5 Things You Didn't Know About Transformers

The release of the Transformers movie is still about two years away, but fans of the popular toy line can't stop buzzing about Optimus Prime's big-screen debut. This forthcoming blockbuster summer release (it's set for July 4, 2007) will feature a combination of live action and CGI, and is shaping up to be a geek's wet dream. What's more, the film is being produced by self-proclaimed Transformers nut Steven Spielberg (no stranger to summer blockbusters himself) and will be helmed by action specialist Michael Bay, he of The Island and Armageddon fame.
1- Transformers will be based on Generation 1 characters
According to its producers, the Transformers movie will borrow its 10 principal characters -- five Autobots and five Decepticons -- from the franchise's original television series.
But just which characters will they be?
Alex Kurtzman, one of the film's screenwriters, has gone on record claiming that the movie will feature Optimus Prime, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Bumblebee, and Arcee. Producer Don Murphy has also added some names to that list, including characters Jazz and Ratchet.
2- Transformers will incorporate recognizable brands
Producers are currently hard at work trying to secure permission to use real car brands for the Transformers' shape-shifting alter egos. That means fans can look forward to Bumblebee morphing into an actual Volkswagen, instead of a generic sedan.
While Bumblebee will likely retain his familiar look of old, others characters are in need of an update. Soundwave's alternate mode as a cassette deck, for instance, doesn't have quite the same appeal as it did in the '80s, and he will instead change into a helicopter. Other character facelifts are also on slate: According to producers, Ratchet will likely become a fire truck rather than an ambulance, Jazz will transform into some sort of sports car and Arcee into some type of motorbike.
3- Transformers is being written by a comedian
The genius behind the film's first draft is Canadian cut-up John Rogers, a former stand-out stand-up. Rogers used to tour the world (including some of its smallest hillbilly bars) as a smart-ass comedian before landing a job as the writer and producer of Cosby in 1996. He also wrote the screenplay for 2004's Catwoman , but we won't hold that against him.
Rogers has promised fans that Transformers "will be true to the source material with a nice, light touch, a cast of human characters partnered with the Transformers and big robot action." Whether his vision makes it to the screen, however, is another matter altogether.
Rogers was forced to leave the project after submitting his revised first draft in order to work on another film. The next production pass will be executed by the writing team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who recently collaborated with Michael Bay on The Island . The pair have worked side by side in the past on Xena: Warrior Princess , Alias and The Legend of Zorro .
4- Transformers sequels are already being forecast
In a remark that could easily be cynically interpreted, co-executive producer Don Murphy has gone so far as to promise that "we will make sequel after sequel." He's not the only one with lofty goals for the Transformers franchise. In a statement on the film's official website, Spielberg reiterated, "We're now starting our first, but certainly not our last Transformers movie that I hope will be an enduring franchise ... we're going to be making many, many more Transformers movies in the future." Who are we to argue? With Spielberg and Bay already attached to the project, the franchise seems to be in very capable hands.
5- Transformers may feature the original show's voice cast
Co-writer Kurtzman has acknowledged rumors about a return of the show's original voice cast, and has also suggested that the film isn't necessarily a project that requires the casting of A-listers. This leaves open the possibility that Frank Welker (the voice of Megatron, Mirage, Rumble, and Soundwave) and Peter Cullen (who gave breath to Ironhide, Optimus Prime and Nightstick) could return to resume their old roles.
One voice fans shouldn't bank on hearing again is that of Scatman Crothers. The Indiana guitarist died of lung cancer shortly after turning in a memorable performance as Jazz in the first Transformers movie in 1986.