For centuries, two races of robotic aliens the Autobots and the Decepticonshavewagedawar,withthefateoftheuniverseatstake.When the battle comes to Earth, all that stands between the evil Decepticons and ultimate power is a clue held by young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf). An averageteenager,Samisconsumedwitheverydayworriesaboutschool,friends, carsandgirls.Unawarethathealoneismankindslastchanceforsurvival,Sam andhisfriendMikaela(MeganFox)findthemselvesinatugofwarbetweenthe Autobots and Decepticons. With the world hanging in the balance, Sam comes to realize the true meaning behind the Witwicky family motto No sacrifice,novictory! DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures Present, in Association with Hasbro, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy Production of a Michael Bay Film, TRANSFORMERS starring Shia LaBeouf,TyreseGibson,JoshDuhamel,AnthonyAnderson,MeganFox,Rachael TaylorwithJohnTurturroandJonVoight.DirectedbyMichaelBayfromastory byJohnRogersandRobertoOrci&AlexKurtzmanandascreenplaybyRoberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman, the film is based on Hasbros Transformers Action Figures.TheproducersareDonMurphy,TomDeSanto,LorenzodiBonaventura and Ian Bryce and the executive producers are Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian. The director of photography is Mitchell Amundsen. The production designer is Jeff Mann. The film is edited by Paul

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Rubell,A.C.E.andGlenScantlebury.ThecostumedesignerisDeborahL.Scott. The music is by Steve Jablonsky. The music supervisor is Dave Jordan. The specialvisualeffects arebyIndustrialLight&Magic.This filmhasbeenrated PG13 for intense sequences of scifi action violence, brief sexual humor and language.

TRANSFORMERS:THEHISTORY

IvebeenoneofthebiggestfansofTransformerssincetheyfirstcame out, says executive producer Steven Spielberg. Im not talking about buying thetoysformykids.Imtalkingaboutreadingthecomicbooksandbuyingthe toysformyself.Idplaywiththemathomewithmykids,butImtheonewho was enthralled with them, he recalls. I was a collector and I always thought theHasbrotoylinewouldonedaytransformintoabigsummermovie. Spielbergwasnottheonlyonetothinkso;severalofthefilmsproducers hadthesameimpulse.WhileproducerandformerstudioexecutiveLorenzodi Bonaventura and Hasbro COO Brian Goldner were talking about possible moviesideasforTransformersandotherHasbrofranchises,TomDeSantowas approaching Don Murphy to form a partnership in hopes of making his own Transformers project. When all was said and done, the core creative force behindthefilmisavirtualwhoswhoofHollywoodproducingroyalty:Steven Spielberg, director Michael Bay, di Bonaventura (Shooter), DeSanto (the X Men series), Murphy (Natural Born Killers) and Ian Bryce (Saving Private Ryan). Fromthegetgo,alloftheproducersdidtheirhomeworkandknewthat making a Transformers movie meant honoring a much beloved franchise
backed by a strong base of devotees, many of whom had lifelong ties to the characters. Transformers has a rich, established history that inspired all of us, saysdiBonaventura.Itsnowonderweeachhadthesamebrainstorm;eachof uswasattractedtoitsmythology. The hardest aspect of overcoming peoples assumptions about robots even the fans was that until we could show footage, no one could really understandwhatthisparticularmovieisallabout,hesays.Sowefocusedon theworkathand:developingahumanstory,findingthebestcastandproducing themostexcitingeffectswecould.Therestwouldtakecareofitself. DeSantoswearsthathesdreamtofmakingamovieaboutTransformers sincehewasakid,butitdidntoccurtohispartnerMurphyuntilyearslateras he was strolling through the ComicCon convention in San Diego. I was walkingaround,lookingatalotofpropertiesandfranchises,andallofasudden it hit me, Murphy says. The kids of the 80s have grown up and now they probablywanttoseemoviesbasedonallthisstuffaroundme,alltheirbeloved charactersandstories.OhmyGod,thismakesperfectsense. Murphy also knew that DeSanto, whom hed met when the two worked togetheronAptPupil,wasnotonlyahugefanofthetoyfranchise,hewasa walking encyclopedia of comic book information. DeSanto, who owns over 35,000 comic books, called Murphy to partner on the project as Murphy had a previousrelationshipwithHasbro. Transformers was something I loved and cared about as a kid, says DeSanto. Its hard to get these movies made, so you better love what you do because otherwise youre in for a few dreary years trying to make the idea a reality.
WhenDreamWorkstoldusthatStevenlovedtheidea,Icouldntbelieve it, DeSanto recalls. As a kid from New Jersey, to hear that Steven Spielberg likedthesamerobots,Ijustthought,howdidIgethere?Therestisadream; itsjustbeengreat. Hasbro and Paramount were very excited about the process of putting anothersuccessfulproductintoliveactionformat,diBonaventurasays,andof courseTransformerscameupbecauseitsoneofHasbroscrownjewelsanda brandBrianbelieveshasgreatpotential. Brianisunderstandablyprotectiveofeveryfranchiseatthecompany,di Bonaventuraexplains.Forthatreasonhewantedtobeinvolvedasaproducer, anideaIreadilyembracedbecauseBrianreallyknewthebrandandhasalotto offer. Ultimately DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures chose to partner on the film. In previous years their collaborative efforts have yielded such successful films as Dreamgirls, War of the Worlds, Collateral, and SavingPrivateRyan. ScreenwriterJohnRogers,acomicbookwriterandenthusiast,wasasked to put together an initial draft of the script. The nice folks at DreamWorks knowImageek;Imakemylivingasaprofessional12yearold,jokesRogers, So considering I was assembling and disassembling Optimus Prime in their offices, I really had no defense when they asked me if I was interested. I was veryeager;itwasagreatopportunity.TheonlyrealdirectionIwasgivenwas: writeahumanstory. Rogers initial three plot lines eventually evolved into the rich, textured storythatisTRANSFORMERS,craftedbythetalentedteamofAlexKurtzman andRobertoOrci.Priortopassingthetorch,Rogersspentaninordinateamount of time monitoring different Transformers web sites. When I moved onto

important,heandhisfellowsoldiersarethefirstlineofdefensewhenitcomesto defendinghiscountry,herpeopleandherallies. To prepare for the role, Gibson spent time with an actual Combat ControllerwhowasonleaveafteratourinIraq.IntheAirForceformorethan 20years,CaptainRayBollingerisarespectedexpertinhisfieldandgaveGibson much of his technical dialogue for the desert sequences shot at White Sands MissileRangeinNewMexico. I communicate with all aircraft, says Gibson who can still recite his teams site coordinates in his sleep, The Blackhawks, stealth bombers, F22s, theyre all on my wire. And it was a matter of running my lines with Ray becauseheknowsthewayitssupposedtosound;heknowsthespeedofit,the cadence.TheEnglishcansoundlikeChinesewhenyourespeakingsofast,but once I became more comfortable in my character and understood what I was saying,ithelped.IcouldnthaverehearsedmylineswithanyonebutRay. Spending time with Captain Bollinger and the Navy S.E.A.L.s who were cast as his team mates along with the many service men and women from Holloman,FortBlissandotherbasesgaveGibsonandhisfellowcastmembersa real respect for the people who serve in our armed forces and in the military unitsofothercountriesaroundtheworld. Playing the role of a soldier, you realize that people are counting on you, says Gibson. As you learn your lines and learn what youre calling in whenyouradioattackcoordinates,youcometounderstandthatyourteamand thepeopleyouredefendingarerelyingonyou.Asanactor,thismakesyoufeel responsibletobeasauthenticinyourroleaspossible;whetheritsdeliveringthe dialect correctly or carrying a gun the right way, it means something, even thoughthestoryisallfiction.
For Gibson, putting on the military garb helped him get into character. Carrying the gun, wearing the heavy packs with all the equipment, the ammunition,youcanbarelybreathe,butwhenIputiton,Ibecomeachameleon, Iamthecharacter. Likemanyothers,GibsonisattractedtothewiseandpowerfulOptimus Prime. He particularly likes the new incarnation of the multicolored tractor trailer Bay and the art department selected as Optimus alter ego. Gibsons onlywishforhisfavoriteTransformeristhatnexttimehewillbehaulingan equallyvibrantcargocarrierbehindhimwhenhegoesthroughhisalteration. Hehasatersereplyfordiehardfanswhoareunhappywithsomeofthe filmschangesfromtheoriginalcartoon,Getoverit!hesays.Imean,Ilove Bumblebee,butcomeon,itsamuchsexiercarnow.
JohnTurturroisAgentSimmons
Oneofthefewactorstoreceivetheentirescript prior tocamerasrolling was John Turturro. But even before he read the piece, Turturro knew the toys well.Thefatheroftwosons,a16yearoldandasixyearold,hewasputunder abitofpressureathome. Myoldersonsaid,Youknowyouhavetodothis,youdontreallyhave achoice,andIsaid,Well,Ihavetoreaditfirst,andhesaid,No,youdont, Turturrorecounts,laughing. His older sonalso made himaware of the enormous fan base already in placeandhelpedhimwithabitofresearchbeforeheacceptedthejob. When asked which Transformer he likes best, the actor will not play favorites. There are so many and each is unique and fun, he says, its just

AnthonyAndersonasGlenWhitmann
WhenaskedifheisfamiliarwithTransformersactionfigures,Anthony Andersonwillimmediatelybreakinto song,Transformers,morethanmeets theeye,Transformers,robotsindisguise! I can sing more of the song, Anderson says proudly, I actually owned OptimusPrimeandMegatron.Igrewupwatchingthecartoon,thatsmyera. WhenIheardtherewasapossibilityofplayingacharacterinthefilm,Iwasjust excitedatthechancetomeetMichaelandStevenSpielberg. Andersonispassingon thelore ofTransformers,teachinghischildren abouthisbelovedchildhoodpastime.Afterbringinghisyoungsontotheset,he
had a difficult time keeping his sons focus on school rather than on accompanyinghimtoworkeachday. ThefirstdayIwalkedontotheMegatronset,Ihadmysonwithme, remembersAnderson.Hisjawdropped. The artdepartmentdid anamazing jobbringingthiscreaturetolife,anditwasonlyhalfbuilt.Ireallyhavetotipmy hattothem. A chameleon, Anderson has the ability to perform in classical theatre as wellasurbandrama,butisbestknownforhiscomedicroles,atalentheusesto great degree as Glen, a smart but surreptitious hacker who is a close friend of computeranalystandgovernmentconsultant,MaggieMadsen. LorenzodiBonaventura,whohasworkedpreviouslywithAnderson,isa big fan. People dont understand how much he brings to the party, di Bonaventurasays.Hisadlibsaresmartandcleverandcompletelyunexpected; hesaveryinstinctualcomedian.Buthesalsounderestimatedwhenitcomesto hisseriousroles.AnthonywassocompellinginHustleandFlow;Ihopemore peoplerecognizehowtalentedheis. DiBonaventuralovestheideaofgoingagainsttypeincastingAnderson asthecomputerwhizkid.Everypreconceptionyouhaveaboutthecharacteris thrownoutthewindowwhenyoumeetGlenathisgrandmothershouse.Hes olderthanyouthinktheaverageteenagehackermightbe.Heslessnerdy.And hesthetotaloppositeofthehotguyyouimagineasMaggiesfriend.Hesjusta studyincontrasts.Anthonyisabsolutelyfresh. Andersondescribeshischaracterasacomputergeniusgeeknerdwhois accidentally pulled into the governments search for whatever is devouring all theirsecretsystemfilesanddocuments.
Maggie, my partner in crime, brings in Glen to help her decipher an electronic computer language that the Decepticons are speaking; she needs help,soshecomestothesmartguy,hesayscoyly. Glens nervous at first, explains Anderson, because hes got a little addiction problem with hacking into highly classified systems like the Pentagons,whichhesdonemorethanafewtimes.Hecanthelphimself,hes drawntoit;helovestheexcitement.Hesjustneverbeencaughtbefore.Butthis time,hereallydoesntwanttobeinthemixwithangryalienrobots. Despite his initial reluctance, Glen cannot help but be spellbound as he begins tapping into the aliens communications, breaking their code. Glen knows their innermost secrets, the actor says, but its frightening and disturbing.Imean,itsDefcon38.Talkaboutheightenedsecuritylevels;were atfuchsia,man! Andersons favorite Transformer is Megatron. I like the bad guys now,hesays.GrowingupIlikedOptimusPrimeandanotheronethatwasa biggunwithascopeonit.Iplayedwiththatguyuntilhebroke.

toberichandtexturedsothataudienceswouldfeellikesomebodycaredenough to create a backstory to enhance the viewing experience. Of course Michaels mandate was that the robots be cool while respecting the designs that came before. Wild though it may seem, Mann unearthed some rather lofty theories about the transforming robots during his research; one such notion even suggestedthatthetransformationshadabasisinmolecularnanoengineering. The logic is something along the lines of every cell of the robot is a machine in itself and the robots essentially regenerate themselves, he says, which doesnt make sense given that the robots are born, live in a society of otherrobotsandcanbedestroyed.ButIguessyoujusthavetosuspenddisbelief whenyouretryingtofigureoutthegenesisofaroboticraceofbeings,hesays, shrugginghisshoulders. Despite such fanciful theories, Mann says the filmmakers did attempt to adhere to some rules when it came to the transformation process. Our robots havethecapacitytofindavehicle,scanitandreplicatethatvehicle,heexplains. And each robot can only replicate into something equal to its own mass. For example, Jazz becomes a Pontiac Solstice whereas Optimus becomes a big truck. It was important to Michael that the robots transform into similar sized objects.Weevenhadevolutionarychartsforeachcharacter. In the cartoon, the robot shapes are essentially a series of linked boxes, softenedonthecornersandstackedoneontopofanotherwhentheytransform, Mann says. But the cartoon robots could also become anything in any given situation,whichwasabittooeasyandwouldhavefeltlikewewerecheatingif wedidthat.Inourversiontherobotshavelimitationsandcannotchangeform willynilly. Our Transformers are not endlessly malleable, theyre not gas;
they do not have magic powers. They are simply technology beyond our understanding. We assembled a team of about 25 artists to do conceptualized storyboards, to illustrate the updated look of the robot/cars. Each one had an expertise one guy was designing eyes, one guy did overall facial structure, another did the feet. It took months and months. Hasbro helped us, but they alsoletmedomything. WithOptimuswehadtomaketheearsbiggertogetmoreofasamurai look, he explains, but we would vet most of these changes through Transformersgeekstomakesurewewerentwayofftrackbecausetheyknow theloreandtheyknowwhycertainrobotslookacertainwayorhavetheability todocertainthings. Only two actual robots were fabricated for the film, Autobots Frenzy and Bumblebee. In ordertocreate ananimatedFrenzy,theart department didfacialstudiespayingcloseattentiontodetailsliketheeyesocketsandmouth movements in different expressions. Their 3D designs were furthered by prosthetics and puppet specialists at KNB who refined and built the 4foot tall Frenzymetalpuppet. Bumblebee was built by Academy Awardwinning special effects legendJohnFrazierandhisteamatFxperts.CreatedbyFraziersskilledartisans Bumblebee stands close to 17 feet high with a footprint of eight feet, 10 inches.Weighing in at solid 8,150 pounds, he is almost 13 feet wide and more than eightandahalf feet deep. When production began, it took several men most of the day to assemble the robot which was transported from location to location via flatbed truck. Since production wrapped, Fraziers team has modified their design to accommodate Bumblebees schedule of public

Although Jon Voight had visited the Dam before, both he and Turturro usedthedramaofthelocationtofueltheirperformances.Itslikeplayingwith mykids,explainsTurturro.Everythingaroundyouhelpscreatethatreality. The films dramatic final sequence was shot in sections on the Universal backlotandthen,overaperiodofsixweekends,onthedowntownstreetsofLos Angeles.Asifbymagic,theart,transportationandspecialeffectsdepartments woulddressseveralblockstolookasiftheydbeenthroughArmageddon.Week afterweek,theywouldcartinseeminglyendlessloadsofdebris,buildcratersin publicstreets,fashionsmoking,burnedoutpilesofrubble,overturnvehiclesand createruinasfarastheeyecouldsee,whileafascinatedpublicstoodgawkingat cordonedintersections. TRANSFORMERS was the first film permitted to shoot at the newly remodeled Griffith Park Observatory. The planetarium, which closed in early January2002foramajorrenovationthatwassupposedtohavetakenthreeyears, wasscheduledtoreopentothepubliclessthanamonthafterthefilmshotonthe grounds. Because they were behind schedule, officials were worried the film companywouldslowtheprocessevenfurther,butluckilytheconstructioncrews left just as the production moved in. Jones and the company owe a debt of gratitude to city councilman Tom LaBonge and certainly to Dr. E.C. Krupp, director of the observatory, for even entertaining the idea of filming at the landmark. Other locations used on the 83day shoot include the intersection of the 110and105freeways,theAdamsdistrict,oneoftheoldestneighborhoodsinLos Angeles where the Witwickys lived; a defunct power plant in Redondo Beach sets the scene for Sam and Mikaelas first major foray with the Decepticons; City Hall stands in for various areas at the Department of Defense; Bobby BoliviasusedcardealershipwaslocatedinPasadena;MaggiefindsGlenathis
grandmothershouseintheSanFernandoValley,andLongBeachsetsthestage for a robot/car chase sequence. A reduced crew also traveled to locations in Detroit,Washington,D.C.andAlaskatocompleteimportantscenes. Long Beach was my Waterloo, says Jones. That was the trickiest locationIveeverhadtoputtogether.Weshotliterallyatthecrossroadsofthe PortofLongBeach,thePortofLosAngeles,andtheCityofLongBeach,notto mention that we also dealt with the Union Pacific Railroad, the Burlington Northern, Pacific Harbor Lines and CalTrans. I think there were 17 different agenciesthatallhadasay.Weshotthereforthreenights,whichwillbe but a microsecond in the film. But at least it was an important scene where the Autobotsripoffthetopofan SUV torescueSamandMikaela,soatleastwe knewitwouldntenduponthecuttingroomfloor,helaughs.

Froma performancestandpoint,how does one deal with the mechanical filmstarsfacialexpressionsandmakethemmovebelievablythroughthefilms intenseactionsequences?Well,onewaywastogetintoMichaelBaysheadand find out who these characters are. Bay communicated his wishes by citing charactersorperformersfrompreviousmovieswhoembodiedcharacteristicshe wanted for his Transformers characters, then filtered their personas through hisvisionofwhattheoriginalcartoonandtheoriginalTransformersproperty dictated. According to Benza, Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future was the characterMichaelmodeledaroundBumblebee.LiamNeeson,inseveralofhis movieroles,wasagoodfitforustostartthinkingaboutOptimusPrime.And therewereafewotherexampleshegaveusthathethoughtwouldbeastarting pointinthedevelopmentofthecharacters. From that beginning, the animators job was to consider the laws of physicsmassandweightindetermininghowthecharacterswouldmove. Andthen,afterthat,tothrowoutthelawsofphysicsandmakethemmovethe way Michael Bay thought they should. In Bays vision these 50foottall behemothsmovedthroughspacewiththeagilityofmartialartsmastersagile warriorswhotravelinaveryfluid,elegantway.Baywasveryspecificthatthe robotshadtobelargewarriorswhowerentconstrainedbytheirsize. The animators discovered that the closer things got to the camera, the fastertheycouldmove,andwhentheygotfurtherout,wehadtoreallykindof slowthingsdownandkeepthemcontainedintoareasonableamountofspeedto helpselltheirweight,Benzasaid. The kind of realism that Bays team of technogeeks achieved would not havebeenpossibleasrecentlyasthreeyearsago,priortotheadventoftheultra highresolutionfunctionsthatarethehallmarkoftodays64bitsupercomputers. Hilmar Koch, ILMs TD Supervisor, worked on the effects and lighting of the
robots after principal photography was completed. His task was to make the actionlooksuperrealbyreplacingtheimagesinthecomputerwithdetailsthat werecreateddigitally. Michaelisveryfocusedontherealismofthescene,Kochsays.Alotof effort goes into rebuilding the scene in pretty much the identical way it was when Michael did his photography on set. We have a number of people from ILM who go to set where they take not only measurements but record everything that is important to us in the scene. And then they bring the data backtous.Fromthis,onethingwefoundoutaboutourTransformerswasthat theywerejustnotofahighenoughresolution.Sowetookthemfromwhatwas maybe500pixelsto8,000pixels16timeshigherinresolutionjusttobuildup theenvironments.Andthatwasanabsolutenecessityinordertogettherobots tolookthewaytheydointhemovie. Wereatastagenowwherewecanmimicreallifelightingwellenough and the computer offers us some additional controls on top of that, Koch continues.OrexactlythetypeofrealismthatMichaelcallspingsreflections of light sources in car panels or on little bits of chrome. We can just say, you knowwhat?Iwantahighlightrightthereanditsdone. The level of sophistication that Bays technical crews have achieved iridescent,lacquercoatedcarfinishes,colossalexplosionsceneswithrobotsthat do their thing in previously unrealizable settings such as sandstorms, big hulking machines that interact with humans as if both species had equally compelling personalities has set a new benchmark in what is possible in movies.Andthatcouldprovetobethefilmsmajordrawingcard. Peopleinthespecialeffectscommunityhavetakennotice,saysFarrar. Theyhavebeenveryflattering,sayingthatthisismaybeakintoanewlevelof advancementforthetypeofworkwedo,similartowhatJurassicParkwasin

1998 Hasbros TRANSFORMERS BEAST WARS line expands with the introduction of TRANSMETALS, figures depicting mechanical animals with chromepaintedfeatures.Someofthesefiguresfeaturethreeorfourconversion modes. 1999 The TRANSFORMERS BEAST WARS animated series evolves, introducing new characters and taking on the name TRANSFORMERS BEAST

MACHINES.

2000 TRANSFORMERS BEAST MACHINES figures are released by Hasbro, includingnewDINOBOTSandBEASTWARSfigureswithalternatecolorations. 2001 Hasbro reintroduces TRANSFORMERS as ROBOTS IN DISGUISE, returningtotheclassicconceptofrobotsthatchangeintocars,trucks,andother vehicles.TheTRANSFORMERS:ROBOTSINDISGUISEseriesdebuts.
2002 The TRANSFORMERS ARMADA animated series debuts. Hasbro also launchestheARMADAtoyline,featuringMINICONS,whichconnecttolarger figurestoenablenewfeatures.MINICONSwereabighitwithanewgeneration ofyoungfans. Hasbro reissues TRANSFORMERS GENERATION: 1 toys exclusively at ToysRUs.
2003 Hasbro introduces the firstever TRANSFORMERS UNICRON toy based on one of the most evil TRANSFORMERS characters ever! UNICRON is also votedoneofthetop12toysoftheyearbyToyWishes. TRANSFORMERS ALTERNATORS toy line is introduced, featuring authenticlookinglicensedvehiclesthatchangeintofamiliarcharacters.
TRANSFORMERS CELEBRATE ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY. From Hasbrosactionfigurestotheanimatedseries,comicbooks,andvideogames,a newgenerationofkidshavediscoveredthethrillsoftheTRANSFORMERSsaga. The TRANSFORMERS ENERGON theme is introduced, along with new TRANSFORMERS ALTERNATORS vehicles and new toys from the TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE line, a collection of the best TRANSFORMERS toysfromyearspast. Hasbro introduces a 20th Anniversary special version of the heroic OPTIMUSPRIMErobotasafanrequestedtributetotheoriginal1984toy. 2005 The TRANSFORMERS CYBERTRON line is introduced by Hasbro, featuring CYBER KEYS that unlock weapons and new features within each figure. Hasbro announces that together with DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures,theywillbringtheTRANSFORMERSsagatothebigscreen. New comic book licensee, IDW Publishing, relaunches a new line of TRANSFORMERScomics.
2006 Production begins on the live action feature film and the anticipation in thefancommunitybuildsexponentially. TheTRANSFORMERSCLASSICStoylineisreleasedbyHasbro,featuring a selection of favorite characters from Generation: 1 with new designs and re colorations. Characters in the line include MEGATRON, OPTIMUS PRIME, ASTROTRAINandBUMBLEBEE. The animated TRANSFORMERS movie (1986) is rereleased on a
commemorativeDVDfromSonyBMG.
2007 Hasbro unveils its new TRANSFORMERS toy line, based on the live actionmoviefromDreamWorksandParamountPictures,withthereleaseofall newactionfigures,gamesandroleplaytoys. TRANSFORMERStoysandmerchandisearesettogoonsaleJune2. Forthefirsttime ever, BotConwillbe held inProvidence,Rhode Island, nearHasbroshometown,onJune28throughJuly1.

Other credits include I, Robot, with Will Smith, HBOs Project Greenlight, The Battle of Shaker Heights and the hit action film Charlies Angels II: Full Throttle. In 2003, LaBeouf made his big screen debut starring oppositeSigourneyWeaverandJonVoightinthefamilyfilmHoles,basedon LouisSacharspopularnovel. Ontelevision,LaBeoufgarneredmuchpraisefromcriticseverywherefor his portrayal of Louis Stevens on the Disney Channels original series Even Stevens. In 2003, he earned a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding PerformerinaChildrensSeriesforhisworkonthehighlyratedfamilyshow. ALosAngelesnative,LaBeoufattendedtheMagnetSchoolofPerforming Arts at USC and began his career trying his hand at standup comedy in local neighborhoodcoffeehouses.HestillresidesinCaliforniawithhisfamily. TYRESE GIBSON (Technical Sergeant Epps, U.S. Air Force) began his singing career in 1998 after signing a record deal with RCA Records and completinghisfirstselftitleddebutalbum,whichwasnominatedforaGrammy andfeaturedthesmashhitSweetLady.TheyoungmanfromWattswascited astheAmericanMusicAwardsFavoriteNewArtist.Hehassincebranchedout intoasuccessfulcareerasamalemodel,afterattractingtheinterestofdesigner Tommy Hilfiger, who made him the face of his clothing line, one of the most successfulcampaignsinfashionindustryhistory.Themodelingcareerlaunched him into the world of television, where his visibility skyrocketed when he appeared on MTV Jams, a series he went on to host and transform into the musicchannelshighestratedshowtothattime. Shortlythereafter,2000Watts,hissophomorealbum,wasreleased.The hit Just a Baby Boy, with Snoop Dogg featuring Mr. Tan, appeared on the soundtrack of writerdirector John Singletons Baby Boy, which featured
Gibsonsdebutstarringrole.GibsonearnedhissecondGrammynominationfor his third album, I Wanna Go There (which included the hit How U Gonna Act Like That), the first release on his second label with Clive Davis and J Records.ThevideoforHowYouGonnaActLikeThatis,tothisday,inheavy rotationnotonlyhereintheU.S.,butalsoinnumerouscountriesallaroundthe world. Gibson then took his brand name to the next level when he signed with GUESS and became the first and only AfricanAmerican male model to land a multimilliondollarcontract. AftertouringwithsuchtalentsasBrianMcKnightandcohostingthe9th Annual Soul Train Awards, Gibson continued his acting success with starring roles in such films as 2 Fast 2 Furious, directed by John Singleton and co starringPaulWalker,Ludacris,ColeHauserandEvaMendez.Hehadamusical presenceon that soundtrack with Pick Up the Phone, featuring Ludacris and R.Kelly.In2004,GibsonstarredinFlightofthePhoenix,alongwithDennis Quaid, Hugh Laurie and Giovanni Ribisi. In 2005, he teamed up again with Singleton for Paramounts gritty revenge drama Four Brothers, which co starred Mark Wahlberg and Andre 3000. That same year he starred in TouchstonePicturesAnnapoliswithJamesFrancoandDonnieWahlberg. Gibson simultaneously launched music and film projects in 2006. His companyHeadquarterEntertainmentisamultimediaempirefeaturingafilm& TV production company, a music studio, a recording label and a talent managementfirmAonestopshop,asGibsondescribesit.Leadingtheway for Headquarters musical vision is the hot and much buzzed about The Frontline BoyZ, a team of music producers handpicked by Gibson. He also starredintheUniversalFocusfilmWaistDeep,asleekurbanthrillerdirected byVondieCurtisHallandfeaturingMeaganGoode,LarenzTateandTheGame.

NicoleKidman,JackBlackandJenniferJasonLeigh.Heiscurrentlyatworkon BarryLevinsonsWhatJustHappened?withBruceWillisandStanleyTucci. Forhisdirectorialdebut,Mac,TurturrowontheCameradOrfromthe Cannes Film Festival. He has directed two other films, Illuminata and Romance&Cigarettes.
AcademyAwardwinnerandfourtimeOscarnomineeJONVOIGHT (Defense Secretary John Keller), will always be remembered for his role in the 1969 classic Midnight Cowboy, which brought him his first Oscar nomination,andforhisAcademyAwardwinningportrayalofLukeMartinin Coming Home. In the nearly 40year span of his career, Voight has proven himselfasbothleadingmanandasoneoftheindustrysmostversatilecharacter actors. Busier than ever, Voight was recently seen in Chris Kanes September DawnwithLolitaDavidovich,andappearsintheupcomingPrideandGlory oppositeEdwardNortonandColinFarrell,aswellasthesecondinstallmentof National Treasure with Nicholas Cage. Later this summer he will begin shooting The Uninvited for his own production company, Crystal Sky Worldwide. VoightwasrecentlyseenonthebigscreenasthelegendarycoachAdolph Rupp in Jerry Bruckheimer Films hit drama Glory Road, as well as in the companys highly successful National Treasure, directed by Jon Turteltaub. HewasfeaturedinPearlHarborandLaraCroft:TombRaider(starringhis daughter, Angelina Jolie), and has starred in Mission: Impossible, Varsity Blues,EnemyoftheStateandAnaconda.Otherfeaturefilmcreditsinclude Francis Ford Coppolas The Rainmaker, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, The General, Deliverance, Runaway Train, which
earnedhimathirdAcademyAwardnominationandaGoldenGlobeforBest Performance by an Actor, The Odessa File and The Champ, for which he receivedyetanotherGoldenGlobenomination.HisfourthOscarnomination wasforBestSupportingActorinAli,oppositeWillSmith. Voightmade his Broadway debut in The Sound of Music. In 1966, he starred opposite Robert Duvall in the acclaimed revival of Arthur Millers A ViewfromtheBridge.HelaterstarredinAStreetcarNamedDesireatL.A.s AhmansonTheatre. On television, Voight received unanimous critical accolades for his portrayalofthelatePopeinCBSsPopeJohnPaulII,forwhichhereceivedan Emmy nomination, and starred in Hallmarks celebrated The Five People You Meet in Heaven. He costarred in NBCs Uprising, the true story of the Warsawghetto,andinJack&TheBeanstalk:TheRealStory,aminiseriesfor CBS. Voight has also starred in Chernobyl: The Final Warning, The Last of HisTribe,whichearnedhimaCableAceAward,andtheminiseriesReturnto LonesomeDove. He made his directorial debut with the Showtime cable movie The Tin Soldier, which won several awards internationally, including Best Childrens FilmattheBerlinFilmFestival. VoightisahumanitarianwhohasbeenanadvocateforAmericanIndian rightsandhasworkedonbehalfofVietnamveterans.Heiscurrentlyactiveina continuing effort to airlift children from the contaminated areas of Chernobyl, andsupportsnumerouscharitiesofallracesandreligions.

JULIE WHITE (Judy Witwicky) began her professional career in New York appearing in such offBroadway plays as Lucky Stiff, The Stick Wife, JustSayNo,TheFamilyofMannandastarringroleinSpikeHeels,with
Kevin Bacon and Tony Goldwyn. On Broadway, she won accolades for her performance in Wendy Wassersteins The Heidi Chronicles, for which she reprisedherroleintheTNTmoviestarringJamieLeeCurtis.Inrecentyears,she originated the role of Beth in Donald Margulis Pulitzer Prizewinning Dinner withFriendsandwasincludedintheNewYorkTimesTopTenoftheYearfor her work in Theresa Rebecks Bad Dates and Daniel Sterns Barbras Wedding. White recently ended a 16week engagement on Broadway in Douglas Carter Beanes The Little Dog Laughed, playing the conniving HollywoodpowerbrokerDiane,arolesheoriginatedatSecondStage.Forher outstanding work, she not only won an Obie Award but has also been nominated for a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award,aDramaLeagueAwardandaLucilleLortelAward. OnfilmWhitewaslastseeninTheAstronautFarmer,starringBillyBob Thornton. Her other movies include War of the Worlds, Slap HerShes French,SayItIsntSoandWhatWomenWant. On the small screen Whites recurring roles include Dr. Anne Morella in Law&Order:SpecialVictimsUnit,MitziDaltonHuntleyinSixFeetUnder andasseriesregularNadineSwobodainGraceUnderFire.Shehasalsomade manyguestappearancesonsuchshowsasStrongMedicine,JAG,Touched by an Angel, Arli$$ and Law & Order. She will next be seen in Tony GilroysMichaelClayton,starringGeorgeClooney,andTheNannyDiaries, starringLauraLinneyandScarlettJohansson. BorninSanDiego,WhiteattendedFordhamUniversity.
AMAURY NOLASCO (ACWO Jorge Fig Figueroa) exudes talent, charm and humor in each character he portrays, which is quickly establishing himasoneofthemostsoughtafteractorsinHollywood.Nolascocurrentlyco
starsinthehitFOXTVseriesPrisonBreak,whichwasnominatedforaGolden GlobeforBestTelevisionSeriesDrama.Hischaracter,Sucre,isaninmatewho learnsofanelaborateplantobreakoutofahighsecurityprisonandinsistson joiningin. AnativeofPuertoRico,Nolascowasbusyasafulltimestudentstudying biology at the University of Puerto Rico. Initially, he was looking to get his degreeinmedicine,butasfatewouldhaveit,hewasapproachedbyadirector andimmediatelycastinhisfirsttelevisioncommercial.Afterseveralactinggigs, NolascomovedtoNewYork,wherehetrainedattheAmericanBritishDramatic Arts School. Classically trained in Shakespearean drama, the young actor focusedondialecttechnique,characterworkandstagepresence. Shortly thereafter, Nolasco began gueststarring on various hit television shows, such as Arli$$, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and ER. He receivedhisfirstsupportingactorroleinastudiofilmasOrangeJuliusinthehit sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious. He went on to costar opposite Bernie Mac in Mr. 3000andinthehitcomedyTheBenchwarmers. Nolasco continues to gueststar on hit television shows such as George Lopez,EveandCSI:NY. When not on location in Chicago, Nolasco resides in Los Angeles and enjoysgolfandtennis.

AboutTheVoiceCast

Goldenthroated PETER CULLEN (Optimus Prime) is known throughouttheworldnotonlyasthevoiceofthewiseandheroicleaderofthe Autobots, Optimus Prime, on the popular 1980s cartoon series The Transformers, but he was also the voice of various other robots including Ironhide,Slugslinger,Streetwise,WingspanandNightstick.In1986,he reprised the voices Optimus and Ironhide in the animated film, The Transformers:TheMovie. CullenalsolendshistalentstothesomberbutsincerevoiceofEeyore,the eternally pessimistic donkey who views the world through morosecolored glasses, inDisneys WinniethePoohmovies: WonderfulWorldAdventure, Poohs Heffalump Movie, Springtime with Roo, Piglets Big Movie and TheTiggerMovie.Cullen,whoironicallyownshisowndonkey,isheardon everything from cartoons and television commercials to theatrical promotions. HehaslongprovidedthevoiceofEeyore,beginningwiththepopularTVseries TheNewAdventuresofWinniethePoohin1988totheHouseofMousein 2002.Inaddition,heisfeaturedonDisneysDuckTalesandplaysMonterey JackonChipnDale:RescueRangers. Earlierinthe80s,CullenwasthevoiceofK.A.R.R.,theevilincarnationof K.I.T.T.,thetalkingPontiacTransAm,intheDavidHasselhoffseriesKnight Rider.HewasalsothevoiceofMantusinThePiratesofDarkWater,Hgar inHgartheHorrible,CindarrinVisionaries:KnightsoftheMagicalLight, Venger in Dungeons and Dragons and the narrator in the Voltron series. OthertelevisioncreditsincludeJohnnyQuest,SpiderMan,G.I.Joe,My Little Pony, Friends,Rainbow Brite, Scooby and ScrappyDoo and The Jetsons. His film credits include the remake of King Kong, as the voice of the famous giant ape, and in the Predator films he provided the inhuman alien
soundsforthetitlerole.CullensvoicecanalsobeheardinMyLittlePony:The Movie,Heathcliff:TheMovieandGremlins. TheactorhasgueststarredonTheSonny&CherComedyHour,The BobbieGentryShowandtheHudsonBrothersRazzleDazzleShow,andwas an announcer on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Cullen also made appearancesonJonathanWintersandRichardPryorspecials. BorninMontreal,Qubec,Cullenisamemberofthefirstgraduatingclass oftheNationalTheatreSchoolofCanadaandspenthisearlyprofessionalyears asaradioannouncer.HissonisastuntmaninHollywood.
Australian actor HUGO WEAVING (Megatron) has starred in two of thebiggesttrilogiesinfilmhistory,playingElfleaderElrondintheLordofthe RingsfilmsandAgentSmithintheMatrixfilms.Heworkedagainwiththe Wachowski Brothers in V for Vendetta, opposite Natalie Portman, and most recentlyinPeterHimmelsteinsTheKeyMan. WeavingistherecipientoftwoAFI(AustralianFilmInstitute)BestActor Awards, receiving the first in 1991 for his portrayal of a blind photographer in JocelynMoorhousesbreakthroughfeatureProof.Hereceivedanominationin the same category in 1994 for his drag queen Mitzi Del Bra in Stephan Elliotts The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Weaving won the same award for the second time in 1998 for his role in The Interview, written and directed by Craig Monahan, for which he also received the 1998 Best Actor AwardattheWorldFilmFestivalinMontreal.HealsoworkedwithMonahan onthe2005releasePeaches.Hismostrecentcreditisthecriticallyacclaimed LittleFish,oppositeSamNeillandCateBlanchett.

Stephen Ambrose, the factbased World War II project won both Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for Best Miniseries. Also an Emmy winner for Best Miniseries was 2002s Taken, which Spielberg executive produced for DreamWorks Television and The SciFi Channel. In 2005, Spielberg and DreamWorks Television partnered with TNT to executive produce the 12hour limitedseriesIntotheWestwhichfollowedtwomultigenerationalAmerican and Native American families with each telling the dramatic stories of the developmentoftheWestfromtheirdistinctpointsofview.CominginMay2007 is On the Lot, an unscripted series which will allow aspiring director/filmmakerstovieforastudiodevelopmentdealatDreamWorks.On theLotisproducedbyMarkBurnettProductions,DreamWorksTelevisionand Amblin Television. The reality series, which will air on Fox, was created by SpielbergandMarkBurnett,whowillalsoserveasexecutiveproducers. Spielberghasalsodevotedhistimeandresourcestomanyphilanthropic causes. The impact of his experience making Schindlers List, led him to establish the Righteous Persons Foundation using all his profits from the film. He also founded Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which has recordedmorethan52,000Holocaustsurvivortestimonies.Spielbergexecutive produced The Last Days, the Shoah Foundations third documentary, which won the Academy Award in 1999 for Best Documentary Feature. In 2005, the Foundations repository of testimonies were transferred to the University of Southern California. The new USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education will be dedicated to research and scholarship in the humanitiesandsocialsciences.Inaddition,Spielbergisthechairmanemeritus oftheStarlightStarbrightChildrensFoundation,whichcombinestheeffortsof pediatric health care, technology and entertainment to empower seriously ill children.
BRIAN GOLDNER (Executive Producer), a toy industry veteran, is Hasbro,Inc.sChiefOperatingOfficer,apositionhehasheldsinceearly2006. Before being named COO, Goldner led Hasbros U.S. Toy Division as President with responsibility for such wellknown brands as Transformers, G.I. Joe,LittlestPetShop,Nerf,SuperSoaker,Playskooland MyLittlePony. He is creditedwithreignitinganddrivingeffortsforthecompanyscorebrands. Goldner,whojoinedHasbroin2000,alsoledtheefforttorepositionTiger Electronics to focus on the development of electronics specifically for tweens. Under his leadership, Hasbro launched the popular Furreal Friends line and, mostrecently,theIDoglineandToothTunes. In addition, Goldner oversaw Hasbros acquisition of a Marvel license, giving Hasbro the rights to produce toys and games for several Marvel properties,includingColumbiaPicturesSpiderMan3and20thCenturyFoxs FantasticFour:RiseoftheSilverSurfer. Prior to joining Hasbro, Goldner served in management roles at Bandai America,J.WalterThompson,LoweandPartnersandLeoBurnettAdvertising. HeisagraduateofDartmouthCollegeandtheExecutiveEducationProgramat theAmosTuckSchool.

MARK VAHRADIAN (Executive Producer) was born in Mission Viejo, California. He is a graduate of Duke University and the UCLA School of Law. HespenteightyearsasafilmexecutiveattheWaltDisneyCompanyandthree yearsaspresidentofJerryWeintraubProductions,andiscurrentlyPresidentof production for di Bonaventura Pictures. He has worked on such films as Annapolis, Flight Plan, Miracle, Remember the Titans, Gone in 60 Seconds,ConAir,EnemyoftheStateandtheupcomingNancyDrew.
MITCHELL AMUNDSEN (Director of Photography) has worked for directorMichaelBayconsistentlysincehisdebutfilmTheRockin1996. Amundsen was the cinematographer on Luc Bessons Transporter II, starringJasonStathamandAlessandroGassman, andmostrecentlyworked on MartinScorsesesdocumentaryontheRollingStones,ShineaLight,asoneofa select group of top cinematographers asked to shoot concert footage of the bands A Bigger Bang tour. The distinguished group of photographers includedStuartDryburgh,RobertElswit,TonyC.Jannelli,EllenKuras,Andrew Lesnie, Emmanuel Lubezki, Albert Maysles, Anastas N. Michos, Declan Quinn andRobertRichardson. Hehasworkedasoneoftheleadingcameraoperatorsinmotionpictures, television,commercialsandvideosforover15years.Someofhiscreditsinclude asthedirectorofphotographyforsecondunitincludeMission:ImpossibleIII, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Island, National Treasure, The Bourne Supremacy,Seabiscuit,BadBoysII,PearlHarborandEdtv,tonamea few. HeiscurrentlyinCzechRepublicatworkonWanted,starringMorgan Freeman,AngelinaJolieandJamesMcAvoy,forUniversalPictures. From his debut on the hit film Gone in 60 Seconds, JEFF MANN (Production Designer) has created the look of one hit film after another. His visual aesthetic can be seen in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Swordfish. He is currently collaborating with director Ben StilleronDreamWorksTropicThunder,starringStiller,JackBlackandRobert DowneyJr.,scheduledtogobeforecameraslaterthissummer.
MannwasborninSanDiego,California.Asayoungmanhisfamilyand friendsencouragedhimtodevelophisartistictalents.Instead,hesetoutupona seriesofvariedandoffbeatexperiencesthathavegivenhimauniqueperception oftheworld.Bondshedevelopedintheartandmusicsceneledtoworkingin the art department on music videos, which quickly segued into work on television commercials. His natural artistic ability and acquired skills, together withastrongworkethic,helpedtocatapulthimthroughtheranks.Hequickly advancedtoartdirectorand,by1995,Mannwasbusyworkingasoneofthetop commercialproductiondesignersintheindustry. His resume of commercials includes many awardwinning ads for such diverse directors as Michael Bay, Antoine Fuqua, Dominic Sena, Lance Acord, Jonathan Glazer and the late Herb Ritts, to name a few. Manns client roster includesKodak,AmericanExpress,Nike,Chevrolet,CocaColaandmanymore. MannlivesinSouthPasadenawithhisdaughterandwife,whoisalsoan artist.