Michael Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer.He is the director of DreamWorks' Transformers live-action movies. He is a devoted fan of Doctor Who, DC Comics, and whatever David Lynch deems us worthy of viewing. Their looks and transformations would be amazing to see. Transformers movies ranked: boxd.it/8WwgE. Fandoms: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One, Transformers Animated (2007), Transformers: Prime, Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015) Explicit Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings The studio began courting other writers in May 2007, but as they were unimpressed with their pitches, they convinced Orci and Kurtzman to return. Finally, Bumblebee bears not a shred of the cruelty that characterised Bayâs Transformers movies. Transformers Movie Wiki is a FANDOM Movies Community. Bumblebee was a modest box office success - it had to take on the likes of Aquaman and Mary Poppins Returns at the box office, but held its own well enough to warrant talk of a sequel. [17] Prime Directive was used as a fake working title. founded by Prima, The Autobot'sleader is Optimus Prime. [69][70] The film is set five years after the events inTransformers: Dark of the Moon. Bay's first Transformers movie was not only a box office titan but a crowd pleaser as well, and it even got mildly positive reviews. However, a group of powerful, ingenious businessman and scientists attempt to learn from past Transformer incursions and push the boundaries of technology beyond what they can control – all while an ancient, powerful Transformer menace sets Earth in his crosshairs. Before Transformers was released, producer DeSanto had "a very cool idea" to introduce the Dinobots,[46] while Bay was interested in an aircraft carrier, which was dropped from the 2007 film. [88] On May 6, 2013, actress Sophia Myles was cast in a major supporting role. Con Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Jon Voight. Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet were also brought aboard for writing duties. [76] Peter Cullen, who voiced Optimus Prime in the films, was to reprise his role. Director Travis Knight, a huge fan of the franchise going back to the '80s, peppered the film with references to Generation 1, a nice nod to longtime fans who'd stuck with the franchise through its peaks and valleys. The Transformers franchise already had a cult fanbase before the films, thanks to a slew of animated TV shows and movies, and video games. Dusty Stowe has been writing for Screen Rant since 2016. Rotten Tomatoes, home of the Tomatometer, is the most trusted measurement of quality for Movies & TV. They met with comic book writer Simon Furman, and cited the Generation 1 cartoon and comics as their main influence. John Rogers wrote the first draft, which pitted four Autobots against four Decepticons,[9] and featured the Ark spaceship. [92] Also revealed were two Autobots who would have the following alternate modes—a black-and-blue 2013 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse named "Drift", and a green 2014 C7 Corvette Stingray concept named Crosshairs. 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The 60-year-old actor has collaborated with the director on two 'Transformers' movies and revealed that he enjoyed the prospect of not knowing what each day on set would involve with the filmmaker. They made the Creation Matrix their plot device, though Murphy had it renamed because of the film series The Matrix. Bay began creating animatics of action sequences featuring characters rejected for the 2007 film; this would allow animators to complete sequences if the Directors Guild of America went on strike in July 2008, which ultimately did not happen. [78] Glenn Morshower stated that he was contracted for two films and he was to reprise his role,[79] but it was later confirmed that Morshower would not be returning. Despite that, the Transformers movies ⦠[63]Unicron is briefly shown in a secret Transformers 3 preview feature in the Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray Disc. [13] The writers remained involved throughout production, adding additional dialogue for the robots during the sound mixing (although none of this was kept in the final film, which ran fifteen minutes shorter than the initial edit). Spettacolare e nostalgico action movie sulla lotta tra bene e male. The series has been distributed by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks. [20] Nonetheless, he wanted to work with Spielberg, and gained a new respect for the mythology upon visiting Hasbro. [80] With a budget of $165 million, filming was expected to take place in London between April and November 2013—once Pain & Gain, another film that Bay was directing, had finished editing. [81][82], On January 8, 2013, it was announced that Reynor was joining Wahlberg in the lead. Bay has directed other blockbuster action films, such as Bad Boys and its sequel, The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, The Island, Pain & Gain, and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. Buy, Rent or Watch Transformers 5-Movie Collection (Plus Bonus Content) and other Movies + TV Shows online. Kruger had frequent meetings with Industrial Light & Magic's (ILM) visual effects producers, who suggested plot points such as the scenes in Chernobyl.[55]. [19], Orci and Kurtzman experimented with numerous robots from the franchise, ultimately selecting the characters most popular among the filmmakers to form the final cast. A spin-off entitled Bumblebee, directed by Travis Knight and produced by Michael Bay, is scheduled for December 21, 2018. Michael Bay has directed the first five films: Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Dark of the Moon(2011), Age of Extinction (2014) and The Last Knight (2017). [10] Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, fans of the cartoon,[11] were hired to rewrite the script in February 2005. He is also a trained audio engineer with a degree from the Los Angeles Film School, and manages multiple corporate social media accounts. Well, apparently Bay forgot about his power-level in the third entry Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Presumably, both of these movies will maintain the existing canon established in the last six installments. Michael Bay Reveals Plans for 14 More Transformers Movies. The Autobots fake their own deaths to convince the Decepticons that they have free rein over the planet. The following is a list of characters featured in the Transformers film series, distributed by Paramount Pictures, and its related media appearances.Over 214 characters have appeared in the film franchise. [36] The three writers spent four months finishing the screenplay while "locked" in two hotel rooms by Bay: Kruger wrote in his own room and the trio would check on each other's work twice a day. Between 2007 and 2017, the summer blockbuster season featured five different Transformers films. The Michael Bay Transformers Movies, Ranked From Worst To Best. Based on the Transformers toy line the plot sees Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who gets involved in a war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, two factions of alien robots who can disguise themselves by transforming into everyday machinery. [40] Lorenzo di Bonaventura said that in total, there are around forty robots in the film,[30] whileILM's Scott Farrar has said there are actually sixty. Transformers is directed by Michael Bay and written by John Rogers, Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman. Megatron as seen in the Michael Bay films— a stereoypical Bayformer. [47] Orci claimed they did not incorporate these characters into Revenge of the Fallen because they could not think of a way to justify the Dinobots' choice of form,[38] and were unable to fit in the aircraft carrier. Knight never points and laughs at his characters. Paramount wants to have their own cinematic universe forTransformers, similar to Marvel's/Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe (which had been one of Paramount's previous film series), and DC Comics/Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe. Although they raked in money at the box office, not all the Michael Bay Transformers movies were that great. [72][73][74] In November 2012, casting began to search for two more leads. Isabelle Cornish, Nicola Peltz, Gabriella Wilde and Margaret Qualleywere all considered to play the daughter of Mark Wahlberg's character, while Luke Grimes, Landon Liboiron, Brenton Thwaites, Jack Reynor andHunter Parrish were all considered to play the race-car-driving boyfriend. Yes, each film gets a whole pile. 1 History 2 Leaders of the Autobots 3 All Movies (2007-Present.) Stanley Tucci enjoys working with "spontaneous" Michael Bay. [101] Paramount Pictures spent $80 million on production in Michigan, in return for $21 million in state incentives, under agreements entered into before the state legislature eliminated the film office incentive program in July 2015. A dumb, incoherent mess of a movie, even by the standards of this franchise, The Last Knight was the first of the Transformers films to lose money. Down but not out, the Transformers film franchise would regroup in a big way with 2018's Bumblebee, a prequel of the first film set in 1987 and revolving almost exclusively around the titular Autobot scout and his relationship with the young human girl Charlie Watson. [102] In April 2016, Paramount hired cinematographer Jonathan Sela. That first Transformers movie had a heart, best displayed in Shia LeBeouf's Sam Witwicky, a likable lead human character who had a warm, funny relationship with Bumblebee, the mute Autobot scout. [27] Screenwriting was interrupted by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, but to avoid production delays the writers spent two weeks writing a treatment, which they handed in the night before the strike began,[34] and Bay expanded the outline into a sixty-page scriptment,[35] fleshing out the action, adding more jokes,[34] as well as selecting the majority of new characters. The Transformers movies and their love for all things military doesn't just relate to U.S. branches. [citation needed][24] Some of their names were changed because Bay was upset that they had been leaked. The design and style of the film included both elements from the existing franchise as well as influences from Transformers: Generation 1 franchise of toys. [67] On the same day, Paramount Pictures and Michael Bay announced a June 27, 2014 release date for a fourth film. [84][clarification needed], On March 26, 2013, Nicola Peltz was cast as the female lead. Azione, USA, 2007. But when his mind is filled with cryptic symbols, the Decepticons target him and he is dragged back into the Transformers' war. By the time of the fifth film, Transformers: The Last Knight, it was evident Michael Bay's heart was no longer in the franchise. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Star Trek: The Next Generation lit up his five year-old brain like a firework, ensuring heâd be a progressive nerd for the rest of his life. Transformers would find new heights of popularity with the 21st century movie franchise, making characters like Optimus Prime and Megatron into household names. [18], Michael Bay was asked to direct by Spielberg on July 30, 2005,[19] but he dismissed the film as a "stupid toy movie". But it wasn't all smooth sailing, with major problems popping up in the Transformers sequels. [38] He wanted the focus between the robots and humans "much more evenly balanced",[39] "the stakes [to] be higher", and the science fiction elements more prominent. Sam Witwicky leaves the Autobots behind for a normal life. Votes: 385,032 | Gross: $402.11M [87] On May 1, 2013, actor Kelsey Grammer was cast as the lead human villain named "Harold Attinger". Related: How Transformers Could Reboot In Two Distinct Directions. It was released on December 21, 2018, to generally positive reviews. Durata 144 min. In a hidden extra for the Blu-ray release of Revenge of the Fallen, Bay expressed his intention to make Transformers 3 not necessarily larger thanRevenge of the Fallen, but instead deeper into the mythology, to give it more character development, and to make it darker and more emotional. Critics savaged the film, but it still made a gargantuan amount of money, assuring the series would continue. Unicron is a large Cybertronian god that is the ancient enemy of Primus/Cybertron. [66], Main article: Transformers: Age of Extinction, In February 2012, producer di Bonaventura stated that a fourth film was in the works, aiming for a 2014 release, with Michael Bay to direct and produce. Cameron reportedly told Bay about 3-D, "You gotta look at it as a toy, it's another fun tool to help get emotion and character and create an experience. [19][21] The writers sought inspiration from G.I. [61] In addition to using the 3-D Fusion camera rigs developed by Cameron's team,[60][62] Bay and the team spent nine months developing a more portable 3-D camera that could be brought into location. Transformers 1- B Transformers 2-C Transformers 3-C-Transformers 4-C+ Transformers 5-D As far as video, all movies looked good, the first few slightly softer and crazy amounts of film grain. Michael Bay is officially finished with the Transformers franchise and a direct sequel to The Last Knight is no longer happening. Worst of all, the robots themselves were given broad, aggressive personalities, with Optimus Prime coming off as a more sadistic warrior than previously seen. [75] Bay announced on his website that Reynor would be the boyfriend and that the fourth film would start the next installment in the overall series; the film was to be a darker sequel to Dark of the Moon and have a different feeling. [89] That same month, Chinese actress Li Bingbing and comedian T. J. Miller joined the cast. For the third film, as a preemptive measure before the release of Revenge of the Fallen, Michael Lucchi and Paramount announced on March 16, 2009, that a third film would be released in IMAX 3D on July 1, 2011, which earned a surprised response from director Bay: Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who had worked on the two previous Transformers films, declined to return for the third film, with Kurtzman declaring that "the franchise is so wonderful that it deserves to be fresh, all the time. Following the events of Transformers: The Last Knight, he is waking up from his slumber. The Michael Bay Transformers Movies, Ranked From Worst To Best. The Transformers franchise was once a box office behemoth, but the sequels after the first film started to falter. [98] In July 2015, Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner were announced as the fifth Transformers film's screenwriters. [56] Due to the revived interest in 3-D technology brought in by the success of Avatar,[57] talks between Paramount, ILM, and Bay had considered the possibility of the next Transformers film being filmed in 3-D, and testing was performed to bring the technology into Bay's work. Michael Bay, Producer: Armageddon. Now weâve seen plenty of media outlets go off on how the Transformers films have beenracist and misogynistic piles of human faecal matter in the past. [17] Furman's The Ultimate Guide, published by Dorling Kindersley, remained as a resource to the writers throughout production. The studio intends to do what James Cameron and 20th Century Fox have been doing in planning three Avatarsequels, and what Disney has done to revive Star Wars, with sequels and spin-offs. The Transformers actually made their initial jump to the silver screen in 1986 with The Transformers: The Movie, an animated spinoff of the TV series that made very little box office noise - though did manage to traumatize a generation with the death of Optimus Prime. As relevant and true as those subjects are, theyâre not really getting into the heart of the problem with the filmsâ narrative and characters. Download or stream from your Apple TV, Roku, Smart TV, computer or portable device. From Director Michael Bay and Executive Producer Steven Spielberg comes the action-packed Transformers 5-Movie Collection featuring spectacular action and unparalleled visual effects! Paramount currently has outlines for 14 more Transformers scripts, which Michael Bay will produce. Many casual moviegoers and film critics would agree that Michael Bay's first foray into the Transformers universe remains his best. [22] An early idea to have the Decepticons simultaneously strike multiple places around the world was also dropped, being used later in the film's sequels. A graduate of Wesleyan University, Michael Bay spent his 20s working on advertisements and music videos. The Transformers cinematic franchise began in 2007, with director Michael Bay overseeing the first five movies. The Transformers franchise already had a cult fanbase before the films, thanks to a slew of animated TV shows and movies, and video games. [103] On May 17, Bay revealed the official title of the film to be The Last Knight on his Instagram account, where he also posted a production video showing a close-up of Optimus Prime's face with purple eyes instead of blue, and his face mostly discolored. But alas, the realities of how Bay handled Fox have not aged well in the intervening decade, and that feel-bad factor prevents Transformers from the top spot on this list. [43] Bay concurred that he wanted to please fans by making the tone darker,[44] and that "moms will think its safe enough to bring the kids back out to the movies" despite his trademark sense of humor.[45]. Click the button below to start this article in quick view. Optimus essentially let people die to prove a point, which could not possibly be less heroic. RELATED: Transformers: The 10 Lamest Secondary Modes ⦠Only in 2018 did Bay step back from director to producer for Bumblebee, a prequel directed by Travis Knight. The definitive site for Reviews, Trailers, Showtimes, and Tickets Following the film's critical success, Hasbro intends to continue and evolve the franchise similar to Bumblebee. The film was directed by Travis Knight and written by Christina Hodson, and stars Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., John Ortiz, Jason Drucker, and Pamela Adlon, with Dylan O'Brien as the voice of Bumblebee. Mark Wahlberg was instead cast in the lead role. Bay announced he was done with the franchise after directing The Last Knight, and the franchise was on the edge of oblivion for the first time. Filming began in June 2013, in Detroit,[96] Chicago, Austin, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. Perhaps worst of all, Bay's magic touch with action sequences was nowhere to be found in The Last Knight, which was not only confusing and off-putting, but at over 150 minutes was gruelingly boring. [15] The Transformers had no dialogue, as the producers feared talking robots would look ridiculous. It's simply too much plot, and it never coalesces into a story worth telling. Bumblebee (2018) - New Official Trailer - Paramount Pictures. Autobots. [5] Bay acknowledged that most of the Decepticons were selected before their names or roles were developed, as Hasbro had to start designing the toys. Plus, the action modernized the Transformers for the 21st century, which is something that hadn't happened up until that point in the series. This movie was so stupid but I honestly had fun with it. Consigli per la visione +13. The huge visual effects movie Transformers racked up the biggest July 4th single-day gross in boxoffice history. DeSanto ch⦠It felt like a solid opening chapter that would eventually lead to bigger and better things - but that was not to be. The fourth film, Transformers: Age of Extinction - now with a new lead, Mark Wahlberg's Cade Yeager - would continue Optimus' descent into violent psychopathy. Joe and Micronauts properties, Paramount began to negotiate with Art Marcum and Matt Holloway(Iron Man), as well as Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down), to write the film. Welcome to Transformers Movie Wiki, a wiki covering Michael Bay's Transformers film series. Next: How Beast Wars Can Save Transformers (& Fit Into The Movies). [104] The official Twitter account showed a 19-second short video in morse code that translates to "I'm coming for you May 31". Principal photography on the film began in July 2017, in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. Michael Bay has revealed that Paramount is currently developing 14 Transformers movies. He created music videos for Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Lionel Richie, Wilson Phillips, Donny Osmond and Divinyls. But before Optimus and friends make their heroic return, the Decepticons decimate Chicago and other large cities, resulting in massive death and destruction. For the first film, producer Don Murphy was planning a G.I. A native of Yorktown, Virginia, he moved to Los Angeles in 2010 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. [15], Main article: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, In September 2007, Paramount announced a late June 2009 release date for the sequel to Transformers. [37], Orci described the film's theme as "being away from home", with the Autobots contemplating living on Earth as they cannot restore Cybertron, while Sam goes to college. Welcome to the Transformers Movie Wiki. [11] The first draft also had a battle scene in the Grand Canyon. Bay promised to not have the "dorky comedy" from the last film. The Transformers: The Movie was accompanied by a big media blitz, and designed to bring Transformers into a new era, both fictionally and financially. [65] On March 19, 2010, the script was said to be finished. Related: Transformers Future Explained: What Movies Are In Development. [27] The studio also signed on Ehren Kruger, as he impressed Bay and Hasbro president Brian Goldner with his knowledge of the Transformers mythology,[33] and because he was friends with Orci and Kurtzman. [25] Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream were the only characters present in each version of the script. [64] After Revenge of the Fallen was almost universally panned by critics, Bay acknowledged the general flaws of the script, having blamed the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike prior to the film for many problems. [59] On the day of the film's release, Shia LaBeouf announced that Dark of the Moon will be his last Transformers film. The live-action film series has received mixed-to-negative reception, with criticism of the plots, sophomoric humor, overuse of product placements and the runtimes of the films, but praise of the visual effects, action sequences and music. The characters were terrible and their dialogue was cringeworthy but the action scenes and special effects really saved the movie for me. Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. [22] Because Orci and Kurtzman were concerned the film could feel like a military recruitment commercial, they chose to make the military believe nations like Iran were behind the Decepticon attack as well as making the Decepticons primarily military vehicles. [97] Kirkman left the room after just one day to undergo throat surgery. [16] Spielberg read each of Orci and Kurtzman's drafts and gave notes for improvement. [93] Bumblebee's new alternate mode was revealed to be a modified vintage 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, which later transforms into a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro concept. He currently writes lists, features, and news articles covering movies, comics, and television. [48] Orci also admitted he was also dismissive of the Dinobots because he does not like dinosaurs. Azione, USA, 2007. A truck from Western Star Trucks would be Optimus Prime's new alternate mode for the movie. [34] The writing trio were paid $8 million. It was produced by Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto, and is the first installment in the live-action Transformers film series. Megatron as seen in the Michael Bay filmsâ a stereoypical Bayformer. The plot was something akin to a scatterbrained National Treasure movie, but most of it worked nonetheless; the humor was broad, but most if it landed, and the action sequences were thrilling. The writers' room members include: Christina Hodson, Lindsey Beer, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari (Ant-Man), Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), Art Marcum & Matt Holloway, Zak Penn (Pacific Rim Uprising), Jeff Pinkner (The Amazing Spider-Man 2), Ken Nolan, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Movie-wise, I mean. After a few false starts, Transformers would return to the big screen in 2007 with the live action Transformers, directed by action movie extraordinaire Michael Bay. His first projects after film school were in the music video business.