on the right side of the station. After they wrapped at Central for the day, I heard a crew member's radio say they had to rush over to Packard; I got some great HD video shots of them leaving, and then arriving at Packard. I caught a glimpse (and pic) of a second Optimus cab inside the gates (I've seen doubles of the other cars, but not Optimus yet). As they were filming at Packard, there were a few small explosions. Tyrese's Chevelle drove by, and a bit later, Ironhide and the Twins finally arrived on a car hauler! Exciting day here in Detroit! Stay Tuned!

J1000