Last Tuesday saw a joint announcement made by Universal Parks, Hasbro, and Dreamworks detailing plans for a new Transformers ride at Universal Studios. The ride, based loosely on the Transformers movie released in 2007, will be a mixture of 3D special effects and robotics and is being designed to take theme park rides massively forward.
Steven Spielberg, executive producer on the movie was involved in the decision to bring Transformers to life, but it seems no-one consulted director Michael Bay, despite what the press release may have inferred about him giving his blessing. Bay posted on his website:
“They had me in a press release saying I supported it, but Universal has a long way to go in my mind,”
“I don’t support it, I’m not involved, [I'm] not sure the story of the ride works, and I know Optimus [Prime] is not going to just show up to be directed by some new people that have never worked with him. I hate when people bulls**t a quote from me that I never said.”
Wow, that’s a protective father right there. But I can sort of see his point. Bay brought the Transformers to the big screen from the decades of obscurity they had endured, and he did a truly blinding job with the film. Now he’s seeing the property he built being turned in to a ride. That’s got to smart, especially if you aren’t consulted at all.
The Transformers ride will be first unveiled at Universal Studios Singapore in 2011 before also opening at Universal Studios Hollywood later that same year. Bay is currently working on the sequel to his 2007 hit, with Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen due to be released in June, 2009.
