Despite mixed reaction from fans, the entertainment industry is praising director Michael Bay on selecting actor Mark Wahlberg for Transformers 4. According to MTV:
“It’s an absolutely brilliant move,” MTV Geek editor Valerie Gallaher tells MTV News of Wahlberg’s casting. “It’ll keep this franchise fresh.”“The guy can act – as anyone who has seen ‘Boogie Nights’ or ‘The Departed’ can attest to,” agrees Brian Truitt with USA Today. “And he brings sort of an exasperated ‘Come on, alien robots, are you kidding me?!’ vibe that would make for a great and different dynamic.”
Meanwhile TMZ contacted the director via phone. Find out what Mr. Bay had to say about Transformers 4 Plot, Mark Wahlberg’s Character And Shia’s Comments, after the jump. TFW2005 rough transcript :
TMZ: So big huge news in Hollywood today. The Transformers Franchise will go on and instead of Shia Labeouf, they have landed Mark Wahlberg for the lead role in this. Which is just awesome… everybody loves Wahlberg. Perfect fit for this. And what was real interesting about this… we were talking about this in the news room, and we remember Shia Labeouf came out and said some things about the franchise that he felt like he didn’t have enough creative freedom in this. Well, now you are… gone. And Mark Wahlber is in this. It feels like Director Michael Bay really won that one. And what’s really great is we were able to get Michael Bay on the phone to talk to us about this today. Michael, How you doing?
Michael: Hey guys, how are you?
TMZ: Not as good as you. We don’t have Mark Wahlberg. Can you send him over to host our show one day, when Harvey’s gone?
Michael: He’s a fun guy. Just finished working with him on Pain & Gain, a crime story that we finished in Miami.
TMZ: So tell us, how did this deal get put together and how did you score Wahlberg for the Transformers Franchise?
Michael: I don’t know… just something we thought about a bit. You saw the whole Internet Rumor that he was on. And that wasn’t really true. And we were in the inception part of the story. And just talking with Stephen Spielberg. And that was a great way to really take this franchise in a different direction. We’re doing a lot of things that are going to really make it feel fresh and new. And he’s an actor, he has accomplished, he’s an Academy Award Nominee and I love working with him and he’s got a great sense of comedy and great pathos. He’s a guy who can handle great action. And he never had a huge franchise. So this is something that really appealed to him. He said “I really want to show a movie to my kids”. You know? It kinda happened.
TMZ: So Michael, let’s talk about the fact that… you know.. you had couple of your Transformers Stars… you know… have some not-so-kind-things to say.
Michael: Listen guys, you got to understand, fame is very hard on young people. It’s… I kind of helped raise Shia for three movies. And it’s… it’s really tough. Fame is a very rough thing. And you know Shia LaBeouf is a great, great guy. He’s a great actor. And I have nothing but respect for him.
TMZ: Did you take offense or did it hurt when he said…
Michael: No, No.
TMZ: …His comment about not enough creativity doing these big blockbusters?
Michael: What he’s saying is he wants to be taken seriously. And sometimes when you’re in a blockbuster, people don’t take you seriously. You know? I think that’s what he’s really saying. He’s going through more of a smaller role.
TMZ: He’s in his Art House Stage now.
Michael: You know… listen… he’s only 26.
TMZ: So he will be back?
Michael: He will be back.
TMZ: So, any early idea of what the story is going to be on Transformers and how Mark… He’s not taking over Shia’s role?
Michael: No no. The movie will continue four years from the Attack on Chicago; which is in the last movie. So it’s going to still have the same lineage. And it’s going a full new direction and feels very natural how it’s going in that direction, there is no way you’re going to ever find out what the story because you don’t have to dig through my trash but I shredded my trash…
TMZ: [Laughing]
Michael:..Pentagon level encryption on our computers. So good luck to ya!
TMZ: We’ll.. we’ll wait till you come out and tell us. By the way, just a suggestion you know I’m not a director or anything but we are showing some shots of Mark from the set of Pain & Gain may be you wanna have his shirt off in Transformers too.
Michael: I think that’s “Baby Fat” He ate so much… he ate seven meals a day.
TMZ: You gotta see his gym. He’s unbelievably huge. There’s a reason for that… he works out more than us.
Michael: Exactly, exactly. You know he actually lost 30 pounds for the next movie which is three weeks after Pain and Gain. Which is crazy.
TmZ: Were you working out with him in the gym? Obviously he was working out… everybody was working out. You were surrounded by really huge guys in this film.
Michael: Dwayne was someone who rubs body oil on him all day.
TMZ: [Laughing]
Michael: He gets wet with Baby Oil.
TMZ: Look at him. There’s a shot of you standing next to him. He looks huge and you got to boss that guy around.
Michael: Yeah. I’m not intimidate by those guys. Trust me.
TMZ: [Laughing]
TMZ: So when do we expect [Transformers 4]? 2014?
Michael: Yeah, July 4th 2014.
TMZ: You already knows it’s July 4th, 2014?
Michael: Yeah… come-on?
TMZ: Of course you do.
TMZ: Alright. Keep us posted what’s going on. Shirts off.
ThinkTank Customs
i love the movies, but i don't like the weirds storyarcs (they don't fit together in ALL 3 movies), this is what bugs me
Autovolt 127
That's something he'll never be that's for sure.
ex dtw2003
I love them. They aren't high art and the designs are Geewunnie enough for me, but there a lot of fun and anything with Peter Cullen providing Prime's voice is an instant watch in my books.
TigerBlade
I has a question for those who think it is FACT everyone hates Bay and his movies. If this is indeed true then please explain how it (the trilogy) made so much money?
I'd love to know.
MV95
Weren't they comparing Hugo Weaving and Shia?
Autobus Prime
Now that sounds quite easy to explain.
Mikaela and Carly, that's the difficulty.
ThinkTank Customs
It will be interesting, how he'll explain the abstinence of Sam, this bugged me in the third movie, if the cons had kidnapped michaela offscreen, the bots had also investigated – and Sam too!
She knows so many secrets, that she's a good target, so it would be better to let her die in the beginning with a double, same now with Sam, Carly etc….
mrmrdr
Armageddon II meets Transformers
I have this sinking feeling Bay is going back to the rough neck father, rebellious daughter and the cocky boyfriend waiting to learn what it means to be the man route. Considering he already worked the strong female screeching boyfriend learning what it means to be a man angle. Dealing with past experience that seems to be the kind of direction he would call fresh. It is hard with Bay at least for me. I can see at times where he seems to get what makes the movies great he borrows moments from.
Then the commercial director he started as kicks in and he has to attempt to tidy everything up and sell it in the time he was given. They don't seem to cap him on characters and they do let him release long movies so I have to put it on him. He will even go as far as tacking 30 minutes onto a movie that suck the life out of it just to finish a story instead of just letting the chapter sink in. O.P. dying was a great point to leave Revenge of the Fallen at but he could not resist so we ended up with Devastator balls.
Hopefully he just lays down a solid movie and lets a real 3 movie arch play out. Let a good director breathe a bit and suck us in and actually make us give a damn..Then have to sense to just fire any damn person who suggests they need a robot "ewok" in the third and just let the fall and redemption happen. Irvin Kershner scared Lucas so we had a company yes guy for the third..if you are going to try to emulate the formula at least have the balls to not make the same mistakes.
Starscream Gaga
They were comparing Ledger and Shia's comments.
MV95
Um, what does Heath Ledger have to do with this? lol
Starscream Gaga
If you still think Heath Ledger was whining then there's absolutely no hope for you in ever knowing what whining actually is. Heath Ledger did not come across as a "whiny douche" to anyone that could, you know, read.
People really need to turn their brains on sometimes, because this is just getting depressing. Go back and reread what was said and this time actually pay attention.
Incepticon
It's hilarious how TMZ people are being about this – almost getting pissed because Bay didn't verbally explode into a tyrannical hissy fit when asked and basically provoked about Shia… coincidentally, by TMZ.
SouthtownKid
Plus, you'd be comparing working at your warehouse for 3 months to your office job friend working in his office for one day. You are absolutely right that there is no freaking comparison between the two.
Autovolt 127
Yeah that injury just appears out of nowhere just like Jolt.
brr-icy
^lol "work it in" hand was bandaged in some scenes, others not. no explaination
Ash from Carolina
Don't forget that Shia continued to work on Revenge of the Fallen after his car accident which is why they had to work the hand injury into the movie since he didn't have time to fully recover during shooting.
Gingerchris
That does sorta make sense. It's like when I'd come home from a twelve hour shift lugging heavy stuff around a warehouse and my pal would come back from his office job and complain how tired and overworked he was after being sat at a desk for eight hours as if the two compare in any reasonable way.
*prepares to catch shit from any office workers here *
SouthtownKid
I think Bay probably sees a big difference between someone acting in three movies, showing up at set for 15 hour days, every day for months, and doing all the physical stuff, as opposed to a guy who comes in for one, maybe two afternoons to do some light voice-acting work and pick up a fat check.
One of those people has a legitimate reason to be tired of doing exhausting action blockbusters and the other person is kind of a whiny douche who should take his check and say thank you politely.
Albershide
Michael Bay received SET Legacy Award and look who presented it to him!
Michael Bay lauded at SET Awards – Entertainment News, Film News, Media – Variety
iconbot
I love Michael Bay (his work), I love Transformers, I love the 3 movies, I love explosions. So at the end of the day, its all about me! Who cares what others think.