Sequel speculation

[TimDH]

So now you've seen the film, what do you think would happen in a sequel?

I think for story 2, it should have the following:

* Soundwave appears (as a submarine?), resurrecting Megatron somehow, and perhaps blackout and frenzy and barricade, who I think make good members of the soundwave-led subterfuge and terror division of decepticon army
* Starscream separately assumes command of the decepticons in space/on cybertron running a more combat/killing oriented division, of seekers and (combining) combaticons, at first thinking he's now in charge, not realising soundwave has undermined his plotting
* More autobots have found their way to earth and are living in disguise, patrolling and preparing for signs of decepticon activity, since they know starscream got away and may return in force to get revenge
* megatron becomes a human vehicle e.g. stealth bomber
* the decepticons crave energy sources to rebuild their army, and attack an oil rig like in the original MTMTE
* turns out megatron is more powerful than ever due to fragment of allspark embedded within him, perhaps some implication that he's galvatron, more deranged than ever, but
* the return of megatron leads to further loss of human life and urban destruction on a massive scale which prime feels accountable for and so he decides they have to leave earth, leading into the third film...
* dinobots and constructicons would be visually cool but I don't see how they'd fit into any coherent story

Then for the third film:
* They discover that the allspark cube was just part of a bigger power source behind cybertron, the key to vector sigma as it were, and that hope is not lost for the future of the transformers race
* Prime and co return to cybertron in a last effort to win the war once and for all.
* starscream betrays megatron in his quest for power, leading to infighting within the decepticons that give the autobots a chance to beat them at last while they are divided


Most importantly, I think the message of Transformers is that war is futile, but sometimes the only solution when dealing with pure evil. Those who sacrifice their lives to fight it are true heroes, and collateral damage is unavoidable and tragic.

None of that 'a boy and his car' B.S.

[Xbot]

wow good ideas.

I would think they would keep it on earth.
maybe Unicron?
What the heck, kill Prime in part 2 and say Rise to Hot Rod

[Starscreams Ghost]

nahhhh the whole Prime death thing has been done and wouldn't have the same effect now....

anyway hot rod sucked

I definately want to see the lambo twins in the next one

[nightbird]

Excellent ideas!

Not sure I'd want to see Unicron again, but something just as threatening would be interesting.

Definitely Soundwave, and the Insecticons would be cool.

[Minion]

I'd keep it on a small scale, none of this intergalactic involvement. It has to feature humans (focusing on one or two - Spike & Mikeala?) and be set on Earth. I say that because i'd want make a succesful film, not just a CGI space fest for us hardcore fans.

I do like the energy hunt idea though, very true to TF roots.

My sequel might feature the return of Starscream with some new Cons, then hook back up with Barricade any any surivivors of the first film. Megatron i'd keep on a back burner for a return in the next or maybe towards the end of the film much like in the first. It'd be nice to see some Cons maybe go behind SS's back to bring Megatron back.

Maybe have some more infiltration with the insecticons. I'd also introduce Shockwave as the big bad (if not using Megatron), possibly keeping some kind of Cybertronian space gun/turret platform mode for fun.
If it was going to include Dinobots i'd keep it to one, maybe show the others in a flashback in the past when they crashlanded on Earth looking for the All Spark. Ressurect Grimlock and have him go to town on the Cons. Robot T-rex's sell toys!

I wouldn't bother with combiners, too gimmicky for me. Just keep it relatively simple transformers robots and deliver a decent story with lots and lots of action.

[TimDH]

SG - sideswipe and sunstreaker would make a good replacement for the Jazz role, with sibling rivalry adding an interesting character dimension to differentiate from Jazz.

Prowl is a bit dull and anyway there's already a police car, albeit an evil one. Tracks, Cliffjumper et al are too similar to jazz, sunstreaker, bumblebee. I can't see how the Dinobots would really fit in (why would they be dinosaurs?) unless they were robots who became cars who combined into a giant dinosaur bot. They could be a rogue element of autobots that Prime only uses against his better judgment because he has no stringer weapon, but there would be the traditional disagreement with Grimlock as to whether fighting fire with fire is the best way, and their own penchant for wanton destruction could be what causes Prime to feel guilty about the human collateral damage.

What other autobots would you want to see? Jetfire or Aerialbots to counter Starscream and the seekers? How about Wheeljack as a Fast and Furious style street car?

Personally I'd steer clear from the whole prime death / hot rod / unicron story. maybe leave that for the movie universe comic line after the trilogy finishes.

[Prime]

minion said:

If it was going to include Dinobots i'd keep it to one, maybe show the others in a flashback in the past when they crashlanded on Earth looking for the All Spark. Ressurect Grimlock and have him go to town on the Cons. Robot T-rex's sell toys!

You mean like 5 million BC Grimlock and 2009 Grimlock, kinda like 70's BB and 2008 BB. Would be a cool toy at any rate.

Dinobots crashed to earth millions of years ago, assume form of dinosaurs, metor hits earth, wipes out dinosaurs, dinobots are trapped in the earth's crust for millions of years, resurected by the allspark/megatron situation and given new suitable forms.

I can only speculate on anything as I am yet to see the 1st film, Thank you Die Hard 4, Harry Potter and Shrek 3 release schedule for messing up the UK release

Things like Unicron and "big bads" can work quite well and would make a good threat to the whole earth civilisation, munch the planet for the energy, kinda Fantastic 4 - Rise Of the SS Galactus ending.

And as for combiners etc, there was always the facination with the big Transformers in the cartoons and as toys, only thing better than Giant ######## Robots are Reallly Giant ######## Robots, although the implications on fitting in with the earth and lack of space vs size would be an issue so no good going for Fort Max size.

Looking at the destruction a 40ft robot can do, a 100+ft robot would be a tad unstopable. Saying that, if there were only a few this would limit the impact. Would need a good backstory as to why there are masisve TFs compared to regularish ones.

Maybe the decepticons peed off at their loss in battle decide to construct some kick ass war machines out of spite and contempt.
Plus visually there is nothing wrong in giant machines wiping out some of the population, as shown in War of the Worlds death and destruction effort with hundreds of the blummin massive tripods.

Possibly even a Cybertron battle in the sequal with some Massive TFs (omega Supreme esq types) done through a cut scene like in Terminator where they cut to the future and the robots are stomping about, this can work well in a film with the right setting.

[Minion]

Some more cut scenes/flashbacks to Cybertron would be nice, and like you say a perfect opportunity to litter them with cameos.

[Sky bluestreak]

Do you guys think that, with the movie being such big business (so far) that some of the more reluctant car manufacters may jump on the sequel band wagon so that sunstreaker and sideswipe will be actual murcielago's (spelling?) for example, which could lead us to a "which characters and what alt modes do you want for the sequel" type discussion

[TimDH]

Hope so - GM make terrible cars. If you watch the HBO special preview, Bay talks about how loads of car companies were lining up to be in the movie but GM paid a shedload to sponsor it, and he basically implies he thought their cars were junk, which why they totally customised Ratchet and Jazz (the real solstice is a soft top without spoiler)

[omeganacho]

Late to the party: Sorry if this is all old news.....

-Regarding the Dinobot speculation, I recall in an interview with one of the writers of the last movie. That they had been discussing and working over scenarios for working Grimlock (or a similar type character) into an upcoming script. And in fact, said he believed he arrived at a way to introduce Grimlock in a really cool way.

-Bay was considering having an aircraft-carrier behemoth decepticon for their movie, but decided doing so would have been beyond their budget at the time.

-Regarding Megatron's ressurection, the most plausible way I see him coming back, would have something to do with having reminents of the "Cube" in his chest. Where maybe having some of it fused to his body, would at some point trigger a rejuvenation process that would allow Megatron to recover.....which would also give him an inate power to bring life to machinery by himself (perhaps a passing submarine or battleship in his viscinity).

.....Though I didn't buy into the whole premise of how easy it was to create robotic lifeforms (turrets and cannons included) from any simple inaminate object like they did with the Nokia phone and Soda machine. Found it made things kind of cheap.

[omeganacho]

liam said:

Do you guys think that, with the movie being such big business (so far) that some of the more reluctant car manufacters may jump on the sequel band wagon so that sunstreaker and sideswipe will be actual murcielago's (spelling?) for example, which could lead us to a "which characters and what alt modes do you want for the sequel" type discussion

Probably some silly PC hybrid.

[nightbird]

".....Though I didn't buy into the whole premise of how easy it was to create robotic lifeforms (turrets and cannons included) from any simple inaminate object like they did with the Nokia phone and Soda machine. Found it made things kind of cheap." (Me, not got the hang of quoting)

I like the idea of Megatron coming back to life in the second movie as said above and sincerely hope that if he does have power to create new life that they solve the problem of the weapons appearing on the new machine life. To me that was a huge flaw in terms of the Allspark, which imho, should just have brought life not a complete armoury.

Central to the whole Megatron/Optimus betrayal is the way Megs and the Decepts augmented themselves and built up weapons prior to the civil war. I agree that it was a cheap stunt for Bay (or whoever) to give the newly created machine life weaponry - I didn't think the new life needed to be instinctively violent even taking into account the spark/soul debates going around. In reality, the Soda machine should have run a mile, the Nokia should have shrunk into a corner, etc. being instinctively scared and confused, etc. Oh, and the 360 should have promptly crashed and needed an £80 repair cos it was just out of warranty hehe! But hey, we are not talking reality, but that's not the point

[HeavyAssault]

My take..........

Screamer goes back to Cybertron and reports to the Decepticon High Council.Keep in mind Megatron is only a General.
I do think the Council will send Screamer back with his Seekers.......Yet I dont think there leave it up to him alone.I say Shockwave will be sent as the new General..........

[Galvy]

my take is

screamer returns with some new cons, que a few fights with the autos. meanwhile the all powerfull shockwaves arrives and kicks both the autos and cons backsides as he just wants the earth and its energys for himself. make for an un easy allience beetween the two groups to stop shocky. as they square of for a showdown que the new improved (by sector seven,for a share of tf technology) megatron, to save the day by going up against shocky. while they fight shocky realises hes done for so he unleashes him most powerfull weapon,trypticon, cue the final battle, with starscream trying to switch sides, and prime reavealing his spark to save the day.