12:00 AM, 15-SEPTEMBER-08
How Transformers 2 Ups The Ante
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, the sequel to Michael Bay's giant-robot hit, will go in an entirely new direction: courtroom drama.
"We're doing the trial of Optimus Prime," said co-writer Roberto Orci. "It's actually a legal battle."
Added Orci's partner, Alex Kurtzman: "Actually, we started with My Dinner With Optimus Prime, and then that felt like [that was] a little too small, so then we felt like courtroom would be a great way to [go]."
Orci: "When Megatron comes in as a surprise witness at the end, you're just going to die."
Kurtzman: "You're not going to believe it."
OK, so they're kidding. (At least I hope they're kidding.)
Seriously, Orci and Kurtzman, who drafted the sequel with Ehren Kruger, said they are trying to emulate the sequels they love.
"We loved Superman II, we loved Empire, we loved Aliens," Kurtzman said. "And those were all movies that felt like they truly stood apart from what had come before them in great, great ways."
Orci: "And even though they were bigger, per se, it was not just about that. There really was something else going on."
Transformers 2 will bring back many of the first film's characters while introducing some new ones and raising the stakes for all.
"I think the serious answer to your question is, obviously, people will say, 'Look, the explosions are going to be bigger,' but I think Bob and I felt that it was our job--and continues to be our job--to say, 'It's not really about that, because those things, in a way, are a given,'" Kurtzman said.
Orci added: "Yeah, those things are the easy part."
Kurtzman: "What it's about is making sure the emotional stakes feel like they are at a new place and that this movie has a reason to tell itself beyond just 'The studio wants another Transformers movie.' And a lot of that has to do with 'How do you make this movie more emotional? How does this movie stand out from the first one?'"
Orci: "And now that the Transformers are characters, how do you bring them to life some more?"
Transformers 2 is about a month away from the end of principal photography, the writers said. It's slated to open on June 26, 2009. --Patrick Lee, News Editor
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index...ory=3&id=59970
How Transformers 2 Ups The Ante
