Sequel Note from Michael Bay

Michael Bay has posted a note regarding the IMAX release and sequel for Transformers.

.... AIR FORCE ONE will be supplied with the official DVD of Transformers - as requested by the top Air Force General to our offices.

Depressing yes. But I just saw the first IMAX print of Transformers. Not depressing - freakin AWESOME! They need to bottle the magic of IMAX because it's the future of cinema.

It comes out next Friday the 21st. I added some extra scenes.

Transformers 2, well that's another story. Iching to work pre strike (June) so I might jump ship and come back a year or so later cause people at the studio have been dragging for two months. Not sure why. I'll keep you informed.

Bay

Previously, Producer Don Murphy has indicated that the studio was waiting until an agreement was reached with the writer's guild. The reason why is if a strike occurs in mid-production it could cause expensive delays, especially since more then likely actors and directors will support the strike in passive ways as they have their own guilds that will be pulling the same strike threats in the coming years.

Since pre-production (script writing, CGI development, storyboards, scouting, casting, etc) would take a 4 months, followed by about 3-4 months of production (filming) then another 3-4 months of post-production (effects, editing, re-shoots, etc), there is no way the film will be in the can before the strike occurs in June 08.

There is time to at least get through filming, but not post-production before the strike, assuming the studio pulls the trigger now (the window is maybe until end of October depending on how fast Bay can work).

This doesn't even get into the scheduling issues. Is Shia available (working on Indy 4)? Josh Duhamel (currently filming Las Vegas), or Megan Fox? To meet the strike deadline filming would have to start no later then beginning of February but if those actors are not available it becomes a moot point.

I have a feeling though that other then fear that production would not complete before the strike, there are also issues under contention with the Writer's Guild that would effect the budget. There is also the neverland of the movie would fall under. If it starts production before the strike, but isn't completed until after, how would it fall under the finalized agreement? Since the strike is ultimately about money and profits, that's actually an important question for the studio as x% of profit owned pre-strike versus post strike will likely be completely different numbers and not likely to be retro-active.

Long story short, it looks like the work on Transformers 2 will not begin until at least Fall of 2008 and that's an optimistic estimate. I suspect a sequel will not arrive in theatres until 2010...unless the studio decides it wants to own the Christmas dollars, then end of 2009 is feasible.