'Transformers 4' Set 4 Years After 'Dark Of The Moon,' Michael Bay Responds To Shia LaBeouf's Comments About The Series

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by Kevin Jagernauth
November 12, 2012 10:18 AM
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With Michael Bay confirming last week that he bagged his "Pain And Gain" star Mark Wahlberg for "Transfomers 4: Hasbro Christmas," what is the first press outlet he talks to? Uh, TMZ. That's right, the blockbuster director was shoehorned between stories about Don Lemon's lame Twitter feud with Jonah Hill and allegations against Cee-Lo Green to talk about his next movie, and revealed a small bit about where the next installment will go and what he thinks of his former leading man, Shia LaBeouf.

First off, before fans worry about continuity, Bay assures that a narrative thread will carry over from "Transformers: The Dark Of The Moon." "The movie is going to continue four years from the attack on Chicago, which was in the last movie. It's going to have the same lineage, but it's going in a full new direction. It actually feels very natural how it's going in that direction...," he explained. "We're doing a lot of things that are really going to make it fresh and feel new."

He notes that "We're in the inception part of the story," and of course declined to give any further details, but it looks like Sam Witwicky will be a distant memory. But what about the young actor who has been very vocal about leaving the franchise? (In June 2011 LaBeouf said, "I've learned a great deal about a certain type of filmmaking. But I have ambitions toward another type of filmmaking that I haven't been allowed to engage in yet.") Well, Bay wishes nothing for him but the best and understands the pressures that must have been on him.

"Fame is very hard on young people. I kinda helped raise Shia for three movies, and it's really tough. Fame is a very rough thing and Shia's a great, great guy and a great actor, and I have nothing but respect for Shia," he declared. And if you think Bay is pouring it on a little thick, LaBeouf had actually pretty much said the exact the same thing more than a year ago: "I was seventeen when I met Michael, and I'm sort of Michael Bay-raised. I've learned a great deal from Michael, as a person, as an actor, as a person on set. And it's not that I don't enjoy working with Michael. I love working with Michael. I would do any movie Michael wants to do. I just don't think there's anywhere to take it with Sam."

"What he's saying is, he wants to be taken seriously. And sometimes when you're in a blockbuster, people don't take you seriously, I think that's what he's saying. He's going through his more smaller movie stage," Bay continued.

So pretty wise and gracious words from the director. "Transformers 4: Brought To You By Mountain Dew Xtreme" opens on July 4, 2014. [via JoBlo]

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taylor | December 16, 2012 9:10 PMReply

war for cybertron, fall of cbertron and rise of the dino bots or rise of unicron????????? maybe go back and do a prequal trilogy and stop messing up the storyline . oh and stop making the focus on humans and focus whats on the title of the movie,transformers!!!!!!!!! mr.bay please stop raping my childhood
taylor | December 16, 2012 9:09 PMReply

war for cybertron, fall of cbertron and rise of the dino bots or rise of unicron????????? maybe go back and do a prequal trilogy and stop messing up the storyline . oh and stop making the focus on humans and focus whats on the title of the movie,transformers!!!!!!!!! mr.bay please stop raping my childhood
Elvis Wilson | December 7, 2012 10:04 AMReply

My big beef with this whole series is that it's not something I can take my kid to see. Shia and others are credible actors, I personally enjoyed the awesome spectacle of effects, but I don't want my kid hearing rapping robots call each other pus$y. Or, have him hear a rampaging overprotective mother high on pot brownies talking about her son's virginity. I'm no prude, but damn Michael Bay, make up your mind. Is this a movie that kids can watch or not? So who am I to question a billion dollar series like this? Just a dad who doesn't want his kid to grow up too fast and have the "Star Wars" moments I had as a kid...and with just a few tweeks to the script...this billion dollar franchise could be worth twice that amount. Ahhhh....no one's listening to me....
Robert E. Holley (@ROBatGraveShift) | November 29, 2012 9:33 AMReply

Oh so no one's going to acknowledge "Transformers 4: Hasboro Christmas" or "Transformers 4: Brought To You By Mountain Dew Xtreme"?... Oh okay. Lmfao!
cnashford2 | November 20, 2012 10:11 PMReply

I think this article made both Mr. Bay & Mr. Labeouf sound very mature & polite. Good job on keeping it classy b/c other articles made it seem as though Labeouf had said horrible things & Bay was arrogant.
Teo | November 20, 2012 9:37 AMReply

I agree with John Michaels. It wasn't dickish at all. Shia IS doing the slammer (budgeted), Oscar hopeful type films. And, seeing Lawless reminded me what a truly good actor he really is. Shia did the right thing by being more worried about his acting career than cash-grabbing one .
Bay is a dick | November 12, 2012 10:57 AMReply

"He's going through his more smaller movie stage." God, what a dick.
Moni | November 12, 2012 1:39 PM

I thought it was dickish myself.

It's funny that both Shia and Megan Fox profited from these movies but came out saying they've ruined their careers, in not being able to get serious work.
Aaron Lee Scott | November 12, 2012 1:37 PM

After doing Transformers which is considered big because it generated millions and had tons of explosions and special effects then a smaller movie without those but core acting is well considered small so I don't see it as a dick move but you probably seen it as him saying it with ego.
John Michaels | November 12, 2012 12:14 PM

How is that "dickish?" That's exactly what Shia is doing right now, LAWLESS, THE COMPANY YOU KEEP, THE NECESSARY DEATH OF CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN, and NYMPHOMANIAC.

The Internet...keeping hate alive.