Transformers 3 - In Retrospect By NIBMRatchet Transformers: Dark of the Moon is now out worldwide. TFW2005 is proud to have been a part of all the movie buzz, helping to deliver lightning fast news updates for everyone to enjoy. Here is a look back at what happened since the end of Revenge of the Fallen and up to the point of TF3 release in Japan. This is Transformers 3: In Retrospect With the commercial success of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, a third movie was inevitable. The first news regarding Transformers 3 never came to fruition … and it was Ramon Rodriguez to Return for Transformers 3. But it didn’t take long for the rumor mill to churn for we received a rumor of Mikaela Banes’ (Megan Fox) death scene (we know how that turned out, don’t we? ). The first “true” news came from Michael Bay himself. He not only confirmed that the script was done but also took a moment to say some kind words to Miss Fox. But early paparazzi news mentioned a storm brewing between Fox and Bay. Orci and Kurtzman left the Movie Franchise and ended up with Transformers: Prime (Those two are doing an absolutely magnificent job over at the Prime department IMO). So, with an odd start… Transformers 3 was set to begin filming in May 2010. After those news items everything was pretty quiet… but there is a saying…It’s always calm before the storm. How correct that was! (Ooh... almost forgot; the script leak. That was fake anyway). A few more bits of news turned up regarding Bay scouting for locations, Chicago being selected for filming and the fact that Bay said the 3rd movie would be “Robot Heavy”. A little info from the cast mentioned some including Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson returning and then major news turned up. We get our first look at the newest Autobot to join the ranks; a Ferrari 458 Italia. It was announced that Transformers 3 would be shot entirely is 3D. This is a huge improvement over all the Post-Converted ("faked" in my opinion) 3D Movies coming out these days. Kudos to Bay for that decision but do bear in mind that he didn't like it in the first place because it is a hindrance to his style, but Paramount changed his mind. Rumors regarding new human cast circulated around, but most of them did not happen. As for the plot, a few tidbits mentioning that Bay was focusing on the core mythology also came to surface. The first info about the CGI Character Models mentioned Optimus Prime and Bumblebee were to undergo design changes for the third movie. But we later saw that almost all the older characters went through a lot of physical changes in appearance. Next, big names from the entertainment industry joined the human cast such as John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Alan Tudyk and Patrick Dempsey. Mr. Lorenzo di Bonaventura was extremely talkative and shared tiny bits of information whenever he could. He maintained a close relationship with the press and the fans. Soon, this news came-up “Chicago : Center-Point For Transformers 3 Principal Photography”. Then we got our first look at the modified Chevrolet Camaro which is the new vehicle form of Movie Bumblebee. Then we got a glimpse of new Ratchet, Sideswipe as well as the new twins Skids and Mudflap. “Megan Fox will not appear in Transformers 3” news headline got the attention of thousands of movie fans and split them into two groups, one saying “WHAT? They can’t do that!” while the rest saying “Oh good, bring in a better actress!” Eventually the whole debate escalated to a point where Megan Fox and Michael Bay themselves talked to the press mentioning their side of the story. What actually went down is still a mystery. But what happened, happened… soon it was the time of Miss Rosie Huntington-Whiteley; Victoria’s Secret supermodel and Jason Statham’s girlfriend. After the Milwaukee Art Museum filming it was time to head towards Chicago and yes… ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE! Character and Plot Leaks happened left and right. It all started with our first look at Optimus Prime's G1 Trailer. Pretty soon we saw the Wreckers, total mayhem (or should I say “Bayhem”), Shockwave, Soundwave, Wheeljack / Que, Megatron’s return, More Bayhem, Robots-On-Steeks, No Jolt, Mysterious Fuel Tanker Truck and a news of an accident which forever changed the life of Gabriella Cedillo. Chicago Filming ended on that sad note. Things settled down after the Chicago filming. But soon more rumors leftover from Chicago surfaced. First we heard about Simmons and his Maybach. And a rumor came into light regarding the identity of the Mack Truck. This rumor was later confirmed as leaked Transformers toys started to hit the internet. Pretty soon tension grew between critics and Michael Bay. Some of them started saying Mr. Bay wais faking the 3D. Michael responded with proof in hand and with a press conference (we’ll come to that later). As a student who studies Astronomy as a hobby, I’m extremely proud of our beloved Transformers Franchise for paying the ultimate tribute to the Space Shuttle Discovery by incorporating it into the third movie. The Xantium is a brilliant way of saying ‘Goodbye’ to such a magnificent vehicle. Just when things looked a bit boring… BAM! TFW2005 revealed the title of Transformers 3. Poor Bumblebee had a crash during the filming in D.C. The plot synopsis of Transformers 3 got leaked thanks to Amazon… but Amazon still had some surprises left for us to be leaked in the near future (and in turn spoiling our surprises). It was a bittersweet moment for all the cast and crew of Transformers: Dark of the Moon on the final day of filming. Soon Post Production began. And before we knew it… it was the time for the first trailer of TF3. Peter David took the burden of writing the Novelization this time and reading it revealed what an awesome treat it was. The Teaser Trailer finally arrived. There were many trailers after that, more than we can chronicle here. Honestly, I’ve lost count. Now we come towards the final stage of the final Transformers Live Action Movie by Michael Bay. It started with the rumor of a Linkin Park song for the third movie. This rumor never came to pass. As it turns out it was not “Burning In The Skies” after all. Promotional campaigns started during the early months of 2011. The campaign kick-started with the release of the Superbowl Trailer followed by Michael and Rosie visiting the Daytona 500. With all the buzz surrounding TF3 it didn't take long for Transformers 4 rumors to surface. The promotional campaign continued with countless magazine interviews and TV appearances. In some of the interviews, more plot details were revealed. We also got our first proper look at Movie Sentinel Prime’s CGI Image thanks to the Empire Magazine. Soon, the legendary Leonard Nimoy told us that he is the voice of Sentinel Prime. Holy Moly! Spock? Finally after months of debate, Linkin Park officially announced the title song of Dark of the Moon, which turned out to be “Iridescent” from their latest album “A Thousand Suns”. Michael Bay had a chat with the press and revealed an official banner for TF3. Soon the poster was revealed too. Mr. Bay and Mr. Spielberg got inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame and rightfully so. They’ve done a massive job on behalf of this community we love and cherish. It is high time both of them got recognized for their effort. Michael Bay finally put an end to the 3D Debate by holding a press conference with the director James Cameron as a guest. Mirage, Wheeljack! A thousand apologies my Autobot brothers! You two are now Dino and Que respectively. (Except in the toy lines – SF) Time passed by silently, everyone was busy with their new DOTM Toys. Slowly the release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon crept towards us. Can you imagine how fast two years sped past us? It was like yesterday that we sat down to watch Revenge of the Fallen. Transformers: Dark of the Moon made its debut at the Moscow International Film Festival. Michel Bay soon left a “Thank You! Note” mentioning all the help he was given and thanking all the fans around the world. The trilogy which changed the course of the Transformers Franchise was officially over. Back in 2005 nobody thought how far this franchise would come with the Bay Movies. Expectations weren’t high. But look at it now! Michael Bay’s Transformers (2007) nailed it. Becoming one of the highest grossing movie series ever produced. We are proud to be a part of it. But most importantly I’m proud of all the TFW2005 members bringing in news, sharing info, laughing, arguing and showing the world how strong Transformers Franchise is. It is an honor serving you all. ‘Til All Are One!
