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We're still months away from the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (it opens on June 24) but Paramount and DreamWorks are wasting no time. According to Variety, Transformers 3 is already in the works, and it's got a release date: July 1, 2011.

This is the first official word that Transformers is getting the trilogy treatment, although it really comes as no surprise. But Paramount cautions that nothing is set in stone yet -- they merely wanted to stake their claim on the date. There's currently no direct competition, and the arrival of giant robots pretty much means there won't be.

The studios wouldn't confirm whether Michael Bay, Shia LaBeouf, and Megan Fox would return for number three, though Bay seems likely. However, LaBeouf and Fox are busy filling up their slates with John Grisham thrillers and Fathom adaptations, so we could see one or both of them drop out of the franchise. And would it matter terribly if they did? Does anyone really go to a Transformers movie for the human players and not the giant robots?

So, barring any other official word, here's where you can express your pleasure, speculate as to what a third installment would center on, whether Revenge of the Fallen will end on a major cliffhanger, and hope fervently that Megan Fox returns. It's just a guess, but I suspect she's almost as much of a draw as Optimus Prime.

I'm not one of those waiting for Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen with a whole lot of anticipation. I feel bad about saying that, but let's face it, Transformers passed me right by as I was playing with Strawberry Shortcake. Many have tried to re-educate me on the awesomeness of Optimus Prime, and failed.

Nevertheless, even I have to admit it's pretty cool when a screenwriter drops in among their fans for a good sequel chat. That's what Robert Orci, one of the scriptwriters for Transformers 1 and 2, has done over at Transformer World 2005. The dedicated can sift through what is currently 82(!) pages of script Q&A, by the time you read this, it will probably be 182. Much of it is hints as to which robots might factor into the sequel -- including a tease that Arcee, the girl Transformer, might appear. On the other hand, he's careful to remind fans that anything you hear about the film is probably careful disinformation, but well meant. "It is fun to 'play' with fandom, not to toy with fandom -- I do not hand out disinformation."

But there's a few reliable sounding bits in here. According to Orci, the sequel will be more "global" in scale, and that there won't a lot of re-introductions. "The first movie is all about the mystery and reveal of the Transformers as a concept and a species, which means we had to hide them a lot in the first hour. In the second movie, now that everyone believes in the universe, we can jump right into the world of the Transformers." The movie will be firmly rooted in Transformers mythology, but will also maintain the "liberties" taken with it in the first film.

He insists they're listening to fan input, so anything you want to see, now's the time to demand it. I'm going to go ahead and demand Arcee, if only to ponder how Transformers can have gender, and whether she will be pink.

When Michael Bay was announced as the director of Transformers, a big-screen version of the '80s cartoon franchise about alien robots who hide among humanity disguised as vehicles and other machines, it seemed like the perfect match of director and subject; whether that's a compliment or an insult is a matter of your perspective. Bay's movies (Bad Boys II, Armageddon) have always looked like a bizarre hybrid of truck commercials, Army recruitment ads and country-music videos: high-gloss, quick-cut, back-lit visions with an emphasis on surface sheen and a minimum of scripting or storytelling to get in the way of the next explosion or action moment. Transformers may represent the ultimate symbiosis of director and subject: Transformers is, in many ways, a long-form commercial, co-produced by Paramount, DreamWorks ... and toy manufacturer Hasbro.

Transformers, the movie, may sell Transformers, the toys, but it doesn't do much of anything else. You can't go into Transformers expecting it to make a lot of sense, or to work as science fiction (it is a movie about giant robots who shift shape, after all) but I don't think it's too much to ask that it could, at least, be competently and coherently made, which it isn't. There's no rhythm to the big moments of action -- they're too quickly-cut and closely-shot to be clear or comprehensible -- and the script, credited to Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, is littered with failures in both simple taste and basic storytelling.

I never really understood the premise behind Transformers, but I didn't care. They were above and beyond the greatest toys a kid could dream of playing with. Who needed either action figures or Matchbox cars anymore? The Transformers were both. And as a loyal consumer child of the '80s, I followed my favorite toy line as it spun-off an animated television series, a comic book series and a full-length feature film. As I said, I didn't really get the story. All that mattered was that there were good guys (Autobots) and there were bad guys (Decepticons), same as any action cartoon. Anyway, the more I try to comprehend the premise of Transformers, the more questions I have about its logic, so I kinda prefer to be in the dark.

It's been nearly twenty years since I sold all my toys at a tag sale, and I haven't watched the television show or read a Transformers comic in all that time. So, when I decided to take a nostalgic look at Transformers: The Movie I was more in the dark than ever. Because it functions as a continuation of the television series, existing chronologically between the show's second and third seasons, there isn't much in the way of introductions. This is a movie for people familiar with the premise, the story and the characters of the Transformers universe.

Last night, I came real close to bumbling my way into a super secret Transformers screening over at the AMC in Times Square. Though I was there to (unfortunately) see Blades of Glory, the girl guarding the list originally thought I was supposed to see Transformers. Since Cinematical was depending on me to provide you with a review of Blades, I reluctantly had to inform her I was there for that movie ... and not Transformers. Needless to say, I whimpered my way up to theater number one and took my seat next to someone who apparently finds Jon Heder to be the funniest person in the history of ever. But I digress.

Seeing as the internets were out to rub the whole situation in my face this morning, I was not at all surprised to find that Transformers now has a spiffy new MySpace page, featuring two brand new pics of Optimus Prime and Megatron staring down one another. In fact, folks can then choose a side (good or bad) when deciding who they would rather be friends with: the robots trying to destroy the earth or the ones trying to save it. Those same two pics are now part of two new one-sheets for the film as well. Both robots look pretty rad, and I'm now convinced this film will kick some major ass ... even if Shia LaBeouf annoys me to no end. Transformers is set to invade theaters on July 4, so choose your sides now ... and choose wisely.

Well guys, it has become a semi-weekly ritual these days, but today provides us with one of the more interesting installments. Yes, it is time to drag out some new images of the "updated" Transformers look courtesy of Michael Bay and company. Today's images come to us from the ever-present IESB, and are, in fact, the covers of a Transformers sticker book and a Transformers movie novel. They feature two of the characters we've seen the most of -- Bumblebee and Optimus Prime -- in full glory, striking action poses like champions. The shots are a bit grainy and color-weak, but they certainly convey the style of the new Transformers look.

I need your help, fans. I continue to be particularly unimpressed with the look I've seen from the new flick, and I find myself entirely unable to divorce any notions of the film from my already pre-disposed negative opinions of Michael Bay. I'm certain this has tainted any objectivity I should have towards the film, and I find myself unable to think about it objectively. But I want to look forward to this film -- I desperately want to get behind the idea of a renovated Transformers. So if you've got any positive angles, pitch them to me. I'm all ears.

It is no secret yours truly is very hesitant about getting behind the new Transformers film. The reasons are many and varied, but mostly they revolve around the directorial talent of Michael Bay, and what I've seen of his work so far. However, if there is one thing I can definitely, without hesitation or doubt, 100% support, it is the vocal talent of Peter Cullen returning to voice the iconic Optimus Prime. An amusing "make Prime speak" contest just recently wrapped up, and if you surf by the official website, you can hear the results. They are, I must say, delightful. If you are in any way a fan of the original series, I suggest you hit up the website and listen to Optimus Prime throw around ten fantastic one-liners. Hearing him declare "Autobots, transform and roll out!" gave me small shivers. It makes me wonder, honestly, whether geek throwback elements such as Peter Cullen will be enough to outweigh any shortcomings of the film. Probably not -- but they will be enough to get me to shell out cash and visit the theater, which is probably more than enough for Paramount.

I may poke fun at Ain't It Cool news from time to time for their overwhelming enthusiasm and use of exclamation points, but like most geeks, I respect Harry Knowles and the crazy, crazy job he does. The same apparently cannot be said for Transformers producer Don Murphy, who in a recent flame post on his message board referred to Harry's site as "Ain't it S**t news." A profoundly witty man, that Murphy ... he can really zing those insults off, and with such clever turns of phrase. At any rate, Murphy was responding to images of Optimus Prime seen on Ain't it Cool News, and the money part of his quote was: "You know -- no one from the production ever confirmed anything that was leaked to Ain't It S**t News. So it may have been actual photos or it may not have been. The bad poet Diabetes has reported on here that Megatron's head will be changed. From what? Did we ever release an official pic of Megs? No sir we didn't. I CAN tell you that Megs' head will not look like he did in the leaked pics."

So there you have it, folks. Your friendly neighborhood producer Don Murphy reminds you "don't trust the internets." Thanks, Don!

Just in case you missed them the first time around, here's a round-up of what we've been talking about on Cinematical this week:

Interviews, Columns, and Hot Topics

• Ryan Stewart Interviews 49 Up's Michael Apted
• What Makes a Black Film Authentic?
• Kevin Costner as Neo?!? And Other Near Disasters
• Erik Davis Covers The Departed Junket
• Jim Carrey Ain't Got No Game
• Cinematical Seven: The "Retro-Movie" Videogames
• Jeff Anderson's 400 Screens, 400 Blows: Streep Smart
• Mark Beall's Geek Beat: Marvel Musings
• Should a Film's Subjects Have a Say in Its Rating?
• Does the World Really Need Mr. Woodcock?
• Scene Stealers: Tom Wilson
• Film Blog Group Hug: Enter Witty Post Title Here
• Major Shakeup at Village Voice Leaves Only J Hoberman Standing

More, much more, after the jump ...

If I lived in Detroit, Michigan, I imagine I'd be getting rather tired of Michael Bay. Okay, I imagine I'd be getting rather tired of him for reasons other than continuing to make bad movies. For the second time in recent years, director Bay has closed down streets in the greater Detroit area -- Fort Wayne between Washington and Griswold, and Shelby between Lafayette and Congress, to be specific -- for filming purposes. However, as I do not live in Detroit, I find this to be rather cool. Bay has used the same streets previously while filming for The Island, and likewise the abandoned Michigan Central Depot, according to Detroit Free Press.

In other Transformers news, you can check out a few new site photos from filming, including what looks to be a distance shot of Optimus Prime in his non-robot form and a few helicopters flying about. And don't forget the new "Make Optimus Speak" contest -- details here courtesy of Matt B.