James Avery Comfirmed For Silverbolt

It seems over the weekend there was a rumor that James Avery was rumored to be dead. "Uncle Phil" from Fresh Prince of Bel Air's representative obviously felt a need to shoot down the rumor by saying that the actor is "doing great" and will voice Silverbolt in Transformers 3. This piece of info aligns with a story from February where the actor was reported to have said the same thing. No details on the Silverbolt character, who was an Autobot plane and leader of the Aerilbots in the G1 cartoons. (From The Examiner via TFW2005)

War For Cybertron Demo Available Of XBox With Trailer

If you have an XBox 360 and resident of the United States or United Kingdom, a demo of Transformers: War for Cybertron is now available in the XBox Marketplace. Sadly Playstation 3 owners are out of luck. Game Developer Matt Tierger told Kotaku that the demo is exclusive to the 360. Below is a new trailer for the demo just released by Activision.

Transformers: Prime Bumblebee Revealed

The Licensing International Expo continues and with it is a full body reveal of the CGI/cartoon version of Bumblebee for Transformers: Prime. The picture removes any doubt that Prime is at least based on the movie design for Transformers. It remains unclear if the cartoon has any relationship to the movies beyond a source of design inspiration. I just wonder when the toy leaks will start. From Hisstank via Seibertron.

Transformers #8 Preview

Transformers Ongoing #8 has hit comics book stores today. Bzzurkk has posted the three covers and first four pages of the issue. Bumblebee remains leader of the Autobots but Prime has been busy trying to negotiate a peace with the US military to get them to stop hunting our favorite good guys.

Mike Costa (w) • Javier Saltares (a) • Don Figueroa, Saltares (c)Spike Witwicky commands a unit specially trained to take down Transformers; he has single-handedly brokered peace between the U.S. and the Autobots. But there are secrets in his past that could jeopardize all of that. Good thing Spike's not the kind of guy who would recklessly endanger the entire world to settle a personal score, right?FC • 32 pages • $3.99

First Transformers 3 Poster And Bumblebee Prop

The Licensing International Expo currently being held at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas has shown off what could be the first poster for Transformers 3 and the modified "mature" version of Bumblebee. The poster is pretty straight forward with Optimus Prime standing tall and words "TF3 July 1, 2010". Likely the poster is just a quick mock-up made for the Expo. Images from SuperComicBook movie below.

Transformers: Prime Basic Plot

Amazon has updated its posting of the Transformers: Prime comic book that will be released around October 1st with a description that finally gives a clue on what the new cartoon series will be about when it debuts on The Hub network. The 88 page book will serve as a prequel to the cartoon, written by Transformers screenwriters and Prime consultants Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. (via TFW2005)

This all-new graphic novel adventure leads directly into the all new Transformers: Prime animated series! In this epic first adventure, battles across Cybertron have left Bumblebee and his fellow Autobots in need of a new leader. But is there anyone who can step forward against the threat of Megatron and the evil Decepticons?

It seems that unlike cartoons series in the past, Optimus Prime may be taking a back seat to Bumblebee as the lead Transformer in the series.

War For Cybertron Bumblebee And Drift Video Review

Peaugh has posted two new video reviews of upcoming Transformers: Generations toys. One is for War for Cybertron Bumblebee and the other for Drift. Both toys are pretty good, I will probably pick them up once they go on sale. It should be noted that apparently at some point that Drift will be repainted as Blurr at some point in the future if don't like the white scheme.

New Ratchet, Ironhide And Planes

A US Army Sky Warriors member posted to flickr a few pics of the Transformers 3 vehicles while waiting to film. The images show off the new color scheme of Ratchet, what looks like a modified version of Ironhide, a little of Optimus Prime, and planes. No idea what is being filmed nor where as no location is provided. (via Seibertron)

Rosie On Set Of Transformers 3

For those last holdouts who just don't want to believe that Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is the new female lead of Transformers 3, here is a picture of her on the set from JustJared.com. I have no idea if that is her film costume or anything else as the site provided no details beyond the pic.

Transformers 3 Hitting Roadblock For DC Shoot

Transformers 3 production wants Uncle Sam to let it film at the National Mall but the National Park Service is rejecting most of the offers according to The Washington Post. The cause - the action sequences. Production had intended to spend around 14 days shooting in the Washington, DC area but negotiations with what production can and cannot do around the historic location could reduce that number to as low as three days.

Paramount spokeswoman Gabriela Gutentag said with negotiations ongoing, she did not know how many days the company would end up filming in D.C. "We've gone from two weeks to 10 days to three days to seven days; I don't really know," she said.

Bill Line, Park Service spokesman, said the producers "have asked to do some things that simply are not done on the National Mall," among them staging a "car race" along the Mall's gravel paths and flooding it with artificial light in order to shoot at night.

"A lot of this could be more appropriately shot in a Hollywood studio," Line said. "The National Mall is not an area in which Americans come to see high-tech action movies being shot."

Kathy Hollinger, director of the D.C. Office of Motion Picture and Television Development, acknowledged that the plans amounted to "a lot more than D.C. has ever been accustomed to in terms of scale and impact," including, for instance, simulated explosions and pyrotechnics at locations along Pennsylvania and Independence avenues.

"The robots will be here," she said. "It's not like they're going to be building and having these little miniature Transformers running around and then make them look real with CGI effects afterward."

I have no idea what she means by "The robots will be here." The phrasing makes me thing Hollinger thinks real scale models will be at the site. The National Mall is the core area of Washington, DC that most people think of when they visit the Capital which extends from the Lincoln Memorial to the United States Capitol Building. In between you have the Washington Monument, Reflecting Pool, Vietnam Memorial, multiple Smithsonian Museums and more. Net result is you are talking wall to wall national monuments and historical grounds.

As a result, I think the real issue is security as a film production brings with an influx of technical people that will want access to or film very near national monuments with a desire to set off explosives. From a security perspective it’s just a major nightmare to deal with. Just as bad, what if something goes wrong and a historical monument is damaged. While the idea of Transformers trashing Washington, DC would probably be visually exciting, I can see why the National Park Services is reluctant to take the risk. If things go right, pat back all around. If they go wrong, it will be pink slips instead.

Don Murphy TF3 Update

Don Murphy, producer for the Transformers films, provided a brief update on his forums for his various projects including Transformers 3. Nothing specific revealed since the "movie is super top secret". Below is the TF3 portion of the post. (via AllSpark)

TRANSFORMERS 3 is starting its third week of shooting. As you guys know, everything on this movie is super top secret., but it is going very well and I think you will all be stoked to see old favorites and new characters coming at ya. You know I liked the second film a lot- that said the new screenplay brings back the sense of awe and wonder that made the first film so exciting and special. It’s a shame that Megan didn’t work out but with what Michael has planned you won’t miss her. There is still a hell of a lot of shooting to go and you don’t need me the way you guys dig up clues and jive- suffice it to say NEXT Fourth of July you guys will be excited again. I personally can’t wait.

Transformers 3 At Playa Vista Gallery

Below is a gallery/video of images from transformersfrreak1007 at Playa Vista in Los Angeles where Transformers 3 is reported to have setup shop. The video mentions Loyola Marymount University which is a direct neighbor of the studio based on Google Maps. Transformers 3 wise not a whole lot is shown. You get a look at maybe Ironhide, the Ice Cream truck and its halves just sitting in the lot from Revenge of the Fallen and the office tilting setup from the other day. The last images are of a rusted lunar module that may or may not be Transformers 3 related. The film is shooting at the Kennedy Space Center in September but don't really have enough information to assume a link.

Transformers Linkfest

Scourge (aka Nemesis Prime) Custom Figure
Click above to view more images of fan creation Scourge created by Toyphilia. The base figure is Leader class Optimus Prime but with a new darker paint job, lightning decals, and a tanker trailer. The result is a very sweet looking figure. I especially dig the lightning decals that a real improvement over the flames that Prime normally has.

Hyper Hobby July Scans
Click the link to Japan's Hyper Hobby Magazine for July. The issue covers many of the upcoming Transformers being released in Japan including many of their exclusives like MP-04S Masterpiece Prime Sleep Mode, Transformers: Animated, Unicron, and more.

Transformers Scout Class Gallery
Click the link to view the next wave of Transformers (movie style) Scout class toys that will be hitting stores soon. It includes Warpath, Storm Surge and Crosshairs. I was less than impressed but maybe you will like what is coming.

Botcon 2010 Promo Video w/ CGI G1 Characters
Commercial for Botcon that will be held at Walt Disney World in Florida from June 24th to June 27th. What makes the commercial pretty sweet is the use of multiple classic Generation One Transformers in CGI including Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream. The video is from NGSMoov.com.

7 Things You Should Know About Transformers: War for Cybertron
A video from Watchmojo.com that summarizes the basics of the upcoming game including characters, storyline and other potential spoilers.

G1 Rumble/Frenzy Update Set Video
From CrazyDevy are add-ons for the G1 cassette Rumble and Frenzy that results in a more cartoon accurate robot mode with new head, guns and pile drivers. If interested, the set costs $30 and supposed to be out soon and BigBadToyStore.com and other online stores. Over all an impressive & creative set that takes subpar figures and turns them into something better. Not sure if worth the cost however.

Transformers: Generations Thrust Video Review
A look at the upcoming toy that might be on toy stores now. The toy is based on the Transformers: Classics Starscream mold but some modifications to wings and head to make it distinctly Thrust.

Transformers War Far Cybertron Link Fest

Today is another blitz of information about Transformers: War for Cybertron. There is the E3 trailer that gives you an awesome look at Trypticon, the XBox.com feature on the game, a look at the DS versions of the game, new toy images, and the book story description. The game is being released on June 22nd.

War for Cybertron E3 Trailer
E3 is coming up in two weeks and already Activision has released their trailer. Since the game is coming out just a week after it ends, the convention center is likely to be plastered with images for this game. This is probably the best trailer yet with Trypticon, I think Nova Prime, another look at Omega Supreme and more.

First Look at DS War for Cybertron
TFormers.com brings the first screenshots and look at the Autobot and Decepticon DS games for W4C. The game story seems to be the same as the next gen versions but campaigns are split between the two cartridges with the Decepticon technically being Part 1 (but not required to enjoy the Autobot game). There are around 30 characters total including DS exclusive ones such as Grimlock, Swoop, Dirge, Cyclonus, Cliffjumper, Ultra Magnus and more. Many of them have been redesigned with the same Generation One echo. Click the link above for a gallery of screenshots and description of the game play.

XBox Campaign Preview
Inside XBox episode that gives a "sneak peek" on the game. Game Director Matt Tieger talks about the game, campaigns and the story. He reveals that Megatron's motivation is to return Cybertron to its "Golden Age" with the help of Dark Energon. Optimus Prime is a guy that is thrust into leadership of the Autobots as a consequence of events within the game.

War for Cybertron Soundwave and Megatron Toys
Click the link to view a gallery of images that show off the War for Cybertron versions of Megatron and Soundwave. Since Soundwave would be dated as a boom box, clearly the Transformers: Animated solution of making him essentially a SVU has become the default mode for the character. These two plus W4C Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are expected in stores around the time the game is released on June 22nd.











Transformers: Exodus Cover Images
An eBay auction show cases the upcoming novel that serves as a prequel of sorts for Transformers: War for Cybertron. I believe, much like the game, this novel will serve as canon for the origin of the Transformers Civil War and specifics on how various character rose into their various positions and relationships within the TF universe. The images include the inside flap description of the novel.

W4C Hands-On Preview
In what is probably just the beginning of an onslaught of write-ups for the game, click the links below to read (and view screenshots) about the experience playing the game in campaign and multi-player modes. The overall consensus seems to be a basic shooter with great controls that is fun to play. "Expert" shooter fans might be disappointed but then I doubt the game was designed with them in mind.

The Hub's Transformers Schedule?

It’s possible the real version of the schedule for Hasbro's new kids television network has leaked by "nemalki" on Here is Everywhere forums. The schedule currently only lists the programs for Monday through Friday that includes Transformers: Prime, G1 Transformers, and Beast Wars.

Click here to view the entire schedule that may include many 80's classics such as Jem, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, GI Joe, and Fraggle Rock. Note this schedule is not officially verified and even if real the network doesn't launch until October 10th so this is likely not a final version. I can't decide if all this potential nostalgia is going to lead to fun or many "I liked that?!?" moments.

Weekdays (All Times Eastern)
Kids Afternoon/Kids Prime (ages 6-12; 1-6 PM)
3:30 PM - Transformers: Beast Wars
6:00 PM - Thursday - Transformers: Prime

Family Prime (7-11 PM)
8:00 PM - Tuesdays - Transformers: Prime
8:30 PM - Tuesdays - Beast Wars

Late Night Hub
11:30 PM - Transformers: Generation One

Alternity Starscream And Skywarp Video Review

Peaugh is back with more Transformers reviews. This time he covers the Japan exclusive Alternity Starscream and Skywarp with Okamora Orochi alt mode. About the only thing they have in common with their classic G1 counterparts is color scheme but these are still sweet looking Transformers, especially the vehicle mode. As Peaugh pointed out, the toy doesn't seem as solid as his other Alternity counterparts but my completist brain demands they are just good enough to get.

Alternity molds have been getting about three releases each and the pattern holds with news that Thundercracker is coming this October. It will probably be the exact same toy as Alternity Starscream and Skywarp with new paint job and maybe a modified head but no details yet on specifics.

Transformers 3 Taking Over LA

While MB.com's Nelson was confirming the casting of Rosie Huntington-Whitey, he also posted an article to LA Times about Transformers 3 taking "over L.A. streets" for about six weeks in the 4 and half long shooting schedule for the film. They also indicated that the film's estimated budget is in line with the previous film with a $200 million budget. Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (going to get tiresome writing that name all the way), and Patrick Dempsey will be all over L.A. shooting scenes. Apparently "attractive rebates" drove some of the decisions on where to shoot. I wonder why they skipped over Georgia's rebates which just recently scored Vampire Diaries and The Walking Dead. The previous two films also shot in LA, with the city used for the climactic battle in the first movie.

The DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures production has been shooting on a sound stage at the former Spruce Goose Howard Hughes hangar at Playa Vista and will film exterior shots throughout the L.A. area over the next several weeks, including Long Beach, West Hollywood, Century City and Malibu.

"Mike, [producer] Lorenzo [di Bonaventura] and I are all big fans of trying to keep as much of our production in L.A. as possible," said Bay's producing partner, Ian Bryce. "It's a big movie. All our stage work is being done here."

In all, six weeks of the 4 1/2 months of shooting will occur in the L.A. area, with the rest of the filming spread across Chicago, Detroit, Washington and Cape Canaveral, Fla., and a few foreign locales, including Russia and an undisclosed African country, Bryce said.

Bryce said the science-fiction action movie starring Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Patrick Dempsey required more diverse locations than L.A. could offer, and also cited the advantages of "very attractive rebates" offered in Michigan and Illinois, which will also host the production for six weeks.

MB.com Makes Rosie Casting Official

The casting of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for Transformers 3 has taken an odd road with her name being tossed into the ring shortly after Megan Fox was let go, was confirmed via unnamed sources, congratulated by Victoria's Secrets and now finally we have officially confirmation. Nelson, the admin for Michael Bay's official website, has officially confirmed she has joined the cast as the new female lead.

Nelson here...

I would like for all you S4TE fans to welcome Rosie Huntington Whitely to the world of Transformers. As some of you might know, she's the new female lead in Transformers 3. She's worked with Michael before in his Victoria's Secret "A Thousand Fantasies" ad. You can view it here and here.

Victoria's Secret Congratulates Rosie

While Paramount and Michael Bay have not officially announced the casting of model Rosie Huntington-Whitely, Victoria's Secret apparently knows the details. They released a NSFW or kids video (below) of her modeling with the message "Victoria Secret's would like to congratulate our angel Rosie Huntington-Whitely starring in Transformers 3." Technically this still isn't official confirmation of her casting but at this point I am thinking it is a done deal.

W4C : Shockwave Commercial

GameStop has released an amusing commercial to promote their exclusive character for Transformers: War for Cybertron. It depicts Shockwave in action, Soundwave transforming into a boombox to play "The Touch" (from the animated Transformers: The Movie), and a few quips from various Decepticons.