Blu-Ray Deal of the Day: Michael Bay's 'Transformers' Trilogy for $18.99

Before Michael Bay and Mark Wahlberg blow up the summer with Transformers: Age of Extinction, go back to a time when Bay only had Shia LaBeouf and an army of supermodels to work with. For today only you can get the entire Transformers trilogy on Blu-Ray for only $18.99, a whopping 67% off the regular price. That's a an amazing deal that offers you plenty of Megan Fox leaning seductively over car hoods before rescuing that wimpy LaBeouf, plus lots of stuff exploding inexplicably in true Bay fashion. There's nothing "more than meets the eye" about Bay's Transformers flicks; they are the ultimate in popcorn entertainment and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. The set comes with a ton of special features, including a commentary from Bay himself.

Pick up your copy of the Transformers trilogy here, and thanks for continuing to support Punch Drunk Critics!

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Optimus Prime's Facebook "Look Back" Video is Pretty Cool

By now you're probably sick to death of all the embarrassing Facebook "Look Back" videos everyone has been posting, since they only seem to highlight the stuff better left forgotten. Do you really want everyone to get another look at your 2007 hairdo? Probably not. But there are ways to have fun with this silly stroll down memory lane, and Paramount Pictures has done that by giving Autobot leader Optimus Prime his own video.

Apparently, Optimus joined Facebook in 2007, the same year as Michael Bay's first Transformers film, and the rest of the video is a nostalgic walk through the franchise's production, all the way up to this summer's Transformers: Age of Extinction. Be sure to read all of the captions, and look out for a clever touch at the end.

Post by Transformers.

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Michael Bay's 'Transformers 4' will be his last; will feature totally new cast

There may have been some doubts whether or not Michael Bay would return for a fourth film in his box office shattering Transformers franchise, but there wasn't any doubt where Paramount stood on it. They were going to keep the cash cow going one way or another, but they never let Bay get too far out of reach. In fact, they dangled Transformers 4 in front of him when it came time to start talking about his passion project, the small budget crime comedy, Pain and Gain.

Since he was confirmed to return back in February, we haven't heard much of anything except for a random comment from co-star Josh Duhamel, which I'll get to in a moment. Now as Bay talked up the new Transformers: The Ride opening at Disney's California Adventure, he revealed a few details to Hero Complex.

He says that the next film, which has been set to release in June 2014, will definitely be his last. Of course he said the same thing before and after Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and was still convinced to come back. He sounds a little more serious this time, though, as he says the film will set things up for "the next guy", whoever that may be. I'm sure Peter Berg is getting his resume ready as we speak.

As for who will star in it? Shia Labeouf is out, that much is for certain. Bay revealed that an entirely new cast will take over, and even the Transformers themselves will be redesigned. This confirms what Duhamel said a few months ago when he said nobody would be coming back and that Paramount would keep making Transformers movies "as long as they can". Looks like he knew what he was talking about. 

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Josh Duhamel says none of the cast is returning for 'Transformers 4'

When it was finally announced that Michael Bay would be returning to lead a fourth Transformers film, we pretty much already knew one guy who wouldn't be coming back. You can all but write off series star, Shia Labeouf, apparently tired of being the least masculine human in every movie, even when paired up with a Victoria's Secret model. While his departure leaves a skinny little void, what about all those military guys like Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel, or the bitchy government folk like Frances McDormand and John Turturro?

E! caught up with Duhamel and asked him about who might be returning for the film, and according to him it sounds like Bay and Paramount may have to start totally from scratch...

Duhamel: "I don't think anybody's doing it. I know Shia [LaBeouf]'s not doing it. I don't think Tyrese or Rosie [Huntington-Whiteley] or anybody else is doing it. Whenever these movies make that much money they're going to make as many as they can. [But] I haven't heard anything about it."

Now take this with a grain of salt. First of all, they caught up with him at a party so maybe he had already tossed a few back by then. Also, he seems to be speaking off the cuff here. While it's unlikely that Huntingon-Whiteley would return without Labeouf, Tyrese certainly could without Duhamel having to be involved. The same goes for other members of the cast. Basically, it doesn't sound as if he has any inside information, and he kinda sounds a little bitter. 

The only one Bay really needs to bring back is Optimus Prime. And maybe Bumblebee. If the plan is to follow the G.I. Joe: Retaliation model, carrying over a few loose plot threads and characters while presenting a whole new story, then it's unlikely we'll see any of the human cast return. 

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Boom!!! Michael Bay confirmed for Transformers 4; June 29th 2014 release date set

Why even bother playing coy? Just a few hours ago, producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura revealed that Paramount was expecting a fourth Transformers movie to hit theaters in the summer of 2014, but when asked about Michael Bay possibly returning, he kept his answer close to the vest. Now, on his official site, Bay has put any and all questions to rest....

Bay: "I have just concluded a deal with Paramount to do two movies, but it won't be two 'Transformers.' I will first do 'Pain & Gain' with Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Then I will do the next Transformers for release on June 29, 2014."

I kinda feel the same way about Bay returning to Transformers as I did Peter Jackson taking on The Hobbit. It'd be really cool to see what somebody else could do with it, perhaps freshen it up with a new look. We know Bay will bring the boom, and after recharging his batteries for awhile, he'll probably be looking to make this one bigger and louder than ever.

Di Bonaventura stated that the plan is to use a G.I. Joe: Retaliation model, which he calls a reboot but is really a soft continuation of the series. There will be continuity still in effect, but it'll be a mostly new cast, especially with Shia Labeouf having moved on. Expect to see a whole new squad of Autobots and Decepticons, although you can count on staples like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.

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*UPDATE* Michael Bay in final talks to direct fourth Transformers film

* Update*
Michael Bay left the following message on his official site. Sounds like nothing's as far along as we were led to believe....

Bay: "Right now I'm not decided on Transformers 4

Studio's are passing rumors but I'm not sure what I'm doing? I know I'm going to do Pain and Gain early spring but that's it for right now. I'm leaving all my options on the table. I've got several Studio meetings in the next two weeks."

Below is the original story from last night....

Michael Bay just can't quit the Autobots. After three mega successful, mega loud Transformers flicks, the director known for substituting human emotions and character development with a really good explosion decided to take a break and do something smaller. He started working on Pain and Gain, an indie crime flick(described as Fargo-esque) he's been building long before the Transformers entered his life, and pretty much bid a fond farewell to giant, city destroying robots.

Yeah right.

Vulture reports that Bay has entered talks with Paramount to direct a fourth film in the franchise, and if that sounds suspicious....well, there's a good reason for that. Apparently, Paramount is playing a bit of smashmouth football, essentially dangling Pain and Gain in front of him like a carrot. He either makes Transformers 4, or he can't complete his little indie experiment.  Bay has been planning this for a long time, but he's not officially signed to direct anything. A deal is said to be close to finalizing, and when that happens he would get started almost immediately on Pain and Gain. Yesterday news broke that Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson are the chief candidates to star in the film about a pair of dopey bodybuilders who get involved with a kidnapping scheme that goes awry.

So what would a fourth Transformers film entail? Reports are it won't be a prequel, but will explore older characters and go deeper into Transformers lore. If that's the route they're taking, it sounds like the plan is to appeal more to the hardcore fan, which for a guy like me with Transformers action figures littering his room sounds pretty awesome. One thing is for certain and it's that we won't be seeing Shia Labeouf return to be the only action hero less imposing than his female co-stars.

It's kindof dickish for Paramount to do this, because Bay has earned them a buttload of money and should be allowed to make whatever film he wants. We'll see how this whole thing shakes out, but if the deal goes through Bay could begin production on Transformers 4 as early as next winter.

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Jason Statham addresses the Transformers rumors

If you were looking to take the Transformers franchise in a totally different direction, what better way than to replace that wussy squeaky voiced Shia Labeouf with the tough as nails dude from The Transporter, Jason Statham? Rumors about Statham possibly coming aboard have been floated around for months, but really picked up steam in the last couple of days with reports that Michael Bay, Hasbro, and Paramount were in active talks regarding the next two movies. But what does Statham actually think about any of this? MTV goes directly to the source to find out....

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Ha ha ha! Michael Bay's a "very talented man". I never knew Statham had that level of acting in him. Anyway, he didn't exactly deny anything, just fed us some nonsense about how shady the internet is. Glad we have Statham around to clue us in to stuff like that.

So his non-denial leads me to believe there is something going on behind the scenes, but it's likely very early. And with Bay recently saying he's not talking to Paramount about anymore Transformers movies, who knows where this will end up?

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Michael Bay says he's not talking about Transformers 4 & 5? What's going on?

The last two days have seen the internet blow up with news that Hasbro was in "active" talks with Michael Bay about returning to helm the next two installments of the Transformers franchise. Along with rumors of Jason Statham taking over the lead, both films could be shot back-to-back, with production to kick off as soon as late 2012. Well...Michael Bay says that's all a bunch of hokum. From his official site...

I am currently not talking to Paramount on T4 and T5 despite reports. I'm looking at a lot of possibilities coming my way right now weighing options. Most likely going to be doing the low budget Pain and Gain, a true story crime thriller. It's a very quick shoot and quite funny. Also just finishing the 3 disc set of the Transformer trilogy.

Michael

Before you get too excited, this could all just be a negotiating ploy by Bay, either for more loot or more time to complete Pain and Gain, which he's been wanting to get done for awhile now. I'm bettting that in the end Bay will return, because it's just too perfect of a gig to pass up. And shooting both films back-to-back should speed up the process, allowing him to pursue these other "possibilities" he's currently weighing.

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Jason Statham to take over the Transformers lead? Next two films could shoot back-to-back

I don't think anybody was surprised yesterday when Hasbro revealed that discussions were already underway with Michael Bay to helm a possible fourth film in the Transformers franchise. There's too much money on the table, and when the last film earns over $1B nobody's going to walk away from that. Well clearly there's more than just "active discussions" taking place, because details are dropping pretty fast.

Variety reports that Paramount is considering shooting not only Transformers 4, but also a fifth film in the series. The idea would be to film them back-to-back, with screenwriter Ehren Kruger having come up with a storyline that works for the studio. Writers are being sought for the job, but this is an excellent cost saving manuever we've seen used effectively before, such as with the last two Matrix flicks.

The biggest info comes on the casting front. We know that Shia Labeouf doesn't intend to return(I wouldn't be so sure of that), and one name that's being floated out there is Jason Statham to take over. No offer has been made, but adding him as the lead would instantly take the franchise in a wildly different direction, with a more active human participant in the fight. I'm totally diggin' that idea, so let's hope it happens.

Michael Bay will be a part of the production as an exec-producer alongside Steven Spielberg, but he also has some interest in returning as a director. It'll likely depend on the schedule, as Bay wants to complete his crime flick set in the bodybuilding world, Pain & Gain. If he wraps that up fairly quick, Transformers could kick off in late 2012 or 2013. 

Told you it wasn't over. We're gonna be seeing Transformers movies for a long time, so might as well strap in and enjoy the ride.

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You thought it was over? Michael Bay in "active" talks with Hasbro for fourth Transformers film

Did you really think Michael Bay would slip quietly into the world of small movies and Indie Spirit Awards? Get real. Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the fourth highest grossing movie of all-time at over $1.1B. Yeah, that's with a 'B'. And even though he, and various members of the cast, have said they were finished with the Autobot/Decpticon war, money always gets the last word.

THR reports that Habro Prez and CEO Brian Goldner revealed in a conference call that the toy company is in "active discussions" with Bay, exec-producer Steven Spielberg, and Paramount about a fourth film n the franchise. The hope is to have more info in the next quarter.

Bay is currently at work on his low budget(for him anyway) crime flick, Pain and Gain, something he's been wanting to tackle for a long time.

Hasbro also noted that they're still in the process of building their brand as a movie making entity. Goldner noted that reports of the death of board game adaptation, Ouija, are false. The film's budget has simply been reworked to make it viable. The company has Battleship due out next year, and is still working on the Stretch Armstrong(with Taylor Lautner) and Candyland flicks. Scripts for Micronauts(with JJ Abrams), Clue, Monopoly, and Risk are also underway.

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A second Transformers trilogy on the way?

I'm not convinced we've seen the last of the Transformers. Is anybody?  Michael Bay may be off to indie film land(so he says), and Shia Labeouf sounds like he's had enough playing 3rd fiddle to talentless hot chicks and green screened robots. But do you honestly think Paramount is going to let their $2B franchise just vanish into thin air? Forget it.

Speculation has been that without Bay, the likely plan would be to reboot the whole thing. Start from scratch. Seems logical. Besides, would you really want to see all that deep, rich, meticulously crafted Transformers history(*snicker*) go down the tubes? According to producer Don Murphy, a reboot doesn't appear to be in the cards at all...

Murphy: What happens next? Certainly not a reboot. We haven’t lost the Transformers. They didn’t grow up or become expensive like Toby Maguire. I don’t know what happens next. I’m pretty sure there will be a second trilogy. I am pretty sure it will kick ass. And I am pretty sure some of you will hate it because it wasn’t all bots.

Dude, what's with that jab at Tobey? He never hurt nobody! That quote comes courtesy of his message board(via Slashfilm), and it doesn't sound all that concrete. It might just be wishful thinking, or what he would do if the decision were solely up to him(it's not). All I know for sure is that we will see more of the Autobots and Decepticons slugging it out for many years to come. 

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Leonard Nimoy to voice Sentinel Prime in Transformers: Dark of the Moon

You might be surprised to learn that Leonard Nimoy has something of a past with the Transformers. Back in 1986, ol' Spock was the screeching voice of Galvatron in Transformers: The Movie. Now instead of voicing the leader of the Decepticons, Nimoy will be lending his pipes to Sentinel Prime, the aged Transformer highlighted in the trailers for Michael Bay's Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

In the comic book Transformer mythos, Sentinel Prime serves as Optimus Prime's predecessor, who dies in battle but not before handing over the Autobot Matrix of Leadership.  In Michael Bay's movies his origin seems a bit less clear. We know he's a fearsome Autobot warrior thought lost long ago. 

I'm looking for any reason to think positive, and this is definitely one. It's good to know that Nimoy's "retirement" doesn't extend to his incredible voice work. 

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New look at Megatron and one of the Wreckers from Transformers: Dark of the Moon

We've seen a glimpse at what Megatron, the Decepticon leader in Michael Bay's Transformers: Dark of the Moon will look like.Since nobody wants to stick to tradition and make him a friggin' gun(!!!???), he's been a jet and now has taken the form of a monstrous tanker truck. Now a couple of new shots give us an even better look at what Megatron's vehicle form will look like. I can see him barrelling through a couple of those wussy Autobots already. We also get a brand new shot(to the best of my knowledge) of one of the three Wreckers that will be making their debut in the film. The vehicles are patterned on the cars of Nascar drivers Juan Pablo Montoya, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson. Pretty sweet. Check 'em out below!

Thanks to InsideLine for the sweet images!

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Trailer Time: Transformers: Dark of the Moon

See, I told you that whole moon landing thing was a big lie! And I'm happy to see that Michael Bay agrees with me! In this teaser trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, it's suggested that arguably this country's greatest achievement back in 1969 was all a big cover up for the real mission to investigate a crashed ship.


Inside that ship is a  Transformer any longtime fan will recognize: Alpha Trion, one of the 13 original Transformers created by Vector Sigma(the computer which gives Transformers life) and the one responsible for transforming the frail Autobot Orion Pax into the future leader known as Optimus Prime.

It's a pretty sweet trailer to be honest. Sets up nicely without giving too much away, and I like setting it in a scientifically fertile time in this country's history. Good stuff, Mr. Bay.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon stars Shia Labeouf, Rosie Hungtington-Whiteley, Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Patrick Dempsey and a cast of friggin' thousands. It's set to be released on July 1st, 2011. Check out the the trailer and let us know what you think! 

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Richard Donner takes a swipe at Michael Bay's Transformers

Richard Donner, the guy who basically gave birth to the superhero movie with Superman back in 1978, took a bit of a swipe at Michael Bay's Transformers flicks. Why? Apparently they don't have great characters. Hmmm, y'don't say?

Donner: "I'm tired of it already. I'm tired of those ... what are those machines? Transformers! Really, I mean they were great but let's settle back people and focus on the characters. The characters in Superman are just wonderful."

Hard to argue with Donner's resume and penchant for creating well-rounded but fun characters. Whether it's Superman, The Goonies, or Lethal Weapon, the guy just has the touch. I'll leave his recent filmography(Timeline, 16 Blocks) off the board for now. They were paycheck flicks.

Ironically, his wife, Laura Schuler Donner, is one of the head producers at 20th Century Fox and has basically overseen much of the X-men franchise of movies. As much as I love the first two mutant adventures, it's largely her influence that has helped tank that franchise with, dare I say, less than memorable characters portrayed on screen. Oh well.

I'm not sure what the context was for Donner to make such a statement. Just thought it was funny to have him mention the Transformers at all.

BTW, I love that picture, which I snagged from right over here.

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Transformers 3 set pics; New Cars revealed!

Comicbookmovie was able to snag a couple of cool pics from the Detroit(I think) shoot of Michael Bay's Transformers 3. I don't know what in the hell that crazy looking tank/battlestation/pod racer thing is in the first two shots, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that it's a Decepticon. I wanna know what's up with that truck it's headed towards. If only that were a live-action Ultra Magnus...

The last couple of pics could possibly be the Stunticons in action. I hope so, anyway. 

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Transformers 3 Details Revealed!

Why they bother releasing plot details about a movie like Transformers 3 is beyond me. I'm not exactly sitting here at my computer waiting for it, and frankly they don't matter. Regardless of what I think, Michael Bay and producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura revealed a few things during an interview with USA Today. The stuff that caught my eye....

* Transformers 3 will be in 3-D, although we don't know if it'll be shot in 3-D or if it'll be a post-processing. Considering that one of my biggest issues with Transformers was that sometimes it looked like a jumbled mass of autoparts being ran through a blender, that could be a problem. Remember how bad Clash of the Titans looked? This could be worse. I have faith that Bay won't let that happen, though.

* Other than Soundwave and Ultra Magnus, my favorite Transformer was Shockwave. Lucky for me that he will be the villain this time around. In the cartoon and comic, Shockwave was the purple laser cannon who ran the Decepticons' Cybertron operations. He...also overthrew Megatron a time or two. It appears he's up to his old schemes, as this time around he's become dictator of Cybertron while the others are on Earth. I'd get excited over this, but since the Tranformers in the movie almost never resemble their cartoon counterparts, there's a chance Shockwave will end up a silver jet or something.

* Say goodbye to those racially insensitive Twin autobots who cast a foul stench over the last movie. Bay confirms they are "basically gone". Hopefully they show up in the beginning as oil stains on a wall moments after being blasted by Starscream. That would be awesome.

* This will be the last film, or at least the end of this trilogy. The chances of this being the final Transformers film are zero, but chances are that Bay will move into a producer role while the franchise is rebooted by somebody else. At least that's my expectation.

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The Megan Fox/Transformers 3 Fallout Begins

Paramount and director Michael Bay haven't wasted any time looking for Megan Fox's replacement since she got shit canned from Transformers 3(not according to her, but more on that later). Since they can't possibly move ahead without Shia LaBeouf having a hot chick next to him so that we don't notice how badly he's overacting, the casting has proceeded ahead in earnest. Rumors are that Gemma Arterton(Clash of the Titans) is at the top of Paramount's list to be scantily dressed and filmed running in slow motion as she's chased by giant robots. 

Arterton was the ONLY good thing about Quantum of Solace, and one of the few bright spots in Clash of the Titans. She's sexy as all hell, and she's got big movie cred already. It's a solid pick if it pans out. Others rumored to be on Paramount's shortlist are Brooklyn Decker(isn't that a vacuum cleaner?)Bar Rafaeli(famous for banging Leo Dicaprio), and Miranda Kerr(Ummm....). 

Aren't these all model chicks? Clearly, Bay and Paramount have decided that it was impossible to replace Fox's combination of beauty and acting prowess, so they figured on just getting pretty faces to stare blankly at the camera. Oh wait...

Meanwhile, Megan Fox is taking the disastrous news of her exit from the franchise and spinning it like a dreidel. Talking to People Magazine, her reps had this to say...

“Megan Fox will not be starring in Transformers 3," reps for the actress, 24, tell PEOPLE. "It was her decision not to return. She wishes the franchise the best.”

Of course! Why would a marginally talented actress who's about a hair's breadth away from co-starring on a CBS sitcom pass up being the most recognizable face in one of the biggest action franchises on the entire planet? That's crazy talk! She's got Jonah Hex coming up which is obviously going to keep her in the public consciousness, right? Um, no. I get what she's doing, trying to save face and make it look like she hasn't been a shrew since Transformers first got off the ground. It's all spin, and not particularly convincing spin at that.

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Megan Fox Fired from TRANSFORMERS 3!

Those thinking this is the deathknell to Megan Fox's career need to think again. Hollywood can always use more non-acting, strangely colored, fat-lipped starlets to appear in bad movies. Deadline.com is reporting that Megan Fox, that creamy center in the dreams of many a fanboy, will not be brought back to star in Transformers 3. Fox decided not to pick up the option on her contract, mostly due to the influence of Michael Bay, who has been at odds with the actress for quite some time. She called him Hitler, for pete's sake. Who is she, Glenn Beck?

Shia LaBeouf's character will be given a new love interest in the next film. No truth to the rumors that it'll be Arcee, the female autobot, although that would be kinda nifty.

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Transformers 3 Adds Two Award Winners, One Asian Stereotype Waiting to Happen

In what I'm assuming is an effort to punch up the dramatic chops of his Transformers franchise, Michael Bay has confirmed via his website that Academy Award winner Frances McDormand(Fargo) and John Malkovich(Rounders, Being John Malkovich) have been inked to major roles in the upcoming Transformers 3. McDormand will have the largest role, taking on the part of the National Intelligence Director, while Malkovich will be playing the boss of Sam Witwicky(Shia Lebeouf). 

Let's face it, what's going to end up happening is that McDormand is going to play a hard, stearn woman who will probably get shot out of a cannon or kicked out of a jet plane with no parachute, made to look ridiculous possibly sprayed in the face by motor oil(if the Transformers actually ate anything I'd think the possibility of getting hit by a creme pie exists). Malkovich is no stranger to starring in awful movies(Mutant Chronicles, Art School Confidential), and now he can go toe-to-toe with John Turturro to see who can chew up the most scenery while simultanteously phoning in every line of dialogue.

The most disturbing thing is that Ken Jeong, who I actually like in most things(The Hangover, Role Models specifically) has also been inked to appear. Consider this: Michael Bay managed to coax a pretty racially offensive performance out of two giant CGI Autobots. It can be argued that Jeong's specialty is playing over-the-top Asian stereotypes. Is this Michael Bay's attempt to quiet his critics by utilizing an Asian actor who has made racially insensitive caricatures his stock 'n trade to hilarious effect? Who wants to bet Jeong's character's name will be Uncle Benny, and he'll have a fu manchu and walk around with chopsticks in his breast pocket?  The possibilities are endless.

You can read more of Deadline's coverage of this story here.

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