The release of the Transformers movie is still about two years away, but fans
of the popular toy line can’t stop buzzing about Optimus Prime’s big-screen
debut. This forthcoming blockbuster summer release (it’s set for July 4, 2007)
will feature a combination of live action and CGI, and is shaping up to be a
geek’s wet dream. What’s more, the film is being produced by self-proclaimed
Transformers nut Steven Spielberg (no stranger to summer blockbusters himself)
and will be helmed by action specialist Michael Bay, he of The Island and
Armageddon fame.

Will these big names equal big success at the box office? Only time will tell,
but one thing is certain: As the film begins pre-production, the rumors are
swirling faster than a Megatron laser blast.

Here are five things you probably didn’t know about the new Transformers movie

1- Transformers will be based on Generation 1 characters
According to its producers, the Transformers movie will borrow its 10 principal
characters — five Autobots and five Decepticons — from the franchise’s
original television series.

But just which characters will they be?

Is this Bumblebee?                                                          

Alex Kurtzman, one of the film’s screenwriters, has gone on record claiming that
the movie will feature Optimus Prime, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave,
Bumblebee, and Arcee. Producer Don Murphy has also added some names to that
list, including characters Jazz and Ratchet.

2- Transformers will incorporate recognizable brands
Producers are currently hard at work trying to secure permission to use real car
brands for the Transformers’ shape-shifting alter egos. That means fans can look
forward to Bumblebee morphing into an actual Volkswagen, instead of a generic
sedan.

While Bumblebee will likely retain his familiar look of old, others characters
are in need of an update. Soundwave’s alternate mode as a cassette deck, for
instance, doesn’t have quite the same appeal as it did in the ’80s, and he will
instead change into a helicopter. Other character facelifts are also on slate:
According to producers, Ratchet will likely become a fire truck rather than an
ambulance, Jazz will transform into some sort of sports car and Arcee into some
type of motorbike.

The first film is still some ways off, but that hasn’t stopped the buzz about
sequels…

3- Transformers is being written by a comedian
The genius behind the film’s first draft is Canadian cut-up John Rogers, a
former stand-out stand-up. Rogers used to tour the world (including some of its
smallest hillbilly bars) as a smart-ass comedian before landing a job as the
writer and producer of Cosby in 1996. He also wrote the screenplay for 2004′s
Catwoman , but we won’t hold that against him.

Rogers has promised fans that Transformers "will be true to the source material
with a nice, light touch, a cast of human characters partnered with the
Transformers and big robot action." Whether his vision makes it to the screen,
however, is another matter altogether.

Rogers was forced to leave the project after submitting his revised first draft
in order to work on another film. The next production pass will be executed by
the writing team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who recently collaborated
with Michael Bay on The Island . The pair have worked side by side in the past
on Xena: Warrior Princess , Alias and The Legend of Zorro .

4- Transformers sequels are already being forecast
In a remark that could easily be cynically interpreted, co-executive producer
Don Murphy has gone so far as to promise that "we will make sequel after
sequel." He’s not the only one with lofty goals for the Transformers franchise.
In a statement on the film’s official website, Spielberg reiterated, "We’re now
starting our first, but certainly not our last Transformers movie that I hope
will be an enduring franchise … we’re going to be making many, many more
Transformers movies in the future." Who are we to argue? With Spielberg and Bay
already attached to the project, the franchise seems to be in very capable
hands.

5- Transformers may feature the original show’s voice cast
Co-writer Kurtzman has acknowledged rumors about a return of the show’s original
voice cast, and has also suggested that the film isn’t necessarily a project
that requires the casting of A-listers. This leaves open the possibility that
Frank Welker (the voice of Megatron, Mirage, Rumble, and Soundwave) and Peter
Cullen (who gave breath to Ironhide, Optimus Prime and Nightstick) could return
to resume their old roles.

One voice fans shouldn’t bank on hearing again is that of Scatman Crothers. The
Indiana guitarist died of lung cancer shortly after turning in a memorable
performance as Jazz in the first Transformers movie in 1986.

 

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