Leaked Treatment Origin?

IESB.net received an email from the writers' of the leaked treatment for Transformers. The names where withheld but basically they are saying they wrote it hoping to get the sequel writing job and they while flattered by the positive reaction it was never in contention and apologize for any problems it caused. This backs up statements by Bay's admin in regards to the treatment and my guess on its origins.

The email:

We are two unrepresented writers with links to [edited]. While we did intend to have Bay's people read the treatment, in no way is our treatment officially linked with the studios or either camp. Prior to this whole debacle, no one associated with the movie had read our treatment. They signed off on a writer before we could get it in the hands of our contacts. Not to mention, the legal tape we would have had to get through was an additional issue as unrepresented writers.

As best we can figure, someone took the pdf file of the original treatment from [edited], doctored it, then tried to pass it off as some kind of scoop, posting it either on Saturday or Sunday (when the leaked treatment first appeared, apparently). Though we initially posted the treatment in what we thought was an obscure corner of the internet, it's obvious to us now that there is no such thing. [edited] is a forum I post on quite regularly ([edited] is where I went to school), writing reviews and sometimes posting about my experiences in LA.

While we are flattered by the overwhelmingly positive reaction the treatment itself has garnered, again, it was by no means ever considered by the powers that be as a viable option, nor read by them either. We just want that made clear to as many people as IESB can reach. The rights of the studio need to be protected, and the production deserves to progress without false perceptions of their actual plot/story. In addition, we ask that it be made clear that we are not only agitated, but dumbfounded by this whole phenomenon and apologize for any inconvenience it must have caused not only the fans, but those involved with the project as well (especially for Don Murphy...wow).

So there you go. Sure all this could be smoke and mirrors down the road (I liked the script so wouldn't mind that at all) but for now, based on the various denials from various sources, it safe to say this isn't the official treatment for the sequel.

I think the takeaway from this for production is that this treatment was very well received, even more so then then the real leaked script for the first film. I rarely read anywhere where it wasn't liked. The question the writers and Bay should ask themselves is what about it got such fan attention and enjoyment considering how difficult that is to achieve.

I have an opinion on that (being a blog and all). The treatment provided Transformers with epic scale storytelling, something the franchise in all its forms has lacked. It also filled in gaps from the first movie's such as the Allspark apparently creating only Decepticons...until the Matrix gives them a soul. The new Transformers were well chosen fan favorites, and often introduced into the film well. It lacks overall character development but I personally don't think that is entirely necessary. With so many human characters and Transformers, the attempt is doomed to fail no matter what. When it comes to the Transformers, you want to watch them transform and do heroic or evil things. Not have a sit down and unleash some angst ridden misery they are or had experienced. Basically the character development should be done via actions rather then words. Preferably actions that have things going boom. The end was actually pretty genius as it made a promise of even grander things to come. The story simply didn't quit. There wasn't a slow moment in the script. A smart approach to any action movie. Peddle to the floor, no braking allowed.