Michael Bay

Optimus Prime is getting a makeover for “Transformers 4.” Looking to stoke fan excitement for the upcoming installment in the action movie franchise from director Michael Bay, Paramount has revealed a first look at an upgraded Optimus Prime and images of two new Autobots that will be battling Decepticons right alongside him. The photos, taken on the Monument Valley, Utah, set of the sequel, feature Optimus Prime as a customized Western Star truck, along with the new characters, a sleek Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse and a special race-inspired C7 Corvette Stingray. Not pictured is the film’s Oscar-nominated star Mark Walhberg, who most recently appeared in Bay’s “Pain & Gain,” about bodybuilders who run afoul of the law. Announcing Wahlberg’s casting in “Transformers 4″ this past November on his blog, Bay wrote, “Mark is awesome. An actor of his caliber is the perfect […]

Cowabunga! A ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” remake is on the way. But perhaps the bigger news is this: Actress Megan Fox and director Michael Bay are reuniting for the “TMNT” redo. The director took to his website Thursday night to announce the news: “TMNT: We Are Bringing Megan Fox Back Into the Family” Bay and Fox famously clashed while working on the first two “Transformers” movies. At one point during an interview with a British magazine, Fox compared her director to Hitler.  Bay lashed back with some tart words of his own, questioning Fox’s work ethic: “I’m sorry, Megan. … I’m sorry that I’m making you show up on time.” Shia LaBeouf wages Twitter war They parted ways for the third installment in the series, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley stepping in to play the part of […]

Mark Walhberg, the Oscar-nominated actor recently feted for performances in “The Fighter” and “The Departed,” is getting back in the action movie game: Filmmaker Michael Bay announced Thursday that the actor will star in his upcoming fourth installment in the blockbuster “Transformers” franchise. It’s an interesting pivot for the actor, coming off a busy year that most recently saw him star opposite a foul-mouthed teddy bear in Seth MacFarlane’s raunchy R-rated comedy, “Ted.” Instead of a debauched stuffed animal, he’ll be facing off against some out-of-this-world metal mammoths. Writing on his blog, Bay said that he’d had such a great time working with Wahlberg on the film “Pain & Gain,” about a pair of bodybuilders who run afoul of the law, that he was excited to reunite with the Massachusetts native. “Mark is awesome,” Bay wrote. “An actor of his […]

There was still an hour before the gates would open at Universal Studios Hollywood, so Michael Bay pretty much had the Autobot universe to himself on Tuesday morning.  First he took two spins through Transformers: The Ride — 3D, the theme park’s just-opened, $100-million digital marvel. Then the 47-year-old filmmaker wandered through Transformers Supply Vault (a store designed to look like the world’s most cheerful military bunker) where even he seemed surprised by its inventory of merchandise that included T-shirts, masks, magnets, patches, coffee cups, books and (of course) plastic toys. It was all a bit much, but then Bay was presented with a frosty mango-colored energy drink from a Transformers-themed concession stand. “It’s called Energon,” one of the Universal employees chirped, “and it’s the preferred fuel of the Transformers.” Nearby, a Universal dancer wearing an elaborate Bumblebee costume began to […]

This post has been corrected. See the note below for details. Film critics who put down Michael Bay’s “Transformers” movies by calling them theme-park rides in disguise won’t change their mind after hopping on Transformers: The Ride — 3D at Universal Studios, but they might have a dramatically improved opinion of theme-park rides. The $100-million ride, which officially opened May 24, is being hailed as a game-changer by the reviewers and bloggers who cover such things (yes, there is quite a bit of room on the Internet), and even rivals at Disney Imagineering have, in private, acknowledged that the shiny new kid on the block is pretty impressive and possibly, well, transformative. Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim, opening this month, has been the big theme park story this summer due to the scale of the project and […]

If you tune in to the Super Bowl on Sunday you’ll see a parade of commercials for Hollywood’s upcoming heavy-hitter hopefuls (“The Hunger Games,” “The Avengers,” “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” “John Carter”)  but two even bigger box-office brand names — “Transformers” and “Star Wars” — will be selling something beyond the silver screen. “Star Wars” is back in a Volkswagen ad (after last year’s super-popular tiny-tot Darth Vader spot) while the massive space robots from Michael Bay’s film franchise will be bringing their unique version of heavy-metal combat to a pre-game, 30-second ad for Transformers: The Ride 3-D, which opens in May at Universal Studios Hollywood.  Here’s a snippet that, if you think about it, is a promotional teaser for a commercial about a ride  based on a movie created around a toy line. The ad will also introduce the website PrepareForBattle.com, where fans can check out tie-in videos or […]

We’re still hearing a lot of response to our biggest article this week, “Terry Gilliam: The heir of Fellini and the enemy of God?,” but the story isn’t quite done yet. Gilliam, the director of “Brazil” and “Twelve Monkeys,” is a man of fiery opinions and during our two interviews (covering three hours and spread over two days) he lobbed a few Molotov cocktails in different directions. So, with quotes that didn’t make it into that first article, we bring you the World According to Gilliam: * On “Transformers: Dark of the Moon“: “The latest ‘Transformers’ movie was on the plane coming over to Los Angeles. It’s horrible and there’s all these phallic things going on. I just couldn’t even deal with it. C’mon, leave some room for me, as the audience. The audience is totally excluded, you just sit there and watch the explosions. […]

First, the stars of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” turned out for the film’s grand world premiere in Russia, then this week, they walked the red carpet for the U.S. premiere in New York.  Actors Shia LaBeouf and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and director Michael Bay were among those who took a moment to answer a few questions, talking about the movie and their experiences on and off set. Shia LaBeouf: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: Michael Bay: –Jevon Phillips RECENT AND RELATED: LaBeouf on Megan Fox’s absence (photos) Shia LaBeouf says he’s ready to grow up LaBeouf: New “Transformers” is best 3-D film ever Bay wants you to forget last “Transformers” Photos: The leading ladies of summer Bay: “There’s a lot of poison on the Internet … whatever” Bay talks about Shia LaBeouf’s dark moods Bay’s payday? $75 million … and counting

Watch director Michael Bay and stars Shia LeBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and more “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” cast and crew make their way down the red carpet in New York City for the film’s U.S. premiere. RECENT AND RELATED: LaBeouf on Megan Fox’s absence (photos) Shia LaBeouf says he’s ready to grow up LaBeouf: New “Transformers” is best 3-D film ever Bay wants you to forget last “Transformers” Photos: The leading ladies of summer Bay: “There’s a lot of poison on the Internet … whatever” “Avatar” sequel will dive into the oceans of Pandora Bay talks about Shia LaBeouf’s dark moods Bay’s payday? $75 million … and counting

Shia LaBeouf learned how to play with others on action-movie sets, which may help explain why he’s often ready for a fight. One scrape last October during the filming of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center pitted the young actor against director Michael Bay over a song. With military and NASA personnel watching, Bay and his leading man were shooting an emotional sequence from the script’s third act on a shuttle launchpad at Cape Canaveral. To put himself in a somber frame of mind, LaBeouf plugged his iPod into some speakers and started playing a wistful ballad, Feist’s “Brandy Alexander.” “Yeah, it’s a little feminine, but it touches me,” LaBeouf says, starting to pepper his recollection with more expletives than are allowed in the PG-13 film. “I feel something when I hear it. … But Mike […]