Bay: "Transformers 3: July 1st, 2011"

Transformers 1 and 2 director Michael Bay has ended the speculation and announced on his website that Transformers 3 essentially begins pre-production today for a July 1st, 2011 release.

Well its official: We have a great Transformers 3 story. The release date is now July 1st 2011. Not 2012.

Today is Day One. This morning started with an ILM meeting for five hours in San Francisco. Currently I'm flying with writer Ehren Kruger to Rhode Island to talk to Hasbro about new characters.

P.S. Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture. Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you.

Pain and Gain is right after shooting of Trans 3.

Michael

There you have it, likely return of the core cast including Fox, the writer Ehren Kruger who helped co-write Revenge of the Fallen, and Bay as director. I wouldn't mind knowing the back story on what changed Bay's mind on taking that year break from the franchise. Thanks to all that sent in a heads-up on the news.

Update: From Dark Horizons, a little bit of information about the competition that TF3 will face in the sequel rich summer of 2011. Once again, chances are high that the movie will go head to head against Harry Potter with Deathly Hallows Part II, but also Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Spider-Man 4, Cars 2, The Hangover 2, and Kung-Fu Panda 2 are scheduled. In addition, Green Lantern, Thor, and Captain America have eyed that summer. The net result is its going to be an expensive summer for geekdom and hyper competitive for the studios.