Michael Bay Shares Transformers 4 Details: Smaller Budget, New Cast, Possible Off Planet Action

Hmm...new planet, new cast, new takes on the appearance of the robots and the first three movies are in the 'history' of this new film?

I smell BEAST WARS!!!

Considering that we're a year or more away from filming, I'd take all of this with a grain of salt. Moving the story into space, and possibly toward restoring Cybertron, would be awesome.

Leave out the humans...

The mention of a smaller budget worries me. It won't be a problem if he saves some cash by going easy on the overseas locations (Egypt, China, Jordan, etc.) and superfluous explosions, but if he skimps on the CGI, that means less screen time for the bots.

On the other hand, if they're going to tell the story in space, then they can't possibly skimp on the CGI.

I would prefer a reboot. I don't even know if Cybertron is still there, I had thought the first movie said it was destroyed and uninhabitable. So many characters have disappeared/reappeared without explanation, so many good namesakes have been used, Megatron's been revived/fixed/reformatted too much, etc...

I understand a lot of these things can be somewhat explained/patched with comics/novels, but they shouldn't have to be. If Bay didn't make awesome action sequences, I would want an entirely new director. I hope this movie, if not a reboot, will have some allmighty reviving mechanism or something, where they can basically give characters like Devastator the screentime they deserve.

This kind of makes you wonder a bit whether or not someone may have been left behind to watch over the Nemesis and whether that someone is going to step up and fill the void now that every single main Decepticon is dead as a doornail.

This takes care of both the "off planet" aspect and the new enemy aspect.

Just please don't bring Uncron into the mix. This is going to be a suck-fest as it is without THAT lame storyline. It worked in 1986...ONCE! It should have stayed in 1986 where it was still cool. Now it's just freakin' old and so badly butchered that, for the life of me, I can't see why people get excited over it and want to see it bastardized yet again.

SKYWARPED_128 wrote:The mention of a smaller budget worries me. It won't be a problem if he saves some cash by going easy on the overseas locations (Egypt, China, Jordan, etc.) and superfluous explosions, but if he skimps on the CGI, that means less screen time for the bots.

On the other hand, if they're going to tell the story in space, then they can't possibly skimp on the CGI.

Bays an expensive director because he prefers to use actual locations and physical effects unless he can absolutely avoid it. A film set in the future would negate many of the travel costs of filming on location.

T-Macksimus wrote:This is going to be a suck-fest as it is without THAT lame storyline.

That's an amazing review of a film that hasn't even left the planning stages yet.

xyl360 wrote:Hmm...new planet, new cast, new takes on the appearance of the robots and the first three movies are in the 'history' of this new film?

I smell BEAST WARS!!!

If it isn't, I will kill you for getting my hopes up.

Still not really excited, though. Way too early, and I'm busy being excited for FOC right now anyways.

Calling it now, Optimus driven to insanity by his guilt for causing the destruction of Cybertron ends up being Nemesis Prime, and it is now up to the rookie Autobot Hot Rodimus to bring him to justice!

Turns out Optimus is his father....

guarayakha wrote:Calling it now, Optimus driven to insanity by his guilt for causing the destruction of Cybertron ends up being Nemesis Prime, and it is now up to the rookie Autobot Hot Rodimus to bring him to justice!

Turns out Optimus is his father....

That's not true...that's IMPOSSIBLE!!!

He killed Ironhide!!! who does that?! Which bot am i gonna be hopin to live now? He better bring bad ass character!! And keep Rodimus out. primus plzz no Rodimus o.o

Does that mean hes replacing Peter Cullen?!

They're just going back to spend more time on the moon.

Capt.Failure wrote:Bays an expensive director because he prefers to use actual locations and physical effects unless he can absolutely avoid it. A film set in the future would negate many of the travel costs of filming on location.

Bay's not an expensive director, these are just expensive movies. He's the business man's director. Gets things done on time, when he says he will, and on budget. He delivers.

TF3's budget: $195 million
http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers3.htm

TF2's budget: $200 million
http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers2.htm

TF1's budget: $150 million

Guys, guys! Smaller budget because no globe trotting locations, smaller cast, the war on Earth already happened, in space/other planet, Megatron already dead? Still packed with all the nameless deaths and Baysplosions? Sound familiar to anyone?

We are talking possible "Last Stand of the Wreckers" movie here!



All I ask is that Overlord be voiced by Clancy Brown. Whenever I read LSOTW, Overlord sounds like Animated Lex Luthor to me!

Yawn..Hopes will not be high for this release..You've fooled me 3 times Bay..

I hope this time it will be focused less on human shenanigans and more on robot shenanigans.

For now, things are looking good.
However, if the new human is Kicker and the whole movie is centered around him... I swear I'm going to KICK someone in the nuts!

T-Macksimus wrote: for the life of me, I can't see why people get excited over it and want to see it bastardized yet again.

For the same reason so many people saw the trilogy: because it's Transformers on the big screen, and it's FUN.

"I want to go a little off [the planet] but I don’t want to go too sci-fi. I still want to keep it grounded."
He does know he's making a movie about giant, sentient, transforming alien robots, right? *facepalm*

it will be lame just like the other 3. they just keep getting worse and worse. and a beast wars movie would be lame. i would not be apposed to a new toyline though

griftimus prime wrote:it will be lame just like the other 3. they just keep getting worse and worse.

Yet you will see it, just like every other negative nancy in this thread.

zodconvoy wrote:We are talking possible "Last Stand of the Wreckers" movie here!

Let's hope not. The only character I'd like to see from that story is Overlord.

God, please make him stop. I was really happy when he said TF3 was his last movie, now here he is with a fourth film.

"It's not a reboot!" That's too bad because it's exactly what it should be, including booting his ass off this film.

xyl360 wrote:Hmm...new planet, new cast, new takes on the appearance of the robots and the first three movies are in the 'history' of this new film?

I smell BEAST WARS!!!

Says nothing about a new planet, just possible off planet stuff as well (as if the other three didn't have scenes and the like off planet )

And please, don't wish that upon Beast Wars. I don't want to see just how Bay might ruin my childhood. Don't get me wrong, the movies aren't bad, but last think I want is Optimus Primal and Cheetor sitting around making crotch jokes about Dinobot.

Hopefully the higher ups at Paramount will put the breaks on this as well so that the script is good, just like they've done with G.I. Joe, TMNT and some other upcoming films.

The movie-verse has clearly stated that there are other cybertronians that are not on earth.

They could focus on a different group of autobots and decepticons that either start out in space, or leave from earth to space.

So a young commander, Rodimus, has to pursue Galvatrron.

Of course it is the Bay-verse so Rodimus is a blue truck, and Galvatron's earth mode is a yellow taxi

Or maybe it'll be live action Rescue Bots ... who knows

Seibertron wrote:Hopefully the higher ups at Paramount will put the breaks on this as well so that the script is good, just like they've done with G.I. Joe, TMNT and some other upcoming films.

They found out the hard way with Battleship that these thing do not sell themselves and automatically make a billion dollars. The fact that Paramount evidently ask Hasbro to recall and sit on their entire GIJoe line for 2012 because they wanted to f*ck with them movie for another 10 months after it's in the can just goes to show how little the two side in this understand each other.

And the director flat out said Bay was wrong about the Turtles being aliens and it was the fan backlash to Bay being wrong that had them start over again from scratch. The ooze that mutates them was going to be alien (an industrial byproduct of Krang's people) just like it's always been but Bay only half listened to the pitch so all he heard was the word "alien".

I think they'll move the battle to Nebulos and go down the Headmasters route, then Lord Zarak could be the main Decepitcon protagonist.

Off planet? Away from Earth with no humans and all Transformer (Hopefully)? That would be a change.

As for Last Stand of the Wreckers movie... Hm. You know, I think that it could be pulled off well.

New cast of Characters means that he may actually drop the characters that we know and love (*Cough* Optimus *Cough*) back on Earth. Maybe he will work it like a spinoff?

I agree with Seibertron, everything Bay says is to be taken with a grain of salt. I mean, didn't he say that the Cloverfield Monster was going to be the enemy in ROTF? Please. Save that for the Fanfics.

Anyone else get a chuckle out of Bay's slam on The Amazing Spider-Man?

I don't like to be so trait but this just make me laugh.

"i don't want to go too scifi".... in my Sci-fi action movie.

I understood what he ment but his wording just make me laugh (helped by the fact Transformers premise is mostly squandered potential in his hands.

They better not redesign all the characters...

Here is my two cents. I believe earlier that Bay stated that the only returning characters would be Optimus and Bumblebee (I really hope Bee dies this time!). I don't think he would do beast wars because he would have shrink the transformers a $hit ton to make them the appropriate animal size. As far as off planet locations that is curious. Their only transport they had was the "Xanthion" and it was blown up by Starscream. He said the first three movies would be "past" so this should hold true. However all three of the wreckers survive so they might use NASA to retrieve parts from the Ark on the moon to build a new one for them to go "off planet" with unless a flying Autobot shows up and gets the parts for them. Hopefully the off planet bad guy isn't Unicron but right now I am leaning towards Galvatron. Who knows he might completely make up a new bad guy. Another off planet suggestion would be from the Drift comic series. There was a faction on a distant planet of transformers that didn't want to fight int he civil war so they left. Be cool if they would re-format Optimus and Bee like they did Drift. He could also use Vector Sigma possibly to bring Megatron back or use it to create the new bad guy and then use vector sigma to try and transform Earth into a new Cybertron. Would explain some off planet time but still have a lot of earth time.

Holy sh*t, bay actually spelled Spider-Man right, that's an ability many don't have.

But I'm not going to get my hopes up for this, especially not based on anything Bay says, I wonb't take anything at face value until I see the film myself. It's just going to end like with "Shockwave will be a badass and more brutal than Megatron" thing they had going on last time round.

keep it grounded? yeah like the first three were grounded. Im guessing hes going to do what the 86 movie did, skip to the future to introduce new characters & change things up but still be able to have current characters and plot points(did the previous 3 even have plot points?). But until stuff starts leaking and we see a trailer i wont believe a thing hes says, going to go into this one like i did with DOTM very low expectations. Remember everyone, no expectations no disappointment. Still say bay should not be involved in this one, hes done hes three now let someone else have a shot.

gavinfuzzy wrote:They better not redesign all the characters...

Oh for the love of all that's holy let's hope they do. Bay's BUGFORMERS have been the shittiest designs we've ever seen in Transformers with the exception of Animorph's and Beast Wars.

They need a reboot and they need to BOOT Bay to the curb. All the potential for kick assery he's had and he's just ruined every opportunity with the first three movies.

He doesn't deserve the chance again.

Bay doesn't have the mental capacity to "re-boot" the mess he made of the Transformers. Hopefully we get another round of dog's humping mailboxes and John Turturro on the receiving end of a golden shower. That's what made the Bayformers so great...slapstick comedy and the human element.

Pray that the Amazing Spiderman does well and inspires someone to dethrone Bay and undo the botched abortion he's created.

Sounds promising. I still can't help but feel the new villain will be a more obscure Decepticon. Though they can introduce Galvatron as he hasn't always been a Megatron upgrade. Also Scourge as an oil tankor and Cyclonus as an attack copter. Or how about Jhiaxus. That would be cool. 2nd trilogy, 2nd generation.

I'm certainly looking forward to it. I've enjoyed the other three, and I'm sure this one will be fun as well. Bay has been pulling obscure villains from the get go, so I could certainly see him doing so again.

Galactic Prime wrote:Bay's BUGFORMERS have been the shittiest designs we've ever seen in Transformers with the exception of...Beast Wars.

Think you are in a sever minority with that statement, even amongst those who don't like Beast Wars.

Lord Onixprime wrote:

Galactic Prime wrote:Bay's BUGFORMERS have been the shittiest designs we've ever seen in Transformers with the exception of...Beast Wars.

Think you are in a sever minority with that statement, even amongst those who don't like Beast Wars.

I was thinking the same thing but I refrained from posting nasty comments on that lol. BeastWars FTW as my name says!

So far, I haven't enjoyed any of Transformers movies. I was leaving a sliver of hope for TF4 until I read:

says Bay. "I want to go a little off [the planet] but I don’t want to go too sci-fi. I still want to keep it grounded."

oh god.

You know by "more grounded" he meant "on a planet" right? As in "on the ground?"

Capt.Failure wrote:You know by "more grounded" he meant "on a planet" right? As in "on the ground?"

says Bay. "I want to go a little off [the planet] but I don’t want to go too sci-fi. I still want to keep it grounded."

You do realize that based on his statement - he substituted "grounded" as the opposite of "sci-fi"? He is saying that Earth represents grounded (whatever that means in Bay's mind). Anything other than Earth (because he implied "the planet") is too sci-fi.

Basically - he doesn't want to show too much of Cybertron because that would incomprehensible. But Transforming rapping robots are completely plausible.

All I can say right now is I hope Bay will continue to downplay the military's role in TF4 like he did in DOTM. Personally, I just don't like the idea of humans so easily defeating an army of Decepticons (bombing raids in TF1 and ROTF) when the Autobots seem to have such a hard time winning.

It's like having Robin single-handedly save the day when Batman gets his head bashed in by The Joker or something--the hero (Autobots in this case) should always win his own fights.

The guerrilla tactics in DOTM, though, I can live with. NEST took out the supporting-role Decepticons using covert tactics, while OP did the honors of taking out Megatron and Sentinel.

Stormrider wrote:

Capt.Failure wrote:You know by "more grounded" he meant "on a planet" right? As in "on the ground?"

says Bay. "I want to go a little off [the planet] but I don’t want to go too sci-fi. I still want to keep it grounded."

You do realize that based on his statement - he substituted "grounded" as the opposite of "sci-fi"? He is saying that Earth represents grounded (whatever that means in Bay's mind). Anything other than Earth (because he implied "the planet") is too sci-fi.

Basically - he doesn't want to show too much of Cybertron because that would incomprehensible. But Transforming rapping robots are completely plausible.

Missed that, so I stand corrected. However try to take it all in context of, say, G1's "let's go into space" years during and after the '86 movie. That was SO off the wall it makes Star Trek and Star Wars look like hard sci-fi. I'd honestly hope that 80's cartoon "science" was kept far away from the films.

After all, I know I'm not alone in remembering how the Thundercats could breathe in space.

For all those hating on this bay bit. just remember that we all keep coming back. Every time we read an article that mentions another live action Transformers movie, we read it. I agree with all those that mention to take this with a grain of salt. Bay really likes to go off the beaten path when he is talking about upcoming films that he works on. What batter way to get the ball rolling on things than stir up a stink!!!!! Lets face it we all have ideas on how to make this better, but i however doubt that there are many of us out there that can translate our ideas into a 2hour plus movie. Otherwise your name would be on the the credits as produced and directed by .......... For the love of God keep Rodimus out of it. They tried that once and we know how that turned out!!!!!!

Bedo wrote:For all those hating on this bay bit. just remember that we all keep coming back. Every time we read an article that mentions another live action Transformers movie, we read it. I agree with all those that mention to take this with a grain of salt. Bay really likes to go off the beaten path when he is talking about upcoming films that he works on. What batter way to get the ball rolling on things than stir up a stink!!!!! Lets face it we all have ideas on how to make this better, but i however doubt that there are many of us out there that can translate our ideas into a 2hour plus movie. Otherwise your name would be on the the credits as produced and directed by .......... For the love of God keep Rodimus out of it. They tried that once and we know how that turned out!!!!!!

Glad someone here understands that saying is alot easier than doing. We all have our own ideas of what we would like to see in the live action movies, but getting tose ideas transfered on the big screen is an intirely different task that many just don't understand.

Bay's keeping the discussion going with all the talk. At this point there just throwing around ideas and nothings set in stone. In a couple monthis there will be another article with more ideas. Then another, then another..etc.

Bay should go for broke and go for a movie within a movie that way he can have himself as the only human cast member and be the hero alongside the autobots.

Certainly would make for a different movie.

The idea would be the 3 prior movies were the movies and the 4th movie would be in production with all the old Decepticons then a timewarp is brought about by the real life Unicron allowing the Decepticons to jump from the 4th film into reality along with the autobots.

So Bay and the Autobots have to defeat Unicron and the other Decepticons along with help from the Dinobots whom emerge from concept art.

The movie ends with the Cons destroyed, the Bots going back to movieverse or in this case for a real treat, they all morph back into their G1 counterparts and merge back into the cartoon and Bay walking off into the sunset.

xyl360 wrote:Hmm...new planet, new cast, new takes on the appearance of the robots and the first three movies are in the 'history' of this new film?

I smell BEAST WARS!!!

Headmasters would be better ...they have to goto some distant planet for what ever reason which has humanoid life forms,something needs dealing with that the Autobots cant do on there own, they work with the humanoids to make Headmasters

I just wonder who the villain is going to be, with all the decepticons being dead and all.

My hopes would be either:

Galvatron (possibly including the lines "Oh no, not ANOTHER movie...".

Straxus or Jhiaxus, or some other high ranking Decepticon.

Or maybe even Unicron and the Quintessons.

Delta Magnus wrote:I just wonder who the villain is going to be, with all the decepticons being dead and all.

My hopes would be either:

Galvatron (possibly including the lines "Oh no, not ANOTHER movie...".

Straxus or Jhiaxus, or some other high ranking Decepticon.

Or maybe even Unicron and the Quintessons.

I've always been partial to the Quintessons, or at least a redo of them that can take advantage of the idea behind them. An evil that predates the creation of the Cybertronians. Something worse than a petty war over ideals and resources.