Megan Fox out of Transformers 3?

[Darth Fanboy]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111801 ... id=13&cs=1

Paramount's parting ways with Megan Fox on "Transformers 3."

A studio spokeswoman disclosed Wednesday that Par's decided against picking up Fox's option to star as Mikaela Banes in the third installment but declined to elaborate.

Sources close to the production indicated that Par and director Michael Bay want to take the story line in another direction and plans to cast another actress as the love interest for star Shia LaBeouf, who plays Sam Witwicky. Those sources indicated that Fox's ouster was unrelated to a September interview with a British magazine in which Fox compared Bay with Adolf Hitler.

Bay's directing from a script by Ehren Kruger with the storyline kept under wraps. Working title is "Transformers 3" and shooting's expected to start this summer in a variety of U.S. locations.

Pic, produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Ian Bryce, is set to open July 1, 2011. Steven Spielberg is exec producing.

Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich and Ken Jeong have signed on to the project. Thesps Kevin Dunn and Julie White will return in the roles of Ron Witwicky and Judy Witwicky.

"Transformers" is Paramount's most valuable franchise, particularly since the studio is the sole financier. The first "Transformers" grossed $709.7 million worldwide, followed by $836.4 million for last year's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

Initially, Bay had wanted to take a longer break before lensing the three-quel, but ultimately decided to meet the studio's summer 2011 release date.

Fox will be seen next in Warner's supernatural Western "Jonah Hex" opposite Josh Brolin. "Hex" opens June 18.

I'm not going to argue that her character was usefull, or anything more than eye candy, but you think while they are dropping her they could at least cut out the Witwicky family, if not Sam Witwicky altogether and maybe give some of the NEST guys more time instead? Ah well.

[Gramzamber]

Great, now if only they'd get rid of Shia LeBitch the movie might actually be watchable.

[Stravo]

She was at least useful in some way in the first one but other than looking pretty there was no use for her in the second. The first movie in general wasn't that great and the second was just godawful so I think I'll just skip the rest of these altogether.

[Stofsk]

Hmm... dropping Megan Fox but keeping Shia LaBeouf?

That makes no sense at all.

[Srelex]

Knowing Bay, he'll just stick John Tutorro (sp?) with a wig and bra and have him play her character.

[Lupercal]

How come these movies made so much money?

[Guardsman Bass]

How come these movies made so much money?

They have lots of action, plenty of eye candy (of both the sexy and non-sexy variety), simple plots, established fan-bases, and extremely profitable licensing (i.e. you can churn out tons of toys and other "back-end" along with the film itself).

[Kuroji]

Hmm. They're rebooting Spider-Man again, from what I understand... would it be too much to ask to use this opportunity to reboot Transformers into something slightly less ridiculous than it is with these two movies, with a completely new and FAR LESS ANNOYING cast?

[Crossroads Inc.]

Hmm. They're rebooting Spider-Man again, from what I understand... would it be too much to ask to use this opportunity to reboot Transformers into something slightly less ridiculous than it is with these two movies, with a completely new and FAR LESS ANNOYING cast?

Why are they rebooting Spiderman? All you have to do is pretend that SPM-3 simply doesn't exist and continue on. SPM-1 and 2 were awesome.

[Jim Raynor]

This is pretty surprising, given how popular Fox seems to be with the young male demographic. I'm guessing that she got the idea that she was a big star now and was asking for too much money. If in fact this isn't because she antagonized Michael Bay and a bunch of other people behind the scenes.

Why are they rebooting Spiderman? All you have to do is pretend that SPM-3 simply doesn't exist and continue on. SPM-1 and 2 were awesome.

Sony was actually doing a SM4 with Raimi given "full creative control" to make up for the derailing of his series to add Venom in SM3. Rumor was that Raimi, being an old school fan, wanted to use a "classic" 1960s villain like the Vulture. Who unlike the Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus, is considered lame and uncompelling by most people. Supposedly the studio wanted another villain (either a new made-up one, or a name actress playing the Black Cat), but Raimi wouldn't budge again. Neither side could reach an agreement so Sony decided to just scrap the whole thing and go for a reboot, using a highschool-focused script (based on the Ultimate Spider-Man version) that they already had written up just in case they had problems with Raimi.

The reboot is on the fast track for a 2012 release since the script is already done. The kid from that recent Percy Jackson movie will star, and Mark Webb (500 Days of Summer) will direct.

[adam_grif]

If this is the first sign of Transformers suffering a slow, painful death, then I'm thrilled with this news.

[Gandalf]

Hurrah!

Anyway, I'd read in ABC's internet news that Gemma Atherton was rumoured to replace her. I'd prefer they just got rid of the character and gave us more robot fun.

[Oskuro]

Meh, I predicted how they were going to have relationship trouble for the characters in the second movie (because the protagonist needs to get the girl at the end, even if he got her in the previous movie), and I bet that's what they'll go for again: Sam will meet a new girl and have all the "I want to get ito her pants" drama all over again.

On the other hand, I can't stand Megan Fox (not sure why, must be her voice), so it is an improvement.

[Stofsk]

SPM-1 and 2 were awesome Spider-man 1 and 2 were shit.

I fixed that for you.

[AMT]

If this is the first sign of Transformers suffering a slow, painful death, then I'm thrilled with this news.

Indeed. Time to pave the way for the GOBOTS franchise.

....what?

[Oskuro]

Seeing the current trends, they might just reboot the franchise and make it about teenager Autobots in a cybertronian high school.

And Decepticons would glitter when exposed to Energon or something.

[Marcus Aurelius]

She was at least useful in some way in the first one but other than looking pretty there was no use for her in the second. The first movie in general wasn't that great and the second was just godawful so I think I'll just skip the rest of these altogether.

I watched the first one on TV and I haven't even seen the second one. And yes, that makes me a better person. Not supporting shit by giving money to its makers is an important part of personal growth.

At least in the 1990s Michael Bay movies were still watchable. OK, The Island was semi-watchable, but not enough to make up for the atrocity that was Pearl Harbor. Transformers was worse than The Island and since most people say that Revenge of the Fallen is much worse still, I decided that I would not support its makers even with rental money. Not that is matters anything, since idiot teens around the world went to see it and will probably go to see "Transformers 3" as well.

Oh, Megan Fox? Ask me again when she stars in a movie that is not shit. It's summer and I can see hot babes in scanty clothing outside the movie theater.

[Sarevok]

Seeing the current trends, they might just reboot the franchise and make it about teenager Autobots in a cybertronian high school.

And Decepticons would glitter when exposed to Energon or something.

Why do you hate character driven drama and want mindless giant robots and explosions ?

[Enigma]

Was Witwicky as annoying as his G1 cartoon counterpart?

Anyways, I say continue with Transformer 3 and have the autobots discover the Ark (I think that's the name of their ship in the G1 series) and find that Teletran 1 is still functioning and then whatever Megatron plans to conquer the planet.

[Hamstray]

edit: sorry, I take this post back, misread something, atleast I hope so...

[Old Plympto]

Seeing the current trends, they might just reboot the franchise and make it about teenager Autobots in a cybertronian high school.

And Decepticons would glitter when exposed to Energon or something.

If they're following current trends, they'll have a 10 million-year-old Cybertronian - transformable, 30 feet tall, shiny chrome, hydraulics and all - in a regular human high school in the present. He'll be all aloof, broody and a loner, but all the girls think he's hunky. But he only wants that one teenaged human girl... and he stalks her at night. There'll be extended scenes of longing looks between the two of them, and lip biting. You got to have lip biting.

Seriously, internet's abuzz today about how she had mouthed off Michael Bay after the release of ROTF, and there's been speculation that Michael Bay had dropped her. Megan Fox's statement on IMDB however said that she left on her own accord.

But then I remember Kurtzman and Orci, the writers for the first two movies, who publicly expressed shock that a lot of atrocious elements crept into the script they gave Michael Bay - like the Twins' lines - before they had to stop writing because of the WGA strike. They too aren't returning for the third movie.

Can't help but wonder if Bay had anything to do with it.

[SAMAS]

Was Witwicky as annoying as his G1 cartoon counterpart?

*shrug* I didn't think so. Then again, I haven't seen enough of G1 lately to decide if he really was Annoying (I didn't when I was a kid).

[Eviscerator]

How come these movies made so much money?

The same way Enter The Matrix and The phantom Menance made a ton of money. It's TRANSFORMERS for goodness, with a fanbase more than 20 years old and spanning god-knows-too-many countries. They sure have come a long way from 4th in a four-issue limited series

I know i'd have watched Transformers if all it had been was a 2 hr long debate between Prime and Megs

[Gramzamber]

Michael Bay should cut all pretense and make a 2 hour movie consisting of nothing but giant robots fighting and explosions.
That's all people go to see these movies for anyway.

[Eviscerator]

The G1 season 1 cartoons were basically giant robots fighting each other and explosions mixed in with Megatron's New Scheme To Get Energon and damn but if that formula didn't work.

Megs could have hijacked an nuclear sub or 3, stashed said subs at his underwater base, and a couple weeks later have enough energon to Get Back To Cybertron