Update On What We Know About Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS 4

Michael Bay finally got to complete his "small" film PAIN AND GAIN after years of trying to get it done and now is transitioning back to what I like to call "BLOCKBUSTING".

TRANSFORMERS 4 has been moved to Bay's front burner and getting full energy from his production company. He recently spoke out about the movie and what to expect, namely: It WILL NOT be a reboot...

It’s not a reboot, that’s maybe the wrong word. I don’t want to say reboot because then people will think we’re doing a Spider-Man and starting from the beginning. We’re not. We’re taking the story that you’ve seen — the story we’ve told in three movies already — and we’re taking it in a new direction. But we’re leaving those three as the history. It all still counts. I met with the writer before I went off to do ‘Pain and Gain’ and we talked about a bunch of ideas. We let that simmer for a bit. He’s been thinking about stuff and now we’re getting back together next week to see what we’ve got and to see if it gels.

So without as much of a human focused story, will the autobots be going to space?

I think so, yeah, a little. That feels like the way to go, doesn’t it? I want to go a little off but I don’t want to go too sci-fi. I still want to keep it grounded. That’s what works in these movies, that’s what makes it accessible.

It looks like TRANSFORMERS 4 will cost about $30m less than TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON so what does Bay have to say about budgeting?

Here’s the thing, it’s tough to find someone who’s done these kind of movies and to have the complication of creating the new stuff that needs to be in this movie – not just characters but a new type of action, I hope – and that’s a lot for someone new to bite off. And so after this one I will leave it in the best hands possible. That’s the plan.

TRANSFORMERS 4 is slated for a June 2014 release with an entirely new cast. No word on whether TF4 will follow TF3's stereoscopic epicness, but one would certainly assume so.

Source: LATimes

AVATAR: Are You Ready For A Half Billion Dollar Ride?

Jim here. Do you think AVATAR is a $500 million movie?

Lots of speculation (Michael Cieply, NY Times) going on about the cost of getting AVATAR out the door. $500 million dollars is being thrown around by some influential people. What is my stance on it? My stance is that we may never know the true final tally due to accounting methods.

Cieply makes some errors. If he is considering all worldwide costs for the movie, then you MUST consider negative costs as well - sponsorships, grants, incentives, etc. These are NOT expenses! To the contrary.

As far as total budget, I doubt Fox has a full grasp of it either, but I am sure they know their own exposure. For example, if James Cameron does indeed have a budget point in which his participation in movie profits subsides until after others are paid (IE the studio, financiers), you know Fox is looking out for themselves. And justifiably so.

Cameron on the other hand, has invested YEARS of writing, planning and creating a camera system - that is just extremely hard to quantify. Especially as the cameras, for example, are reusable for future projects taking away future R&D costs. So yes, Cameron has his own money into this thing. Substantially. But should that be quantified?

My opinion is yes, but not completely. Generally accepted accounting principles should be applied here - take a percentage of the cost of those cameras, but not all of it (say 50% for simplicity). Still, without the R&D AVATAR does not exist as we know it today, if at all. Take a good percentage. But take it you must.

So let's sum this up:
1. $300 million production costs - I am fairly confident about this figure. Fox estimated over $200 million for AVATAR back when its release date was Memorial Day Weekend 2009. We all know that VFX and post processing is expensive. AVATAR is not just using one FX shop (Weta) it is using a handful. The daily cost must be staggering to have all those artists and servers creating and rendering AVATAR shots. I peg the extra work at $100 million AT LEAST. Total then is $300 million +.
2. $150 million for marketing - We have yet to see all of the marketing that will be done here but it is ramping up now. I agree with Cieply's assessment of about $150 million.
3. $7 million for the PACE/Cameron Fusion camera development (50% total cost as it is reusable).
4. -$30 million in New Zealand incentives for production costs and post production grants. You can get 15% of your production costs from Kiwi and if you were to say 50% (of the $300m production) was shot in Wellington (probably a bit on the high side), take 15% of that and then add on another $7 million or so in post production grants then you arrive at ~$30 million. This is a negative cost of course.
5. -$25 million for Panasonic's contribution. Apparently Panasonic has contributed money and services for AVATAR according to Panasonic's CTO for North America. Again, a negative cost.
6. -$?? million - Coca Cola is sponsoring AVATAR for Coke Zero. What is this worth?
7. -$?? million - Fastfood sponsorship? For some reason McDonalds comes to mind.
8. -$?? million - Licensing Agreements: Ubisoft, Mattel, Collectables - you name it.
9. -$?? million - Other corporate sponsorships: LG, etc.

You can quickly see how people (Fox and others) have been getting away with saying AVATAR is only a $200 million cost! And again, justifiably so. It is just good business.

But to us? We will be seeing that half billion dollar spectacle guys. You can count on that.

Speaking of sponsors - have a look at a new AVATAR commercial for LG :-)

3D Shorts: ARABIAN KNIGHTS Are Coming AND Richard Kelly Talks 3D For New Thriller!

Jim here. Variety (via Garth @ Dark Horizons) reports that Chuck Russell (ERASER, SCORPION KING) will be directing ARABIAN KNIGHTS on a $70 million budget!

The interesting thing about this project is that it involves not one but three Eastern heroes which I am sure you have heard of: Sinbad, Aladdin and his genie. The story follows a young commander who joins forces with the trio after his king is killed in a palace coop.

"Through the use of a new generation of visual technologies, we will be able to quite literally take audiences around the world on a magic carpet ride." Russell said.

Producers are Inferno's Bill Johnson, Mayhem Pictures' Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, as well as Roar's Will Ward, who manages Russell.

Could be a visual bonanza if done correctly. I will be watching this one with a close eye...No word on a Robin Williams cameo :-)


AND...

Richard Kelly (THE BOX, DONNIE DARKO) is talking 3D! Chris Eggertsen (over at Bloody Disgusting) has uncovered that Kelly is writing a new script and has 3D in mind from the get-go.

Says Kelly: “I’m working on my new script, I’m probably on the eighth draft of it right now, and I’ve just kinda been waiting for 'The Box' to come out to see if I can get [the project] off the ground. It’s a thriller set in Manhattan in the year 2014. We hope to shoot the movie in 3-D, and part of the movie would be filmed using full CGI motion capture."

SWEET. Judging by the trailer for THE BOX I am not sure what to expect from the movie, but I will say the premise is interesting. If a talented director has an idea in mind and has been able to get it down on paper and refine it over the years - it should turn out magnificently. It is when a director lands something out of the blue with no previous thought that unsettles me occasionally.

When we hear more on these stories you will be the first to know!