More interviews

This time from ENewsi

UK Box Office

Transformers 2 has, as of July 19th, been released to the UK public. The NY Times report that the sequel has taken 50% more in its opening weekend than it’s 2007 predecessor.

You can’t tell much from the box office performance of a film on a single night, in a single foreign territory. But Paramount executives were congratulating themselves on Saturday over the Friday night results of ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ in the United Kingdom. Word had it that the movie had done roughly 50 percent better than its predecessor, which two years ago went on to take in $389 million in foreign markets, and $319 at the domestic box office.

With the hot start in England, company executives were privately speculating that the new ;ldquo;Transformers;rdquo; film had a shot at becoming Paramount;rsquo;s second-highest grossing film, behind ;ldquo;Titanic,;rdquo; which took in a monstrous $1.8 billion worldwide under a split deal with Fox.

That would be a nice start for Adam Goodman, who was named president of the movie group on Friday, as two fellow executives, John Lesher and Brad Weston, were ushered out. Both were offered producer deals. The betting here is that Mr. Weston will accept, while Mr. Lesher strikes for greener pastures.

Shia on The Tonight Show, June 19th

As part of the TV press tour Shia appeared on The Tonight Show last Friday with Conan O’Brien. Courtesy of Shia Videos

Ramon Rodriguez on Jimmy Kimmel

Ramon (Leo Spitz) talks stunts and Revenge of the Fallen on last Thursday’s edition of the show:

Cast Q&A

Coming Soon have posted a transcript of the Revenge of the Fallen Question and Answer session. The responses are all very jovial and do not give too much away about the movie. If you’re not one for reading, try out this handy video playlist from the same session:

Q: Are you already thinking about the third film?

Bay: I don’t know. We’ll see how this one turns out.

Q: How many minutes of deleted scenes might be on the DVD?

Bay: I don’t know. We’re figuring it out right now. Seven or eight?

Q: Are you going to be shooting more in IMAX?

Bay: I regret not shooting the head scene in IMAX. But IMAX is very expensive. Just special effects in IMAX is expensive.

Q: Do you think you’ll be doing IMAX for all your future movies?

Bay: I don’t know. If the movie serves it.

Q: What else can we expect from the DVD?

Bay: This one is done by Ridley Scott’s DVD guy. We’re gonna have a lot of stuff on this. We’re gonna have a special IMAX version where it’ll open up the top and bottom.

TV talk show schedule

Thanks to TLAMB,

The schedule, subject to change:
Th 6/18: Ramon Rodriguez – Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Fr 6/19: Shia LaBeouf – The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien (NBC)
Tu 6/23: Isabel Lucas – Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Tu 6/23: Tyrese Gibson – Chelsea Lately (E!)
We 6/24: Josh Duhamel – Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Th 6/25: Megan Fox – David Letterman (CBS)
Th 6/25: Shia LaBeouf – Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Th 6/25: Shia Labeouf – Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated)
Fr 6/26: Megan Fox – Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Fr 6/26: Megan Fox – Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated)
Mo 6/29: Josh Duhamel – Live with Regis and Kelly (syndicated)

Crew screenings

Michael Bay answers questions about when the cast and crew can watch the final feature:

Press is asking about crew screeings

They seem to want to know about my crew screenings. Not sure why the press is interested? We had 2500 crew members from many parts of the US and some in the Middle East and London. We have an IMAX crew screening Sunday night. We have an ILM screening Monday night and Paramount invited some of my key crew members to the LA premiere I think Tuesday we are putting together a crew screening which is being planned at Paramount. Thursday we have an IMAX screening in Washington for the Pentagon people involved in the film. And we have one set up in Jordan. BTW the press is not invited.

Michael Bay in the NYTimes

Bay discusses the Transformers franchise and why he decided to take it on in his latest NYTimes interview:

And you created other characters that weren’t established in the toys, the comics or the animation?
We wanted to get into the deeper lore of it. At one point, I’d already been shooting the movie, and we were doing this scene in space. And I asked these Hasbro experts on Transformers, I said, “So, how are Transformers born?” And they kind of – dead pause. “I don’t know.” “What do you mean, you don’t know? Isn’t that one of the first things you figure out?” [laughs] So I created how they’re born.

How are they born?
They’re in a special sac. They’re called hatchlings. It’s quite nice.

Read full interview

Shia and Megan on La Grand Journal

Whilst in Paris Megan and Shia appeared on this French show, quite an entertaining video, but not completely Transformers related. Thanks again to Shia LaBeouf Video.

Michael Bay’s Film Weekly Podcast

This interview comes from The Guardian’s “Film weekly” interview with Michael Bay and was posted to the official Michael Bay site.

Bay is not quitting Transformers

Some interviews recently spun the “I’m taking a break” stance Michael Bay has on Transformers 3 to give the impression he was quitting the franchise altogether. This is not the case and in all likelihoods Michael Bay shall direct Transformers 3, due for release in 2012.

GM provided 67 vehicles for Transformers 2

USA Today have a short article on the Transformers/GM relationship and an interview with Michael Bay.

“They were responsible for building the cars, and I was trying to get my check because we built the cars, fronted them the money, and they were late on paying us,” Bay says. “I was like, ‘We better get our check fast before they go bankrupt.’

Chevy won’t reveal what it cost to provide cars, but spokesman Steve Janisse says 67 vehicles were used, and 52 of those were “non-salable,” specially built prototypes used for testing, engineering and display.

[...]

Bay says the cars themselves become like celebrities, something he witnessed while shooting in a remote part of the Middle East. “The money they spend is pennies for the amount of goodwill. Bumblebee is one of the most famous cars in the world,” the director says. “Literally, we’re in this poor little town in Jordan, and all these kids surrounded (the car). They all knew Bumblebee’s name.”

Nascar 18 wrapped in M&Ms and autobots

Number 18 has been covered in an M&Ms and Transformers themed coat – full gallery available at Joe Gibbs.

Shia has “The Touch”

Shia performs a rendition of Stan Bush’s “The Touch” to much amusement and pain.

Obama in Revenge of the Fallen

The movie in some way includes Obama, to which Bay comments, via Digital Spy,

Bay said: “The Obama thing? I met him in an airport where he was carrying his bag by himself and we talked about movies and apparently he likes my movies. So I figured we’ll just put him in.”

The director joked that he was able to include the up-to-date reference because he had only completed making the film last Wednesday [June 10th].

Michael Bay in Guiness Book of World Records

Michael Bay is now in the record books for the largest explosion filmed whilst actors are present. It was shot in New Mexico. The NZ Herald, from whence this news came, offer up and expansive overview of Transformers 2 and have some tidbit interview comments from Megan Fox and Shia as well,

“If Michael Bay can make me look that good in shorts, then I don’t mind if people think I’m being exploited. And it gives me an advantage because even if I do a mediocre performance, people don’t expect anything of me, so they’re impressed.” And incidentally, although she is adorned with tattoos, claims to be bisexual, and does her best to come across as “dangerous and dark” a la Jolie, she insists it is not calculated. “It’s more of a curse than a blessing to look like Angelina,” she says, straight-faced. “Seriously, there are a lot of films I’ve had to pass on because I don’t want people to think I’m trying to emulate her.” (Apparently she was offered the next Tomb Raider but turned it down for this reason.) As for Lebeouf, an edgy leading man and an example of the core audience of a film like this, says, “Transformers is escapism in the same way Star Wars was for its generation. If you want magic tricks, theme park rides, the roller coaster vibe, Transformers is for you.”

Film Journal talks with Orci and Kurtzman

After recovering from the Star Trek press tour, Orci and Kurtzman answered some questions from the folks at Film Journal. Points include the story’s emotional core, the strike and the inspiration for the sequel.

“For us, the action always emerges from the characters; the audience tunes out random action scenes that don’t move the plot forward or take the characters in some new direction,” Kurtzman says. “So in Revenge of the Fallen, there are several sequences that we pitched to Michael in detail as part of the characters’ stories and he ended up shooting them almost exactly as we pitched them. Of course, he also comes up with great ways to embellish the sequences and no one is better at that than he is.”

That information will come in handy as the duo makes their long-planned transition to directing. “The plan is to find the right film for us to direct in the next couple of years,” Orci reveals. “We’re happy being the guys that write the words, but we want to try everything. It’s possible that we’ll each direct our own projects, but we might be too jealous of what the other is doing and so we’ll both have to do it!” While neither claims to have a dream project right now, there is one franchise that Orci says he’s hoping to see realized on the big screen someday. “I’d love to see [Nintendo's] The Legend of Zelda done right.”

Film Journal

Video game previews and walkthroughs

More Revenge of the Fallen video game previews have surfaced at Game Trailers, including Art Director and Producer interviews, a Sideways and Devastator walkthrough and an Optimus Prime downtown walkthrough. Following these there are tow YouTube videos, including the opening scenes and a Breakaway training routine.

Human Alliance video review

Not strictly press, but not really big enough for its own post, another Human Alliance video review:

ET Interviews

Included after the break because these flash embeds are notorious for misbehaving:

Real Effing Deal

Kelv ragging this scooter we nicked. Well funny hes showing off to the girls. But WTF happened when we tried to torch it! Havent seen Kelv since. Sucker. But checkit!

Dangerous toys

Another viral video, in French this time, love this one as well.
Real Effing Deal

Robot in Egypt

Real Effing Deal
Can you spot the robot’s shadow? Click the image for full screen.

Rooftop Robot

This next scoop comes via GiantEffingRobots, “Rooftop Robot Spotted”

I’d consider this one a bit spoilerish. Sideswipe attacking Sideways quite viciously, “they’ve been here a long time”, Megatron on the pyramids.

Everything

Little new snippet of The Fallen in this one. “Don’t freak out!”

Bumblebee

Lots more of Devastator’s transformation.