Michael Bay talks 'Transformers 2' and 'Friday the 13th' remake
Jul 15, 2008, 03:43 PM | by Lindsay Soll
Categories: Movie Biz
During a break on the set of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen — described to us as a "remote air force base" at an "undisclosed location" — horror franchise reviver and blockbuster director extraordinaire Michael Bay hopped on the phone to give us the scoop on the Transformers sequel, his other projects in the works, and his reaction to that Dark Knight script circling the Internet with his name on it...
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What can you tell us about Transformers 2? Or, better yet, what will you tell us?
MICHAEL BAY: When we were writing the script, I said to the writers, "I hate sequels that try to make it to the third movie. Pretend like we’re never having a third movie, so let’s go for broke on the second one. I hate those cliffhangers! Let’s just make this movie stand on its own." I really feel this movie is not a forced sequel. I think the script is really good, and I think it’s got a lot of new stuff in it. There are a lot of rumors out there, but we’ve released a lot of fake stuff. We’ve done a really good job of keeping things secret.
Can you give us a hint of something that is true then?
[Laughs] No.
C'mon, anything?
There are some great, new robots that are really inventive.
You recently wrapped production on your update of Friday the 13th, and horror buffs out there are dying to know: what's it going to be about?
It’s a reconception of the original. We’re introducing a whole group of new kids. What we always try to do is add a little bit of freshness to these movies that were really scary back then and update them for a new audience.
AFTER THE JUMP: Bay continues on Friday the 13th ("You’re just not going to believe the first 12 minutes!") and talks Ouija boards.
So are you following the same plot as the very first Friday the 13th?
It’s a little different. I don’t want to give it away because of the Internet crazies.
There's been rumors that you're going to include plots from all three Friday the 13ths into your remake. Is that true?
The first two, yeah.
Where did you film the Crystal Lake scenes?
In Austin, where we also shot Texas Chainsaw. Austin gives you a lot of looks.
Is there anything else you are willing to divulge about it?
I
haven’t seen the director's cut because he’s still cutting, but I know
this one will really be scary; it’s also funny, as well. It’s a fun
college adventure that goes awry. It’s not a movie I would ever show my
mom! (Laughs) We don’t make these for our mothers; we make these for
the fans out there.
Speaking of those fans, what do you say to people who are worried that an update of Friday the 13th will ruin the original?
There
are always haters out there, and you can’t get rid of that. We try to
be faithful, and we’re fans ourselves. It’s like when I did Transformers —
I listened to the fans, you know, but you still have to make your own
movie by respecting what was done and trying to give it a whole new
twist.
How have you given it a new twist?
You’re just not going to believe the first 12 minutes! It’s a twist in itself.
And you’re actually working on a remake of Nightmare on Elm Street, too, right?
Don’t know yet. We haven’t made our deal, but it’s worth every penny.
What are you working on next? Ouija?
It’s something we’re playing with, yes. I’m just producing it. As far as being a director, I’m not sure what I’m doing next.
What will Ouija even be about?
We’re
just meeting with writers now. There’s a plot that I actually wrote the
outline for; we’re just trying to get the script right.
Finally, I just have to ask, did you happen to see the "Michael Bay's Rejected The Dark Knight Script" floating around online?
[Laughs] That’s complete bulls---! I might’ve read one line of that.
Did you find it funny at all?
It’s just, where do people find all of this time?
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