Transformers the movie

[MasterFlash]

Found this on another forum - Some of you might find this interesting.

For those who are want some infor on the live action TF movie

click here for the website

and heres some infor about the movie so far.

Release date: July 4, 2007
Distribution studios: Dreamworks SKG, Paramount
Home video distributor: Paramount
Production company: Angry Films
Director: Michael Bay
Producers: Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo DiBonaventura
***ociate producers: Marc Haimes, John Fox
Line Producer: Ian Bryce
Executive producer: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriters: John Rogers (1st and 2nd drafts), Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (3rd draft)
Visual effects: Industrial Light and Magic

Character lineup (current):
Spike Witwicky (95% likely)
Optimus Prime
Jazz
Ratchet
Arcee
Bumblebee
Megatron (tank) <-----------Gah....
Starscream
Shockwave
Soundwave (helicopter, that may change) <------------- WTF
Ravage (maybe)

Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto shopped the project around to everybody, who initally p***ed.
Eventually it came down to Sony, New Line, and Dreamworks.
Spielberg came on board and met with the CEO of Hasbro personally to seal the deal with SKG.
Don and fans wants Frank Welker and Peter Cullen for voices, others want celebrities.
Hasbro wants Soundwave to shrink.
UPDATE: Cybertron and the civil war is more likely to be only briefly referenced/seen, with the intention of using sequels to flesh that aspect out.
The Autobots and Decepticons will already be on Earth and revealed through the POV of the human characters, eg. Spike gets his first clunker car and it turns out to be a TF.
Energon crystals and the Matrix play a major role, but the Matrix might have to be called something else.
Human soldiers ally with the Autobots.
The setting is the American southwest (if it's not Oregon, I'm a monkey's uncle).
The Ark is featured.
Don likes Nick Stahl and thinks he could play someone.
The current writers are a bit stymied on the third act of the script (incomplete) in the context of setting up potential sequels.
At least three films, maybe more, are being aimed for.
Unicron may show up in movie #3.
The producers have met Simon Furman, but he isn't serving in any creative capacity as yet.
Don doesn't really want to deal with IDW, the current TF comic license holder.
Megatron doesn't hide.
Mark Hamill and Michael J. Fox are current fan favorites to play Starscream and Bumblebee, respectively.
Michael Bay is apparently unaware that the TF fanbase is as large and rabid as it is.
Hasbro believes said fanbase can be "managed".
George Clooney is NOT involved in any way.
Robert Zemeckis considered directing, but p***ed long ago.
Spielberg wants an 80s Amblin' "Back to the Future" tone, with a "Jur***ic Park" brachiosaur moment as a big reveal.
"X-Men" has been compared as another template.
Many of the writers, producers, etc. were fans of the comics and TV show in the 80s.
Hasbro has begun officially promoting the film in New York.
Don is going to show some fan-made DVDs of favorite TF moments to Bay.
Principal photography starts in December 2005 (tentative).
Some pre-vis has been done, including Soundwave, and it looks good.
The Quintessons will not be in movie #1.
The rating will be PG or PG-13.
Spielberg has become a major corporate driving force in the production.
The Decepticons can only fly when utilizing aircraft alt-modes.
The TF/human culture clash will be seen.
Autobots at least have been on Earth since prehistoric or biblical times.
Bumblebee might not be a VW beetle because of the new "Herbie" movie.
Lots of humans die (they're "squishy").
Soundwave's team are a part of him.
The budget will be around $150M.
SKG is floating a proposal to car companies, who have displayed an insane level of interest.
All TFs get Earth-based alt-modes.
Optimus Prime keeps the cl***ic G1 flat-nose 18-wheeler look.
UPDATE: Apparently Paramount will also be releasing a direct-to-video CGI animated tie-in (prequel? War Within adaptation?).

[Stringent]

It had better be based on the original TF charecters and their transformations ... None of that BeastWars or Aramda rubbish. BTW, Soundwave if he were a 20ft robot, how could he become a portable walkman? That just aint right ... so I guess they are comprimising with the helecopter thing. Same with Megatron. A gun which goes into something they can pick up .. I dunno. I'll watch that space.