Frank Welker Joins Transformers: Prime

In a Don Murphy forums thread where Transformers fans are mourning (or celebrating) the loss of Megan Fox from Transformers 3, Transformers: Prime consultant (? not clear on his role) Roberto Orci stopped by with a few hints about Transformers: Prime, the next TF cartoon series that is premiering this fall on the new The Hub network.

Probably most important to fans, he confirmed that the legendary Frank Welker has joined Peter Cullen as a cast member on the show, "Seeing Cullen and Welker together in the recording studio was mind blowing." He did not elaborate on what voices Welker will be performing but I would not be surprised if it turns out to be Megatron and Soundwave.

For Starscream fans, Orci also verified that he "will be his former back stabbing treacherous sarcastic egocentrical whiny glorius never learning foolish good looking self" (good description) with a simply "Yup." (via Seibertron)

Gemma Arterton To Replace Fox?

MovieWeb is reporting that Michael Bay may already have a replacement in mind for Megan Fox. Gemma Arterton, from Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia, has apparently been speaking with Bay about joining Transformers 3. Her star has been rising and on the hotness scale I would argue she is above Fox. Bay is probably just hoping for a more ego free set. So far this just rumor but with production already started on the film I suspect an announcement will come soon.

Fox Comfirms Leaving Transformers 3

Megan Fox confirms leaving Transformers to People. It was leaked that Paramount, based on a decision from Michael Bay, decided not to exercise it's option to reprise her role of Mikaela Banes for TF3. Fox provides a slightly different perspective saying through her reps that "It was her decision not to return. She wishes the franchise the best.”

Megan Fox Fired From Transformers 3 (Updated)

The gossip site Deadline is reporting that Megan Fox is no longer a cast member for Transformers 3, saying it was director's Michael Bays' decision.

I've just learned that Paramount won't be picking up Megan Fox's option on Transformers 3 -- and that it was "ultimately" director Michael Bay's decision. (So he gets his revenge for her remark comparing him to "Hitler".) Right now Bay and writer Ehren Kruger et al are finishing up the script for the threequel and "giving Shia a new love interest makes more sense for the story," an insider tells me. Bay will start casting immediately for the new female co-star.

There has been a bit of history between Megan Fox and Michael Bay. You have her not polite comments on the films, her like Hitler comment, a letter written by crewmembers asking to remove her, Bay's response & Megan's response to the letter and sure more we are not aware of. However, all of this happened months ago and would not explain a sudden move to replace her after principle photography started.

There are multiple caveats on why this is likely false. One, Deadline probably has around a .500 batting average on its rumors in general and has shown tendency to edit their posts to make it seem more accurate then really is. Two, Megan Fox has already been on a Transformers 3 set with the Bumblebee Camaro and makeup for Transformers 3. Three, expensive movies like Transformers 3 tend to avoid replacing their leads after principle photography has started. Sure the Hitler comment could be a cause but if Bay was going to replace her, that decision and casting would have occurred months ago, not now. Finally, Bay already said back in November that he wasn't killing Fox's character and welcomed her return (of course he tends to lie...).

It should be noted that the article claims the script is currently being finished and didn't mention that principle photography has already begun indicating the site is a bit behind the news regarding the movie. While not unprecedented for leads to be replaced after filming has started, it is rare and only occurs under extraordinary circumstances. I don't recall it ever happening for a sequel. Big news like this is going to have to be sourced from other known sources before I recommend anyone take it seriously.

Update: Hey what do you know, more sources already. From Variety, "A studio spokeswoman disclosed Wednesday that Par[amount]'s decided against picking up Fox's option to star as Mikaela Banes in the third installment but declined to elaborate."

CNN is also reporting, "A rep for Paramount confirmed to CNN that Megan Fox won't be back to reprise her "Transformers" role Mikaela Banes for the third time."

I have to wonder what happened for this decision to come down now rather than months ago. It has to be something recent (maybe from that set visit) that became the proverbial straw. Fox will have to start promoting Jonah Hex soon so might get more information then.

Transformers 3 Truck Stunt Video

Transformers 3 principle photography has started as of last week in Los Angeles with Shia LaBeouf reporting to the set today. However there was some second unit work being performed in April that included a visit to Gary, Indiana and now it seems also at Howard Hughes Airfield which is north of LA. The video recorded on April 29th via a Flip camera shows off a truck stunt that involves a car going off a ramp, hitting the ground and exploding in a fireball. People on site said the stunt was for Transformers 3. There is no visible signage nor familiar Transformers related vehicles so this cannot be proven conclusively.

Last Stand Of The Wreckers #5 Preview

Another comic book Wednesday is coming and this week it brings Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers #5. This is the final issue of the mini-series that pits The Wreckers in a final fight against Overlord, who took over the Autobot prison planet of Garrus-9 and turned it into his own gladitorial arena. The covers and first six pages of the issue can be found at Comics Continuum (scroll to bottom of the page). A review of the issue can be found TFW2005. (via AllSpark)

Written by Nick Roche and Jame Roberts, interior art by Nick Roche
The endgame begins. Their teammates are dead, their mission is in tatters, and all hope is lost. Time has run out for the last of the Wreckers, who confront the maniac responsible for the atrocities of the last 48 hours. Deaths, betrayals and long-promised revelations -- truly, this one has it all!32pages * $3.99

W4C: Mission Design Trailer

A new trailer from Gametrailers.com for Transformers: War for Cybertron video game that is coming out on June 22, 2010. Game Director Matt Tieger and Lead Game Designer Matt Krytstek talk about the Autobot and Decepticon campaigns and the boss fights. Also every level of the game is co-opt with two other players.

Peter Cullen Voices Optimus In TF Prime

A new article from Advertising Age about Hasbro's new The Hub network that is launching on October 10th is news on the voice of Optimus Prime for the cartoon, return of a beloved cartoon series and an interesting ad limitation the new network will have to deal with. The article also gets into details about other plans the network has such as GI Joe: Renegades, My Little Pony and more. Below are quotes directly related to Transformers. (via TFW2005)

..."Transformers Prime" will feature the voice of Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime from the animated series as well as the Michael Bay-directed feature films. Additionally, "Transformers" feature screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci will act as showrunners.

The Hub will exclusively re-air old episodes of the Jim Henson Company's "Fraggle Rock," and is also planning a late-night block of old "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers" episodes to attract parents and young adult males nostalgic for the '80s-era cartoons.

Ads for Transformers toys, for example, can't air within or adjacent to the "Transformers" show due to government restrictions. The same goes for other Hasbro-branded programs that also have products to advertise at retail.

Shia Starts Transformers 3 On Tuesday

Megan Fox has already reported to Transformers 3 and in a new interview from Access Hollywood Shia LaBeouf will join her on Tuesday. The interview was part of Shia's promotion of Wall Street 2 at the Cannes Film Festival. He reiterates the goal in making Transformers 3 as "The biggest movie we ever tried to make. We want to make the best action movie ever made." His hand has also recovered from the injury that occurred in a car accident working on Transformers 2 (not caused on set). (via Seibertron)

TF3 DMCA Takedown Notice Getting Attention

It seems that the interest in Transformers 3 is high enough that the Transformers 3 set videos and images posted here from Ben Brown a few days ago has spread pretty far and wide. At least enough attention that Paramount learned of the video and issued a DMCA takedown to YouTube over it. The other video from mickipedia remains up. Both TechDirt and The Hollywood Reporter weighed in on the decision.

From Tech Dirt:

Now, not only is it ridiculous to claim that these videos are covered under Paramount's copyright, it's hard to fathom why Paramount would want to bother quashing these videos at all. After Brown and Krimmel posted their videos, entertainment blogs picked the story up and started to build buzz about the movie. Isn't that a good thing? Personally, I really disliked the last Transformers movie, and this latest round of DMCA shenanigans isn't doing a very good job of convincing me to give the next installment another look.

Ben Brown said yesterday, "I already filed a counter-claim [with Google]." Brown also posted on his blog about events including proof that the video was taken from non-Paramount owned property with a picture of himself and Micki as they filmed the TF3 behind the scene videos below. He also provided an update on the status of the counter-claim:

On Friday, April 14, Google sent me a response that explains that they've forwarded my counter notice to Paramount, and that my video will be restored only after 10-14 days have passed... Unless, of course, Paramount retracts their invalid DMCA complaint against me.

I have no idea what will happen at this point but a two week turnaround for a counter-claim strikes me as egregious considering Paramount's false claim was handled within a day. Its actions like this that lead to the lack of respect people have when the studios cry foul over copyright.

Shia: "Targeting Humans" In TF3

Shia LaBeouf continues his promotion of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps at the Cannes Film Festival. While there, NME.com asked him about Transformers 3.

“When I saw the second movie, I wasn't impressed with what we did," he said. "There were some really wild stunts in it, but the heart was gone... we got lost. We tried to get bigger. Mike [director Michael Bay] went so big that it became too big, and I think you lost the anchor of the movie."

He added: “You lost a bit of the relationships. Unless you have those relationships, then the movie doesn't matter. Then it’s just a bunch of robots fighting each other.”

Of Transformers 3, he added: “There's going to be a lot of death, human death” as “this time they're targeting humans”.

It almost sounds like the Transformers war may add a new front to the battle. (via TFormers)

War For Cybertron Story Trailer

Gametrailers.com has posted the story trailer for Transformers: War for Cybertron that provides an overview of the story of the game. Hasbro Senior Design Director Aaron Archer and Game Director Matt Tieger also reveal a few spoilers behind the origin of the Great War that is considered canon by Hasbro and will likely influence future projects in some form or fashion. (via The AllSpark)

Firefly's Alan Tudky Cast In Transformers 3

The Wrap is reporting that Firefly star Alan Tudyk has been cast in Transformers 3. This will make the fourth major addition to the cast that other than the regulars now has John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and Patrick Dempsey. The last roles I saw Alan in was as Alpha in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse and in the pilot episode of V. His movie roles include Serenity, Conception, Ice Age films, I, Robot (the robot voice) and more. The actor does comedy and drama with equal skill so no telling what role he will have in the film. As a sci-fi geek, this is probably the best casting news I have heard yet for Transformers 3.

More Details On TF3 In Florida

The local Fox Orlando TV station recently ran a report (video below) on the news that Transformers 3 would be filming in the Florida Space Coast area in early September.

Space Coast Film commissioner Bonnie King revealed that other then filming at the Kennedy Space Center, locations scouts also looked at "swamps, woods, maybe an air boat place, we took them all over that type of thing." King also learned that one of the main characters is "retired and they call him back to do something. But he is retired in Florida doing something else." That something else might be a surf instructor, fishing guide, air boat operator or maybe another job. I get the feeling this character is John Turturro's Agent Simmons. There might be a local extras casting call but details have yet to be determined. (via IO9)

Shia: Transformers 3 Best Yet

Shia LaBeouf, currently at the Cannes Film Festival in France, spoke to the AP about Transformers 3, saying it will the best entry yet for the franchise.

LaBeouf, who starts work on the next "Transformers" sequel Tuesday, said the third installment will be the best one yet.

The new script restores a human element that got lost in the second movie, LaBeouf said."When I saw the second movie, I wasn't impressed with what we did," LaBeouf said in an interview Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival, where his finance drama "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" is premiering. "There were some really wild stunts in it, but the heart was gone."

Mikaela, Set Prop, Whitley Comfirmed And More (Updated)

Three stories posted more for fun than anything and too brief to do individual posts so combining into one. Update: Added one more brief movie related stories to the post.

Megan Fox in Mikaela Banes Makeup
From the Transformers 3 set in unspecified LA location is Megan Fox in Mikaela Banes makeup. I guess the goal is professional woman. I just see it as an excuse to post a picture of Fox.

Kym Whitley Confirms TF3 Role
Black Voices spoke directly with Whitley and confirmed her tweet that she is in Transformers 3. No information was provided on what the role is. (via Seibertron)

"The real excitement about working on the film just comes from working with [director] Michael Bay. He writes these parts for me and just lets me roll with it. You can't beat that. It's kind of like working with Larry David, when I did 'Curb Your Enthusiasm.' Michael Bay works fast though. He laughs a lot, too. You rarely get someone to just tell you to go ahead and do your thing. That's the beauty of working with him."

Sam's Briefcase
Sam apparently has entered the professional workplace complete with briefcase. Not sure if this means he has already graduated from college (suggesting at least a four year jump in time for the movie) or interning. According to TFW2005, info is from the manufacturers of the case.

Gabriela Plana Cast?
NBC Reporter Gabriela Plana posted a tweet that said "Working on transformers 3 shoot!!!". Now she could be covering the shoot for a story but a more likely explanation is she has a role in the film as a reporter. I would guess the role is to show a reporter on the scene moment involving a Transformers related event, say an anti-Autobot protest as suggested by the recent set images. Any case it is likely a cameo apperance so not adding to the cast list on the cheat sheet. (via TFW2005)

Revenge Nominated For One MTV Movie Award

MTV has announced the final list of nominees for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards that will air on the network on June 6th, at 9PM EST. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen had been part of six categories in total including Best Movie but that has been reduced to one with a nomination for "Best WTF Moment" involving Isabel Lucas' transformation into a Decepticon Pretender. Lucas' will have to compete with her TF2 co-star Megan Fox who was also nominated in the category for Jennifer's Body and the projectile vomit scene. Click here to vote for your favorite movie in the various categories.

Best WTF Moment
Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) - Pretender moment
Betty White (The Proposal) - White feels up Bullock during wedding dress fitting
Bill Murray (Zombieland) - Cameo as himself
Ken Jeong (The Hangover) - Pops out of trunk naked
Megan Fox (Jennifer's Body) - Projectile vomit

W4C: More Transformers Join Cast, Other Updates

The official website for Transformers: War for Cybertron has been updated with new info about the game. Jetfire, Sideswipe and Thundercracker have joined the game cast. The site also has new information about the multiplayer modes Countdown to Extinction and Conquest along with more details about the four customization classes that were showcased in the recent trailer.



Multiplayer Descriptions
Countdown to Extinction
Defend your factor's base and save your team from extinction. Outmaneuver your opponents in order to seize the bomb in the center of the map and deliver the payload to the opposing team's base. Activate the bomb and hold your ground to wipe out your rivals. If the bomb is successfully detonated your faction is awarded a point.

Conquest
Team based tactics are the key to victory in this mode. Teams vie for control of the 3 Energon nodes as they fight to capture nodes from the enemy team and defend the nodes they own. Teams earn points for capturing and controlling nodes. The first team to dominate the scoreboard wins.

Transformers Hall Of Fame Inductees, Voting Begins

Hasbro has announced its inaugural list of members, both human and Transformers, that will be inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame at the induction ceremony at BotCon on June 26th, 2010. On the human side, you have a list of inductee that played a fundamental role in the formation of the Transformer property with Bob Budiansky, Peter Cullen, Yoke Hideaki and Kojin Ohno. The details on why worthy are in the press release below.

On the Transformers side, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, Starcream and a fan favorite to be voted on will be inducted. Fans can vote at Transformers.com for whom they want the fifth TF inductee to be. The nominees are G1 Soundwave, G1 Grimlock, G1 Jazz, G1 Shockwave, and Beast Wars' Dinobot. Voting closes on May 28th with the winner announced at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The press release:
HASBRO REVEALS TRANSFORMERS HALL OF FAME’S INAUGURAL MEMBERS
TRANSFORMERS Fans May Participate in Selecting One Additional Robot to Join Hall of Fame’s 2010 Class

Pawtucket, R.I. (May 10, 2010) — After more than 25 years of “MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE” action, Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) is launching the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame that will honor those influential in creating and building this iconic entertainment brand as well as actual “ROBOTS IN DISGUISE.”

In 2010, Hasbro will induct four individuals into the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame who helped shape the global entertainment brand that has spawned popular action figures, comic book series, multiple animated series, video games and two blockbuster live action movies. The inductees include:

Bob Budiansky: While working as an editor for Marvel Comics in 1983, Mr. Budiansky named and wrote the personality profiles for most of the first 20 or so TRANSFORMERS characters. He then became the editor of the very first TRANSFORMERS mini-series, which led to his scripting most of the next 50 issues of the monthly TRANSFORMERS comic book. As he continued working with the brand on behalf of Hasbro, he named and wrote the packaging copy and personality profiles of dozens more TRANSFORMERS, and developed story treatments as new lines of TRANSFORMERS were introduced.

Peter Cullen: Mr. Cullen is a voice actor best known for providing the English voice for the wise and heroic AUTOBOT leader OPTIMUS PRIME in the popular 1980s cartoon series “The TRANSFORMERS” and in the 1986 animated film “The TRANSFORMERS: The Movie”. He reprised the role again in 2007 and 2009 in the live action TRANSFORMERS movies, and will return for the third installment slated for 2011. Additionally, he has provided the voice of five other TRANSFORMERS robots during his career.

Yoke Hideaki: While working at TAKARA TOMY, Mr. Hideaki invented the Micro-Robot segment within the MICRONAUTS toy line, which featured the engineering innovation of transformation in action figures that were no more than 3 to 4 inches tall. TRANSFORMERS characters MEGATRON, SOUNDWAVE and RAVAGE can trace their origins to Mr. Hideaki’s efforts. He acted as liaison between TAKARA TOMY and Hasbro during the early years of their business relationship.

Kojin Ohno: Mr. Ohno started his career at TAKARA TOMY, working on the design of the Microman and Diaclone toy lines, which would later become one of the inspirations for the TRANSFORMERS toy line. Mr. Ohno created SUNSTREAKER, which is considered the first “car to robot transforming toy”. He was also instrumental in the introduction of Beast Wars TRANSFORMERS for the Japanese market. He helped design toys for both live action TRANSFORMERS movies. He takes great pride in being the person who designed the largest TRANSFORMERS toy from Generation 1: FORTRESS MAXIMUS.

Budiansky, Cullen, Hideaki and Ohno will all attend the 2010 TRANSFORMERS convention (known as BotCon) in Orlando, FL and will be officially inducted into the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame during the festivities on Saturday night, June 26, 2010.

Hasbro will also induct five iconic characters into the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame. Heroic AUTOBOTS OPTIMUS PRIME and BUMBLEBEE, as well as evil DECEPTICONS MEGATRON and STARSCREAM, will be in the first class of robots honored with admission as chosen by Hasbro’s TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame internal panel of judges.

In addition, TRANSFORMERS fans around the world may visit transformers.com starting today and cast their online vote to select a fifth robot to join the inaugural class.

The ballot of finalists was created with input from several TRANSFORMERS collector fan media sites, which conducted their own online polling to ensure the ballot represented the robots that most resonate with fans. The ballot features SOUNDWAVE, GRIMLOCK, DINOBOT, SHOCKWAVE and JAZZ. Fans may cast votes daily from now until May 28. The winning robot will be revealed at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at BotCon on June 26, 2010.

First introduced in 1984 by Hasbro and Takara as a toy line, the TRANSFORMERS brand has provided kids with hours of MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE fun with their action figures that convert from robot to vehicles and back again. Legions of boys around the world grew up creating fantastic adventures and battles set on both the planet CYBERTRON and Earth that featured the “good-guy” AUTOBOTS and the “bad-guy” DECEPTICONS. Since then, more than 7500 robots have been introduced, with five receiving the distinction of being in the first TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame class.

Photos Of Autobot Twins At TF3 Set

The Twins in Transformers 3 saga continues. First we had a report they are in the film then Michael Bay says "The Twins are not in T3". Now we have something which didn't have before which is photographic proof from the Transformers 3 set thanks toLeft Lane News that show two Chevy Sparks sporting the Twins' colors in stripes over a black body. As side note the source of the Twins report, Ben Brown, does verify those are the cars he spotted.

Sporting “Autobot” center caps on the wheels, these two vehicles were captured doing some pre-production work before principal filming starts in a few weeks. We think you are looking at Skidz (green) and Mudflap (orange).

Skidz is looking much sportier than in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, with new front and rear fascias, larger fenders, sportier wheels and a big wing. Mudflap was previously based on the Chevy Traxx concept, but for this installment, it appears both cars will be built off the Chevy Spark.

I think the photos pretty much prove they are in the film despite Bay's "misinformation campaign". Exactly how much screen time they have remains unknown. For all we know, it could be a cameo appearance with the cars sitting in a parking lot for a scene (but I doubt it). It should be noted, I guess, that technically Bay didn't lie. After all, the Twins as we knew them from the ROTF are not returning since they have new look.