Have you ever wondered what The Dark Knight might look like written by someone other than Christopher Nolan? Perhaps in your deepest, darkest, dissatisfied-with-Batman-Begins level of consciousness, you wondered what it might look like if tackled by another director. One who had more action movies on his resume. Someone like ... Michael Bay.

Well, look no further. A few pages of his rejected script have appeared online, courtesy of Spill.com. I think one of my biggest problems with Nolan's Batman films is their absolute celibacy. Batman is a red-blooded American male in the comics; he romances many of Gotham's loveliest ladies. Rachel Dawes would never have been so coldly shoved aside in the comics -- and thankfully, Bay looks to be rectifying this. Plus, I really like his take on Dawes. She knows that she can be sexy and smart without being any less of a woman. And she isn't just a D.A. either! She's a skilled mechanic, and is able to fix the Batmobile when its owner can't. Just judging from the few pages, Bay has put her in the center of the action, and not relegated her to the sidelines like Nolan did.

All right, I can't really keep this up. You'll have to just go read it yourself and have a good laugh at all the talk of toned stomachs, beads of sweat, and AC/DC songs. And please, Mr. Bay -- don't hold it against us here at Cinematical. We have a Megan Fox gallery and we'll all go see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I promise.

[Thanks, Matt, for sending this to me.]

She's been voted the number one sexiest girl in the history of the universe times twelve by every single magazine that ever existed ... but what people really want to know is: How do you direct someone that hot? Well, thank heavens for dudes like Michael Bay, who's just made the difficult task a whole lot easier for future directors (aspiring or working). While speaking to MTV about Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, Megan Fox said this of Bay's slick directorial skillz: "His main note to me is just to look hot; so I try my best." Nice. What would we do without directors like Bay who really cherish the female character and what she means to the overall finished product? Bravo! Give this man an award.

In other Transformers 2 news, Fox also told MTV that they're "on locations in some really exotic places" and "it's just going to be a badass movie." Perhaps her most interesting quotes, however, had to do with the on set re-writes of the script. She says, "You know, we've been having script meetings, and we've been reworking the script, because they wrote it fast because of the writer's strike. And, we've just been going through and trying to do some character stuff for Shia and myself in the middle of this crazy world that they're in."

Fear not, a lot of filmmakers work on the script while they're shooting, so I'm sure everything will turn out just fine in the end. And hey, as long as Megan Fox looks hot, right?

(Above: Transformers 2 filming in (and blowing up) poor Pennsylvania.)

Update: Paramount announced that the official title for Transformers 2 will be Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.

And then there were two ...

Iron Man 2: I'm not sure how Coming Soon and IESB managed to ask the same exact questions to Iron Man director Jon Favreau (perhaps they're dating and, like, read each others' minds), but that's what it looks like from here. Both sites visited the set of I Love You Man, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, where Favreau was starring in a supporting role. But who cares about that when we've got Iron Man 2 to talk about!?

According to Favreau, he still isn't signed on yet and negotiations with all the actors are ongoing. Of course, he's interested in directing both Iron Man 2 and The Avengers, but because Marvel scheduled the films a year apart, he feels it's literally impossible for him to do both. Favreau also discusses the many potential storylines that could exist in such a sequel, but notes that it's hard to talk about any of this because Marvel is extremely busy prepping the debut of The Incredible Hulk (which we'll talk about in another post). Check either site for much more from Favreau.

Transformers 2: For the first time in a couple hundred years, Pennsylvania has become the cool place to be. Oh yes, that's because Transformers 2 is causing all sorts of mayhem -- with their blowing up of a steel factory, sending hundreds of Asian extras running through the streets of make-believe China. (Is it me, or should Michael Bay receive an Oscar nod simply for making Pennsylvania pass off as China?) Tons of photos from around the set have popped up online over at TFW2005 (see one above).

After the jump: Did someone say Star Trek sequels?

The entire movie nerd world set up camp in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania yesterday as Transformers 2 began production. A number of websites boasted their own exclusive images from the set of the sequel -- most of which contained blurry shots of helicopters circling the Bethlehem steel complex where shooting is taking place. The outside of one building wears some glowing, neon Chinese lettering -- leading many to believe the complex is, in fact, doubling for some sort of old plant in a Chinese city (or the largest take-out Chinese joint we've ever seen).

A few images popped up over on JoBlo (see one to the right), and their "on the scene guy" says there were "4 Apache helicopters, as well as 2 choppers with Chinese lettering and the word 'Police' in English. Both of those choppers had cameras on them." For awhile, said helicopters circled the plant before doing some "take offs and landings."

Additionally (and if you're really into watching blurry helicopters fly through the air), another dude captured the scene on video and posted it up on YouTube (via Superhero Hype). You can check out that video after the jump. Finally, MTV claims Matthew Marsden has joined the Transformers 2 cast as a member of the British Special Forces. Watch out: The British are coming!

Okay, maybe we're exaggerating just a tiny bit with that number. Actually, word has it there could be up to 20 more robots in the sequel; this based on a throwaway line written by Roberto Orci on Don Murphy's message board. He says, "I'd love and think we could almost barely manage ten on each side, with some front and center and others as more supporting." Really? 20 robots? I had a hard enough time differentiating between three robots in the first flick -- now they're gonna go ahead and shove 20 at us. 20! How will Shia LaBeouf (poor kid) find a way to "shack up" with Megan Fox when he's got 20 robots to deal with?

JoBlo spoke to Michael Bay at the MTV Movie Awards last night where the director said that "this really feels like a cool sequel ... and it's not one of those bullsh*t sequels. This one stands on its own; the script. And the first one set up a bunch, so you're allowed to have more fun with this one. More robots. More personality from the robots." Transformers 2 begins production today in Pennsylvania.

What do you think about all these robots? Is 20 too much or too little? And should I even be complaining about a Transformers movie with too many robots?

After weeks of rumors, centering mostly on Jonah Hill, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed the cast of Transformers 2. Joining the just-announced Rainn Wilson, and the already confirmed LaBeouf, will be Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro.

Of course, director Michael Bay is returning to helm it, as well as the original writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who are joined by Ehren Kruger.

No word on story details yet, but filming has already begun in Los Angeles. It will move to Pennsylvania, and then overseas. Photos have been cropping up on the Internet already, though largely of scaffolding and trucks at this point.

I'm not sure what a Rainn Wilson is or whether this robot was featured in the old Transformers cartoons, but from what people have told me, it looks like a real goofy guy with glasses. Yes, MTV Movies Blog reports that during a sneak screening of The Rocker, Rainn Wilson outed himself as a professor in the highly-anticipated sequel. Not just any professor, mind you -- but "a professor that turns into a car that turns into a robot." Of course, he's kidding about that. Right? Is he? Michael Bay is awesome!

The addition of Rainn Wilson and the fact they wanted to bring on Jonah Hill means Bay and Co. are definitely piling on the jokes for this second installment. That is unless they're looking to tone down Wilson's shtick; kinda how he played a regular old teacher in The Last Mimzy without throwing out lines like, "Gots to do your homework home-skillet." The film, which is supposed to start filming next month, is currently setting up camp in Bethlehem, PA, home to, well, people from Pennsylvania.

What do you think about Wilson joining the team? Transformers 2 is due out on June 26, 2009.

If you're anything like me, you have completely given up on the next installment of Transformers having even a whiff of plot, and instead you are just going to sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Speaking of, it looks like it's going to be quite the show, too. The keen eyes over Comic2Film noticed that in the Dolby News release for ShoWest 2008, Transformers 2 was listed as a 3D film slated for 2009.

There have been plenty of updates for the film lately, but unfortunately most of them turned out to be smoke and mirrors -- just ask Teresa Palmer. But, a 3D release could be the real deal, even though we haven't heard a peep from Michael Bay on the matter. Kind of surprising, too, considering he is not the kind of guy who likes to keep quiet about these sorts of things.

Transformers 2 is scheduled to start filming on location in Pennsylvania this June, but everything is going to hinge on whether or not the SAG strike can be averted. A 3D release does make sense if you think about it, especially since the only way to top the FX of the first film is to have them flying off the screen at the audience this time around. (Yay! A monster truck is flying toward me at 150mph! Ain't this fun!)

Weigh in below and let us know if you think 3D is the way to go for our robotic friends, or will it just be an excuse for Bay to spend even more time on the FX and even less time on the script?

[via Comic2Film]

Whether or not shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force or The Simpsons succeeded in translating their television dynamics to the big screen depends on your point of view, but the release of Speed Racer this weekend raises a more specific question about the viability of turning an animated series into a live action spectacle on the big screen. The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Underdog both suggest how this goal can go wrong -- namely, by imploding on its absurd conceits. You may disagree with the inclusion of some of the following titles, all of which culled their material from animation, but it's fair to say that each of them takes its subject matter at face value, allowing the natural ingredients of the original sources to remain intact. Well, maybe not Super Mario Bros., but that one is a special case (fire away, if you must). Until somebody makes an Animaniacs movie with real actors, I'm sticking to this list.

1. Popeye (1980)

Robert Altman's offbeat ode to the famous Fleisher cartoon starring the spinach-eating strongman and his darling Olive Oil is the great misunderstood work of the director's career. Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall manage to bring utterly ridiculous characters into a realm of believability that you could never imagine when watching the show. Suddenly, Popeye made sense -- goofy, almost surreal sense, but sense nonetheless -- in the real world. Thanks to veteran adult cartoonist Jules Feiffer's screenplay and a soundtrack so catchy Paul Thomas Anderson borrowed from it twenty years later in Punch-Drunk Love, the classic status of Popeye can't be denied.

Things seem to be getting a tad confusing over on the Transformers 2 front. As of now, Michael Bay and his team plan to begin production in early June ... IF there isn't an actor's strike. (I know, another strike -- we're sick of 'em too.) Regardless of what might happen, they still need to cast this monster -- and that's where all this he said/she said is coming into play. Not long ago, Jonah Hill was rumored to be in negotiations for a part opposite Shia LaBeouf, but that's no longer happening. Now, if Michael Bay is to be believed, Australian actress Teresa Palmer is no longer in the film and was never considered in the first place. This is odd, because we were under the assumption that Moviehole (who first reported the casting) actually spoke to Palmer and SHE confirmed her own involvement.

Over on his personal blog, however, Bay denies everything. In a very brief statement, he says: "No we have stopped negotiating with Jonah, and Teresa Palmer was not considered for a role." Um, okay. If you say so. To further complicate the situation, IGN now reports that another Aussie actress, Isabel Lucas, has been cast in the role of Alice in Transformers 2. This bit of news comes via her management agency, Meissner Management, who list the actress as having that role. She's relatively new to the block, and will have parts in the upcoming vampire flick Daybreakers, as well as the HBO miniseries The Pacific.

No official word on Palmer or Lucas, so we'll have to wait and see if Michael Bay has anything to say about these latest rumors. Cute girl, though, I'll give her that.