Viacom-CBS Merger: What We Know And How It Will Affect Our Franchise

Discussion in 'Transformers News and Rumors' started by SilverOptimus, Aug 15, 2019.

  1. RodimusRex

    RodimusRex Well-Known Member

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    I think Beast Wars could work in Next Mutation style suits either as a kids show or a knowingly schlocky show for teens and adults with clever writers and directors. Or maybe as a sitcom.
     
  2. GizmoTron

    GizmoTron Roobaticon Commander

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    And I think you're failing to understand that there are some standards people would expect from a Transformers show let alone a Beast Wars one. Like the big ones, such as people who want a Transformers TV show would like to have Transformers who can actually transform in it.

    And certainly not some Adult Swim low budget series with costumes that would look laughably bad even compared to Saban's Ninja Turtles if not just full out pee your pants, kill it with fire, and run away screaming in terror nightmare fuel.
     
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  3. DashCourageous

    DashCourageous Greetings Programs!

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    The only way humans can work effective in any way with TF, is if it's done by a Japanese company.

    No where (to my recollection) have I ever seen a live-action anything with robots, and have the humans not be useless or poorly written. Willing to discuss, not a cast-iron opinion, more an observation.
     
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  4. Digger

    Digger Banned

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    That could be interesting. If you just put in the right characters it could work well. Maybe if it was about some Micromasters and doing some cool undercover things. That way you can let it be accepted by not having fan favourites in a simplified show and bringing new light to them. If it got well received we could even meet them in the films or if it bombed it could get forgotten easily.
     
  5. SG Roadbuster

    SG Roadbuster SG Wrecker

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    Idw did it pretty well
     
  6. mx-01 archon

    mx-01 archon Well-Known Member

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    Debatable. I mean, there's no denying the comics' contributions to the lore, and its success at bringing under-valued characters to the forefront.

    But they rather lost the plot in regards to what it actually means to be a "Transformer".
     
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  7. Smitty.1981

    Smitty.1981 Well-Known Member

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    I had thought it was a way to make the Transformers seem more amazing. Kinda like even the most brilliant of humans are dumbfounded in the presence of just one Transformer.
     
  8. Autobot Burnout

    Autobot Burnout ...and I'll whisper "No."

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    I have to agree - the comics were great at establishing the Transformers as a civilization, but in terms of utilizing transformation never really got too much farther than one or two good ideas (the whole thing involving Pharma and the one guy not getting infected because he had no reason to transform into his hilariously stupid leg mode, the concept of Functionalism, protesting by transforming constantly until you die, etc.), which is a problem for the franchise since at the end of the day, the real draw meant to differentiate the characters of this franchise from some other franchise about space aliens is the fact our aliens turn into human machines.

    Even Last Stand of the Wreckers, which I will sing the praises of til my dying day, is merely a good story but doesn't really involve transformation all that much - the biggest draw it really has is just a bunch of obscure 90s characters being awesome and dying horrible, pointless deaths.

    The fun is supposed to be they disguise as human machinery to fight a secret war. Something that's kind of been forgotten, unfortunately. Maybe a live action series could bring that back, but the humans have to be well written and there has to be a lot of play about both Autobots and (to a much lesser extent Decepticons) hiding in plain sight and weird shit happening that humans not in the know (and never in the know) react to.

    I'll give a shout out to Rescue Bots which managed to twist this concept around in great ways, first by allowing transformation freely by having the robots be disguised as themselves but not sentient...and then after they reveal their sentience to the people of Griffin Rock to save them from some other aliens, the townspeople get in on the ruse in the halloween episode by helping disguise evidence of the robots being sentient by playing the whole thing off as a halloween parody of low budget alien invasion movies.
     
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  9. SG Roadbuster

    SG Roadbuster SG Wrecker

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    I was mostly referring to how Idw used humans. Especially during Furman's run.
    Verity, Hunter, and Jimmy were just important enough to get the plot moving. But they weren't Annoying like Daniel, or the second coming of Christ like Kicker or Sari
     
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  10. KnightHawkke

    KnightHawkke Flynn Lives

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    Wait a minute.. Wait..
    Transformers possibly in the hands of Secret Hideout? Any chance of Transformers in the hands of Secret Hideout?

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2019
  11. mx-01 archon

    mx-01 archon Well-Known Member

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    Oh. Well then as I said, IDW started off... interestingly, I guess. I don't think Verity and crew stood out enough to really justify their continued involvement in the story, but IDW at least tried to be different. Again though, the human angle eventually devolved into macho militarism as always, and left the POV characters in the dust.
     
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  12. ron8675309

    ron8675309 Exploding Salamander Of Exploding Salamanders

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    And yet the Unicron Trilogy happened.
     
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  13. Berser Car

    Berser Car Cryptid member

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    For a live action series I would like them to adapt Masterforce. It has a lot of central characters with human form: Godmasters, Headmasters Jr, Pretenders... You can keep the characters on screen the entire episode without using your cgi budget.
     
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  14. Hooper_X

    Hooper_X hit dogs holler

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    [​IMG]
     
  15. Autobot Burnout

    Autobot Burnout ...and I'll whisper "No."

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    To be fair, ignoring the kids for a second, how Armada handled other humans was pretty good. My personal favorite moment is the episode where the kids try to hide the space mini cons in plain sight and this one human woman tells Sky Blast (who is wearing a huge-ass trenchcoat and fedora to hide his robotic profile) he has a HUGE hand (nevermind the fact he only has one hand, the other is the combination port/central rocket booster) and then when he beeps in response, she laughs and says his voice is funny.
     
  16. WishfulThinking

    WishfulThinking The world has moved on...we've always said.

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    I know it's an outlier but that's why Columbo was so awesome. The villains are actually fairly smart and the beginning of the show is how they pull off the murder/heist/whatever. When Columbo shows up, it then becomes a game of chess as he charmingly begins disassembling their scheme. You know the villain will lose or else the show wouldn't continue...but it's written in a way that there's always the possibility that Columbo might overlook something.

    I also liked the Rockford Files, where the villains sometimes win to a degree and Rockford isn't a superhuman (he'll sometimes run away from a fight).
     
  17. WishfulThinking

    WishfulThinking The world has moved on...we've always said.

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    Robots in Disguise 2015 also worked that angle pretty hard, even trying to come up with excuses to have a giant robot dinosaur in public when they had to.
     
  18. Rodimal Rodimus

    Rodimal Rodimus Agent of Unit:E

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    Kicker the second coming? XD

    I think you just made a new meme
     
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  19. UltraPrimal

    UltraPrimal YouTuber (she/they)‍️‍

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    I've said it before the last time the idea of a live action Transformers series came up and I still believe it: The ONLY way to do a live action Transformers TV series is to do the Transformers as either Pretenders or holo-matter avatars for 95% of the episode, and only the robot for the other 5% of the episode. Basically, think Power Rangers, but if the Zords were the robot modes. Because people and cars are easy, fast, and cheap to shoot compared to creating, animating, rendering, and compositing an entirely CGI robot. Some kind of mix of Pretenders and Headmasters/Powermasters would probably be best because that way you can have them in human form with their alt mode. Then, they can basically morph into their armored human Pretender form like Power Rangers changing from the civilian outfits to their ranger outfits. Which could all be done practical. And they'd only combine with their vehicle modes into their full robot mode when absolutely necessary. Thus saving a lot of money.

    If they keep the focus on the "robot in disguise" aspect, emphasis on disguise, I can see it working. Set it as though this is the first time Transformers have arrived on Earth. Autobots are tracking the Decepticons. Maybe pull some inspiration from the -Ation series of IDW. Decepticons are trying to infiltrate world governments, replace their leaders with facsimiles, and cause a world war to wipe out all human life so that they can just roll in and harvest the planet's resources without any resistance. But obviously, both the Decepticons and Autobots are hiding and trying to remain low key. Otherwise if a Decepticon pops up, the Autobots are going to be all over them, and vice versa.

    The best thing is that, if they wanted to, they could change the cast whenever they choose. Is Optimus Prime's actor getting too uppity and demanding more money? Or maybe he posted something on Twitter that people didn't like. Simply have Optimus scan a new truck mode and recompile his human form like The Doctor when he regenerates and bam! New actor, same character. Want to add diversity to the cast? OK, now Bumblebee is played by a gay Latina girl. Need to make a big surprise reveal at the end of the season? OK, this guy who you thought was an Autobot secret agent, turns out he's a Double Pretender and he's actually Sideways! And you dumb Autobots let him into and gave away the location of your hidden base, which now the Decepticons are about to bomb to kingdom come!



    GI Joe on the other hand? Ha! Forget it! You're going to make a live action version of a kids show where American soldiers and foreign terrorists shot at each other with real guns? Today? Yeah, right! Sounds like PR suicide for Hasbro.
     
  20. TheIncredibleHulk

    TheIncredibleHulk Bad Luck Incarnate

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    Regardless of what it means for Transformers, a Viacom / CBS merger is NOT a good thing.

    Everybody's seen those messages at the bottom of their TV screens from time to time, warning viewers that "You could loose so and so channels if you don't call your cable company!". Its a common scare tactic of Viacom's around contract time to put pressure on cable companies to cave to Viacom's demands for more money. But guess who ultimately pays that extra money to Viacom. It ain't the cable company!

    Now, imagine this merger goes through, it's contract time again, and guess what... now you could potentially lose the ability to watch your CBS Affiliate's programming or again, pay more money to watch it.