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Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the third and final film in the Transformers film series, directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and is scheduled for release on June 29 (Egypt) and July 1 (US), 2011, in Real D 3D, regular 2D theaters and IMAX.

Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro are set to reprise their starring roles, with Peter Cullen returning as the voice of Optimus Prime. Ehren Kruger, who collaborated in the writing of the second film, was said to be again involved in the writing. Despite having initially been confirmed for the film, and with the film already into principal photography, it was announced that Megan Fox would not be reprising her role from the previous two films. With Fox's character Mikaela being dropped, Sam was assigned a new love interest, who will be played by English model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Also, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, having written the first two films, will not return for the third installment in the series, which Orci had earlier somewhat anticipated, fearing the duo would "risk getting stale". Bay has stated this would be his last installment in the series.

Plot

The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft on the Moon and must race against the Decepticons to find it and learn its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers' final battle.

Production

Development

As a preemptive measure, Michael Lucchi and Paramount announced a July 1, 2011 release date in IMAX 3-D for a third Transformers film before completion of Revenge of the Fallen. Director Michael Bay responded, "I said I was taking off a year from Transformers. Paramount made a mistake in dating Transformers 3—they asked me on the phone—I said yes to July 1—but for 2012—whoops! Not 2011! That would mean I would have to start prep in September. No way. My brain needs a break from fighting robots."

On October 1, 2009, Bay revealed that Transformers: Dark of the Moon had already gone into pre-production, and its planned release was back to its originally intended date of July 1, 2011 rather than 2012. Filming started in May 2010, with shooting locations including Chicago, Florida, and Moscow. Due to the revived interest in 3-D technology brought in by the success of Avatar, talks between Paramount, Industrial Light & Magic and Bay had considered the possibility of the next Transformers film to be filmed in 3-D. Testing has been performed in bringing the technology into Bay's work. Michael Bay was reluctant to film with 3-D cameras since in test he'd found them to be too clunky for his filming style, but he didn't want to implement the technology in post production either since he was not pleased with the results.

In a hidden extra for the Blu-ray version of Revenge of the Fallen, Bay expressed his intention to make Transformers 3 not necessarily larger than Revenge of the Fallen, but instead go deeper into the mythos, give it more character development, and make it darker and more emotional. Shortly after the release of Revenge of the Fallen, Orci said he would like to introduce Unicron "for scale's sake", and Unicron is briefly shown in a secret Transformers 3 preview feature in the Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray disc, but no comment is made on the subject.

Having been called Transformers 3 up to that point, the film's final title was revealed to be Dark of the Moon in October 2010.

Despite Michael Bay's original denial of their return, Skids and Mudflap were once intended to appear in the film, restyled to both transform into black Chevrolet Sparks with green and orange stripes respectively. Scenes were even shot for them, but they have allegedly been dropped from the film's final cut.

Production

As of March 19, 2010, the script was said to be finished, and pre-shoots began on April 7, 2010 in Indiana, which will portray Ukraine and Los Angeles. Filming began on May 18. The first six weeks took place in Los Angeles, locations included Sherman Oaks, Fourth Avenue and 5. Main. The next four weeks were spent in Chicago. Locations filmed in Chicago included LaSalle Street, Michigan Avenue, Bacino's of Lincoln Park at 2204 North Lincoln Avenue and around the "Sears Tower". The scenes set in Michigan Ave featured a substantial amount of pyrotechnics and stunt work. Filming in Detroit was planned to take place August but the Chicago shoot was extended until 1 September. In late September the production moved to Florida, just before the launch of Space Shuttle mission STS-133. While filming in Washington the crew shot on the National Mall, Michael Bay stated that there would be a car race on the location. Two further locations announced were the Milwaukee Art Museum and an old factory location of Tower Automotive, currently under redevelopment for mixed use as well as the City of Milwaukee equipment yard. Filming was scheduled to take place there after work was done in Chicago. On September 23, filming was done at the former city hall in Detroit, MI. On October 16, work was done at the Johnson Space Center in Texas with intent to shoot a scene set in the late 1960s utilizing extras with period fashion and hairstyles. One day of shooting was also done at the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia. Other planned filming locations included Africa, Moscow, and China. About 70% of the film was shot in 3-D, using Arri Alexa and Sony F35 cameras, while other footage was shot in the anamorphic format on 35mm film. Filming was officially completed on November 9, 2010. On November 26, it was announced the film had entered post-production.

Accidents

Filming was temporarily delayed on September 2, 2010 in Hammond, Indiana, when an extra was seriously injured during a stunt. The accident happened when a steel cable snapped from a car being towed, owing to a failed weld, hitting the extra's car and damaging her skull. The extra, identified as Gabriella Cedillo, had to undergo brain surgery. The injury has left her permanently brain-damaged, paralyzed on her left side and her left eye stitched shut. As a result, Paramount took responsibility for the accident and decided to cover all medical costs incurred by Cedillo. In spite of this, on October 5, Cedillo's family filed a lawsuit, which cites seven counts of negligence against Paramount, D.W. Studios and several other defendants (not including Bay), with total damages sought in excess of US$350,000. The outcome of the lawsuit ultimately cleared the studio from responsibility since all safety precautions were in place, and deemed the accident as unforeseeable.

On October 11, 2010, while filming a chase scene at 3rd Street and Maryland Avenue, SW, a Washington DC Metropolitan Police K9 Unit SUV struck the Camaro that portrays Bumblebee in the film. The area had been closed off by the DC police, and it is not clear why the SUV was there. Both drivers were uninjured, but the Camaro was severely damaged.

Cast

• Shia LaBeouf plays Sam Witwicky, main male protagonist, the leading human character who is friends with the Autobots.
• Rosie Huntington-Whiteley plays Carly, main female protagonist, the new love interest of Sam Witwicky.
• Josh Duhamel plays Major William Lennox, main male dueteragonist, the leader of NEST, an international taskforce battling Decepticons with the Autobots.
• Tyrese Gibson plays Chief Robert Epps, main male tritragonist, combat controller and a member of NEST.
• John Turturro plays Seymour Simmons, main protagonist, a former agent of the terminated Sector 7 unit.
• Patrick Dempsey plays Dylan, Carly's boss, who is a race-car driver with a huge collection of cars.
• Kevin Dunn and Julie White play Ron and Judy Witwicky, Sam's parents.
• Glenn Morshower plays General Morshower, a NEST member who communicates with the squad in the Pentagon.
• Lester Speight plays Hardcore Eddie, the newest NEST member and he's an experienced soldier who has fought in war along with Epps' father many years ago.
• Alan Tudyk plays Dutch, Agent Simmons' assistant.
• John Malkovich plays Bruce, Sam's first boss.
• Frances McDormand plays Marissa Faireborn, Director of National Intelligence.

Autobots and Decepticons characters

• Peter Cullen voices Optimus Prime, main male protagonist, the Autobot leader. While he retains his vehicle mode of a blue Peterbilt 379 truck with red flame decals and has been redesigned to look more heroic. Optimus can combine with his trailer and gain a third transformation mode
• Hugo Weaving voices Megatron, main male antagonist/ main villain, the Decepticon Leader. He has changed his vehicle mode to an armored rusty Mack Titan 10-wheeler tank truck equipped with heavy weaponry.
• Sentinel Prime, Optimus Prime’s predecessor who turns into a Rosenbauer Panther Airport crash tender fire truck.
• Charlie Alder voices Starscream, main male dueteragonist/ main villain, the air commander who transforms into an F-22 Raptor.
• Frank Welker voices Soundwave, main male tritragonist/ main villain, Megatron's communication officer, now transforms into an SUV.
  • Laserbeak, Soundwave's minion that resembles a mechanical condor.
• Mark Ryan voices Bumblebee, main male dueteragonist, Sam's guardian that turns into a fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro. Bumblebee has also gone through some changes, his vehicle mode featuring a new body kit and paint job and designers modifying him to look more mature.
• Jess Harnell voices Ironhide, main male tritragonist, the Autobot weapons specialist who transforms into a GMC Topkick.
• Robert Foxworth voices Ratchet, main protagonist, the Autobot medic who transforms into a search and rescue Hummer H2. Ratchet also had some changes done to his vehicle form, as he has been painted green and white.
• Sideswipe, the Autobot whose vehicle mode is a silver Chevrolet Corvette Centennial now upgraded into a convertible.
• An Autobot who will debut as a Ferrari 458 Italia will call Dreadbox.
• James Avery will provide the voice of Silverbolt.
• Bill Fagerbakke voices The Wreckers, an Autobot sub-team that transform into heavily armed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet Impala stock cars equipped with machine guns. The Wreckers are:
  • Leadfoot, a Juan Pablo Montoya #42 Target car.
  • Roadbuster, a Dale Earnhardt, Jr. #88 AMP Energy/National Guard car.
  • Topspin, a Jimmie Johnson #48 Lowe's/Kobalt car.
• Tom Kenny voices Wheelie, a former Decepticon returns from his debut in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
• A blue Mercedes-Benz W212 will debut as an Autobot inventor codenamed Q, whose design resembles Albert Einstein and he has been said to be friends with Wheelie.
• Shockwave, main antagonist/ main villain, who transforms into a Cybertronian tank and will act as one of the film's main villains.
• A Decepticon has been revealed to turn into a Superfund armored security truck.
• A Decepticon resembling Brawl in his Deep Desert mode.
• A Decepticon resembling Long Haul.
• A Decepticon with what appears to have tentacles.
• A group of Decepticon clones known as The Dreads that turn into Chevrolet Suburban emergency vehicles.

Release and marketing

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is set to be released on July 1, 2011 in 3D. Although originally set to be released in both conventional and IMAX theaters, it was recently announced no IMAX 3D shots were made for the film. However, it was announced in January 2011 that the film will release in IMAX 3D after all. On November 27, it was confirmed that a two-minute teaser trailer would be attached with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Tron: Legacy in 2D and 3D after a response from Michael Bay about the 3D rumors. Said trailer was posted to the web on December 9, 2010. The trailer depicts the Apollo 11 moon landing, with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin discovering The Ark crashed on the moon. A thirty-second television advertisement for the film aired during Super Bowl XLV on FOX on February 6, 2011.

Marketing

Most of the characters will return for Hasbro's new toyline, which is due out on May 16, 2011. In October, Entertainment Tonight previewed the behind-the-scenes filming in Chicago. Following that, the official film website was changed with the logo and the release date under it.

Home media

During Hasbro Investor Day, it was announced that the DVD and Blu-ray Disc will be released in the fourth quarter 2011.

Video game

Activision is set to make a video game for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii and Nintendo 3DS. The trailer for the Dark of the Moon video game has been released. The game will be developed by High Moon Studios, who previously developed Transformers: War for Cybertron. It has also been announced that the game will also feature "Stealth Force." Characters Optimus Prime, Megatron, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Stratosphere, Starscream, Ratchet, Warpath, Soundwave, Mixmaster and Shockwave have been confirmed to be in the game.

References

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2. Transformers: Dark Of The Moon Confirmed To Be Released In IMAX
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16. 09:21 AM (2009-01-15). "Ask Roberto Orci Roundup January 14 - Mythology, Money Shots, Jolt, Military, and Bringing Chaos - Transformers News". TFW2005. Retrieved 2010-12-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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18. "Official Michael Bay Forums May 11, 2010". Shoot For The Edit. May 11, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
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20. First Looks at Dark of the Moon Deluxe Skids, Totally Confirms the Character
21. Update
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36. "TFW2005.com - Transformers 3 Accident: Gabriella Cedillo in Stable Condition, Paramount Explains to Press".
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40. "Injured Transformers 3 Extra Sues Studio". Deadline. 2010-10-05. Retrieved 2010-10-07.
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42. "Bumblebee Smashes Cop Car In Yet Another Transformers 3 Accident". Jalopnik. 10-11-10. Retrieved 10-12-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
43. "DC Cop Didn't Get the Memo".
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45. 12:21 AM (2010-11-22). "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon Is In 3D But Not In IMAX 3D - Transformers News". TFW2005. Retrieved 2010-12-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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50. Inside Pulse | TOY FAIR 2011: Transformers Dark of the Moon Figure (Starscream, Optimus Prime, Megatron & More)
51. ^ 12:52 AM. "Coverage Of Hasbro Investor Day November 2010 - Transformers News". TFW2005. Retrieved 2010-12-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
52. Transformers: Dark Of The Moon Video Game Trailer and Information Revealed

External links

• Official website
• Template:Allmovie title
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon at Box Office Mojo
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon at IMDb
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon at Rotten Tomatoes

v t e Michael Bay
Filmography Awards and nominations Unrealized projects
Films directed	Bad Boys (1995) The Rock (1996) Armageddon (1998) Pearl Harbor (2001) Bad Boys II (2003) The Island (2005) Transformers (2007) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) Pain & Gain (2013) Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) 6 Underground (2019) Ambulance (2022)
Other works	"Aaron Burr" (1993 commercial)
Related	Platinum Dunes The Institute
Category

• 2011 films
• English-language films
• American science fiction films
• Films based on television series
• Films based on toys
• Films directed by Michael Bay
• Films produced by Steven Spielberg
• Apollo program films
• Films set in Cambodia
• Films set in Florida
• Films set in Los Angeles, California
• Films set in Ukraine
• Films set in Washington, D.C.
• Films shot in Cambodia
• Films shot in Chicago, Illinois
• Films shot in Florida
• Films shot in Indiana
• Films shot in Los Angeles, California
• Films shot in Michigan
• Films shot in Washington, D.C.
• Films shot anamorphically
• Films shot in multiple formats
• Live-action films based on cartoons
• Paramount films
• Robot films
• Sequel films
• 2010s 3-D films
• 2010s science fiction films
• Alternate history films