Empire have added an article to their website with higher-res versions of the new Transformers Age of Extinction stills we saw earlier today. Their article also fills out some character names and fills in just a few more story details.
Of particular note, Mark Wahlberg’s character is now named as Cade Yeager. Nicola Peltz is confirmed as Tessa Yeager, with Jack Reynor playing her secret racer boyfriend Shane (full name given as Shane Dyson in Yahoo’s coverage of the same stills). Stanley Tucci is playing Joshua, and Sophia Myles is playing a geologist named Darcy. These names were all previously listed on a leaked call sheet, though the second names were not given at that time – this leads one to assume that some of the other details given might also be true.
The cast is rounded out by Li Bingbing, who is described as (spoiler, highlight to read)
The article also sheds new light on what the plot of the movie involves – this one is another spoiler, highlight the text below to read:
The article ends with director Michael Bay’s thoughts. He has a good feeling about this movie and says it has a huge soul. And he’s not ruling out staying on to make more Transformers live action movies. “Well, it’s a director’s world… It’s a franchise world at the moment,” he says in the article. “You know, Peter Jackson is still in Middle-earth…”
Click here to check out the full article, and keep it TFW for more Transformers movie news!
Sideways77
Southern Orange Growers.
I dunno. I just call him Kelsey GramMECH.
Gingerchris
Except that Peter Jackson wasn't going to direct The Hobbit, just be co-writer and producer on it. Guillermo del Toro was going to direct it and they even did a huge amount of pre-production for around two years with him at the helm. Unfortunately a final green light kept getting delayed because of financial difficulties at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Del Toro had to move onto other projects so Peter Jackson reluctantly stepped into his shoes because he was so familar with the project already or the movie could've been delayed for many more months or even years and wasted money and put people out of work. Even when Del Toro left Jackson didn't immediately come is as replacement and only finally took it on when he was asked to by other parties because if he didn't do it the entire project could've fallen apart in the time it would take another director to come into the project 'cold'.
Peter Jackson was all ready to happily step aside and let someone else take a crack at directing the next load of movies set in this world, but circumstances were against him. Sure, he'd have still been 'in Middle Earth' to some degree because of the writing and producing, but it's not the same as wanting to keep hold of a directing gig because 'it's his baby'. So it's not really the same thing. Unless of course Bay was going to step aside and produce the next TF movie rather than direct it. Which is unlilkely to ever happen.
The Special Edition home release of 'An Unexpected Journey' has a nice featurette about the faltering steps to filling the director's chair for the Hobbit movie.
TheSoundwave
I don't hate Bay, and I agree that he's made Transformers really popular in recent years, I just don't particularly like his style of movies, I wish they had more plot, less humans, and the robots had more personality instead of just being stereotypes. This is just my opinion, and if you like like Bay's movies, that's okay, I just don't particularly like them.
Jigsaw25
My god, is there a name for what's wrong with you Bay haters? Anyone with half a brain could tell that he wasn't comparing himself to Peter Jackson. He was just talking about how franchises are a big thing in Hollywood at the moment and used Peter Jackson as an example of a director sticking to his franchise. But no, you had to twist it to make it seem like Bay was full of himself. Grow up.
And what exactly did he do to Transformers? Make it a huge money maker that lead to the creation of new Transformers video games, TV shows, toys, theme park rides, comics etc etc.
Your petty gripes with the movies mean nothing when compared to all the good they've done for the brand.
You all complain about the stupid humor but Transformers has always had stupid humor, ALWAYS! Remember in Beast Wars when The Decepticons got beat by a fart? or how about when the decepticons got drunk on energon in G1?
You complain about the movies straying away from the source material, but never cared when all the other incarnations of Transformers did it. Did you all care when Beast Wars did it? or Armada? The movies get the basic premise down and do new things with t because why the hell not? Transformers have changed throughout the years why stop now? The basic premise and characters are still there, so it's not a complete departure.
TheSoundwave
True, you've got a point, but he's acknowledging the fact that Peter Jackson's a good director by even mentioning him. As it is, I consider Peter Jackson's Hobbit films too different from the book, but that's nothing compared to what Bay did to Transformers!
tonyformer
He's not comparing himself to Peter Jackson guys! Not in the sense of Bay thinking he's better than Jackson. He's saying its the time of the directors and their franchises. Peter Jackson is still in middle earth as in he's not giving up on his franchise, so Bay is saying TFs is his franchise and he's not ready to give up on it. I love how people take someone's words and misinterpret them as in Bay is always talking bad about someone else lol
TheSoundwave
You said it!
Peter Jackson: Superior
Michael Bay: Inferior
tonyformer
I think you misunderstand what Bay was saying about Peter Jackson. He wasn't talking bad about Peter Jackson. He was implying that the industry is about keeping with what you started. Peter Jackson could have called it quits after the LOTRs movies but they are his biggest movie creations and he wanted to continue on that so he jumped into the Hobbit movies. It's his "Baby". The same with James Camron and Avatar. That's his "Baby" and its a directors industry right now. He's not going to let someone jump in and possibly mess with his "Baby". That's what Bay meant by it. He was comparing his reason to stick with TFs as Peter Jackson has stuck with his crowning achievement in "Middle Earth".
tonyformer
I don't think the car is Dino or any Autobot. It's definitely CGI but I believe if it was an Autobot and they were rolling up to find a dead friend, Bay would not have them just roll up on a dead friend still in his Alt mode. An we all know, if it was Dino or any Autobot, he would have transformed and at least went down fighting. As for Movie Cons, there will be lots of them. Most of them are just CGI. And I believe the Autobots "may" build their ranks with others that were initially human made or at least revived by humans.
Shizuka
Yes, sticking to the source material, because we all know that Lord of the Rings spans multiple universes and has many different iterations of the events. Right? Tell me, what "source material" should Bay be working from? G1? Armada? Robots in Disguise? Animated? Prime?
Honestly, I can't believe people can be this stupid. If you're going to hate a Director then fine. But, at least hate the Director for a logical reason.
VaderPrime1
So are Decepticons even going to be in this movie or just the human made robots. (I'm hating this possible plot more and more, and I'm a huge movie verse fan)
Also, I'm trying to identify what kind of car the one split in half is. Anyone have any ideas? It's not the Pagani. The A-pillar and seats aren't even close.
kjeevahh
Peace – Teletraan I: the Transformers Wiki – Fall of Cybertron, War for Cybertron, Transformers: Prime, Toys, Kre-O, Rescue Bots
Red Goblin
I think that's exactly what will happen.
Paxtin
I'd highly doubt that for a lot of reasons, but mainly because Primes new robot mode doesn't even look like it turns into his new truck mode.
If he is the old rusty truck I wouldn't be surprised if they just use the same character model with a few slight detail changes.
todd1729
I was convinced the rusty, old cab-over was Op a while ago. You know what never dawned on me until you said it. What if his robot mode did lean more towards his G1 design. That would be f'n awesome. Then you made me think of something else. I'm pretty sure there'll be a toy (just like '67 Bee in TF1), but I never thought of the possibility of Hasbro doing a repaint in G1 colors a la Ratchet, Ironhide, and Optimus from the first movie.
Yggdrasil
Did Simon Furman teach you nothing?
It NEVER ends!
Chaos Prime
The article ends with director Michael Bay's thoughts. He has a good feeling about this movie and says it has a huge soul. And he's not ruling out staying on to make more Transformers live action movies. "Well, it's a director's world… It's a franchise world at the moment," he says in the article. "You know, Peter Jackson is still in Middle-earth…"
He's really comparing himself to Peter Jackson?
We're never going to get a good Transformers movie, are we?
This franchise is always going to have Bay stink smeared into it; IT'S NEVER GOING TO END!!! Oh the humanity!
tonyformer
I think people are thinking buried means its been there for a very long time. Not saying that isn't the case. Maybe he finds and somehow reactives a single Dinobot that is not one of the normal 5. Maybe it's Slash.
If its not a Dinobot, lets not forget the rumored Vector Prime that was mentioned so long ago. If its Vector, in the early draft he had a ship. Maybe he does not have a ship but the strange Obelisk is his dimensional sarcophagus like those that the first 13 had in the comics for the movies?
If its not Vector Prime, it could be a very badly damaged OP that after DOTM took on a different look (rusted cab) but ended up going into a stasis lock an the truck was buried in a junk yard or debris pile. Much like how Jetfire in ROTF was in stasis lock in his jet mode and the jet was put into a museum with no one knowing what it truely was?
If not OP, maybe the TF he digs up or finds buried is another long lost Seeker? In ROTF, Weelie did point out on the map that there was one in Texas right?
Or the most simple explanation is that some TF in its protoform Comet mode comes down on his land and is buried in the ground of which he uncovers it and while examining it, he activates it. But is unaware that he does and while he's inside trying to figure out what to do with it, it transforms while no one is around and scans Shane's Sonic and takes on the look of the Sonic.
All of these are very possible.
Browns2212
This is what I was thinking, similar to Megs in TF1. Granted, Megs was in ice/cold but maybe this buried TF just needs "re-activated" and not resurrected or brought back to life.
vrba79
At least I've never fell asleep from utter boredom during a TF movie.
Fallling asleep during a Peter Jackson film is a given.
"Original source material" in a case like this doesn't apply.
LOTR and the Hobbit are based on a series of books, written by a single person. Its a pretty concrete source to stick to.
Transformers' "original source material", is spread over the backs of many a toy package, a cartoon with more holes in it's plot than a sieve, and two comic book continuities that didn't always line up and in most cases, didn't match the cartoon. And that's just G1!
If you want "original" Transformers go fap yourself to death to G1 or something.