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Rebooting Transformers

Whofan

Fleet Captain
Reportedly there will be a reboot of the Transformers film franchise, since Michael Bay and Shia Lebouf both stated that Dark of the Moon will be their last TF film. Given TF3's huge financial sucess, no doubt Hasbro and Paramount will want the series to continue on the big screen.So like the recent Spider-Man, it looks like sooner or later there will be another TF film with a new 'vision'.


However, how should the material be approached this time around? The main complaints about the "Bayformers" films were that the Transformers themselves were mainly supporting characters, that their designs were too complicated compared to the relative simplicity of the old cartoon/toy line; and of course the dopey and often offensive humor and comedy relief.


Perhaps an all animated film could work kind of like the very first movie, although it would probably be all CG. Granted, critics would probably still hate it (The 1986 film may be a cult classic now but critics trashed it), but Transformers in any media has hardly been a critical darling (Apart from some praise for Beast Wars writing).

Perhaps the best idea would be a prequel of sorts detailing the War on Cybertron before the Transformers arrive on Earth. It worked for the video game, and would allow the designers to be inventive with the alternate modes (Then again, that would probably lose the support of the various car companies who had product placement). The live-action movies only teased this kind of thing.


Also Peter Cullen should probably come back to voice Prime of course.....any thoughts/ideas?
 
Well nothing is official yet. I really hope they at least wait like 10 years or at the very least 5 years before restarting this. I still have yet to see T3: DotM, but yeah prequel would be good or maybe sequel where we're further into the future.
 
All CGI cybertronian war story. no need for product placement. bring back the Bayformers voice cast, but give Soundwave the processing back and give Bumblebee a frigging voice.

and do a real mythological story with Primus and Unicron getting mentioned.

in fact, get Simon Furman to write it.
 
...any thoughts/ideas?

About the film franchise based on a cartoon that only existed to sell toy robots?

It's cars and planes turning into killer robots an making stuff go boom. So long as you have these essential elements, you're fine.

I'd give the project to Joss Whedon. He needs the work and he could actually elevate the material while preserving the cheese-factor
 
I think the very minute Bay says he's done or that Paramount & Hasbro want to go in a new creative direction, the reboot will be immediately on.
 
I'd like to see a very slow-moving, quiet, humane sequel to DOTM in which survivors of the Chicago attack cope with PTSD, try to rebuild their city, mourn the loss of their friends and families, and, just maybe, find new loves of their own amidst the ashes and charred corpses.


Alternatively, how about no damn more Transformers movies at all?! :evil:
 
Whether we are based on carbon or silicon makes no fundamental difference. We should each be treated with appropriate respect.
 
I'm not a Transformers fan by any stretch of the imagination but I would really like to see all the transformers be more like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee in the next one. I couldn't stand all the goofy, potbellied, ethnic stereotype etc. transformers that were in the movies.
 
I think the producers are already on record that the robot designs aren't going to change. And I imagine the stories aren't going to be any more robot-centered than before either.

Personally I'm kinda done with the whole thing. I loved the first movie, but couldn't stand the sequels, and the novelty of the idea has just completely worn off for me.
 
It's crazy to reboot because the director & star are changing...especially with a series like Transformers, where NEITHER are all that vital to the franchise.

The main thing i wouldlike to see are LESS detailed Transformers, which detract from my focusing on them...and developing a couple as individual characters.

A full-CGI movie or show might be better...



Or, if they really NEED something that Transforms -- go ahead & make that Robotech movie. Speaking of reboots, sinch Tobey Maguire is out of Spiderman, he can most certainly be a part of this project, as he has wanted to (though as Max Sterling, not RIck Hunter).
 
I like the Bayformers movies. A reboot is unnecessary. Let the series stand as a trilogy.

This is my 2 cents.
 
My only real criticism from what's been done is that it's very difficult to distinguish the different robots from one another. I don't want them to over-simplify them like the original cartoon, but find some happy medium. Fix that and I'm fine.
 
I hate the term reboot. Why can't people in Hollywood just tell good stories? There are so many movies (and books too) that feature the same main characters, but have extremely loose continuity with each other. Look at James Bond. While there was the storyline between You Only Live Twice, OHMSS, and Diamonds Are Forever, it was still rather loose. The only major part of DAF that reference OHMSS is the opening scene and neither of them have to strong of ties to YOLT. Other than that each of the 20+ prior to Daniel Craig are stand alone.

Back in the day, Hollywood was constantly doing remakes of films with slightly different directions. Some of the most classic films of all time were actually remakes (or based off books, plays, real life. Talk about creatively bankrupt Hollywood...). But none of them went and called themselves such in a grandiose fashion.

I'm not a fan of Transformers, so Batman would be the best example for me. If people want to make a Batman film after Chris Nolan is done, then make a Batman movie. No need to have some over paid comic writer parading as a business man (Geoff Johns) giving interviews about how this is a reboot.
 
I'd give the project to Joss Whedon. He needs the work and he could actually elevate the material while preserving the cheese-factor
No thank you. I don't want to see Bumblebee save the day only to get impaled by a Decepticon towards the end of the film. :p
 
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