Michael Bay Knows ‘Transformers 2’ Was Bad, Will Make ‘3’ Better, in 3D

After confirming that a third “Transformers” film would be coming out, director Michael Bay also indirectly acknowledged that the second one was bad even though it was the second-grossing movie of 2009, by saying the threequel would be “different.” It was the rush that ruined the second film, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura tells USA Today and Bay knows this only too well.

With Megan Fox out of the picture following a highly mediated rift between her and Bay, production is finally going smoothly, with the famed director hopeful that “Transformers 3” will get to open a whole new chapter for the franchise – one that, clearly, will involve more than just spectacular explosions, like some solid acting as well. Moreover, “3” will also come in 3D and, surprisingly, will be the last one in the franchise – whatever reboot happens after it, will probably not be Bay’s doing.

“‘I’ll take some of the criticism,’ says Bay, standing at a set built to resemble a dilapidated nuclear reactor. ‘It was very hard to put (the sequel) together that quickly after the writers’ strike (of 2007-08).’ Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura says the rush strained the plot: ‘We tried to do too many things in the second movie, which didn’t give enough time in any one of them. We were constantly jumping to the next piece of information, the next place.’ Bay is not one for mea culpas, but he says he can do better. ‘This one really builds to a final crescendo. It’s not three multiple endings,’ the director says,” the USA Today piece reads.

“The new film features Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) taking his first tenuous steps into adulthood while remaining a reluctant human ally of Optimus Prime. ‘Shia has this great line: “You know, I’ve saved the world twice, but I can’t get a job,”’ di Bonaventura says. Megan Fox, who played Mikaela, was dropped just before shooting, so LaBeouf’s character also has a new love interest, played by Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. […] Plot details are under wraps, but it delves into the space race between the U.S.S.R. and the USA, suggesting there was a hidden Transformers role in it all that remains one of the planet’s most dangerous secrets,” the piece further says.

According to Bay, when “Transformers 3” ends, it really ends. As the director sees it, this is the final arc in the trilogy, one complete with what the director calls a “killer ending,” one that should not be ruined with a reboot. All in all, this is definitely starting to sound very interesting, especially since everyone involved is determined to make the third film much better than the second. Whether they’ll also succeed is yet to be determined, though.