This just came in, but there was a message that it had bounced back.
Spielburg directing? Que??? Is for real? It came from a @hasbro.com email address
Sorry if this is old news.
-Mr. Stinkhead
LEGENDARY TRANSFORMERS PROPERTY FROM HASBRO
WILL COME TO LIFE WITH LIVE ACTION FILM FROM
DREAMWORKS AND PARAMOUNT
-- Steven Spielberg to Executive Produce --
LOS ANGELES and PAWTUCKET, R.I., July 23, 2004 - DreamWorks Pictures and
Paramount Pictures, in association with Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), will
develop a live-action, motion picture based on the globally popular
TRANSFORMERS franchise. Steven Spielberg will executive produce. The film
is slated for release in the summer of 2006. Lorenzo di Bonaventura
("Constantine"), Don Murphy ("The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") and
Tom DeSanto ("X-Men" and "X2: X-Men United") are attached to produce.
DreamWorks Head of Production Adam Goodman stated, "Steven and
everyone at DreamWorks are very excited about the prospect of expanding the
world of TRANSFORMERS into the live-action feature film arena. The
possibilities for a thrilling action adventure are virtually endless, and a
film holds the definite promise of expanding an already worldwide fan base
to new audiences."
"This is a tremendous franchise that offers us the opportunity to
create an inventive and thrilling action-adventure film," said Donald De
Line, Vice Chairman, Motion Picture Group and President of Paramount
Pictures. "We're happy to work with our colleagues at DreamWorks to develop
this project with Hasbro. There couldn't be a better team to bring the
TRANSFORMERS to the big screen."
"We are truly fortunate to have the best talent in the entertainment
industry on board for the TRANSFORMERS movie and are excited at the
opportunities this powerful collaboration will bring to the property," said
Brian Goldner, President of Hasbro's toys segment. "The TRANSFORMERS
franchise has been successful in many entertainment arenas and we are
thrilled to give millions of fans an extraordinary experience that's never
been done in the history of the brand."
Hasbro will work with the production team, DreamWorks and Paramount
on all aspects of the film's creative development, marketing, promotions and
will manage merchandising in conjunction with the release of the film.
Hasbro will also team up with Takara, who has been the co-developer of the
TRANSFORMERS brand since its beginning in the early 1980s.
"The TRANSFORMERS brand has always struck a chord with fans around
the world and remains one of our strongest franchises since it was
introduced 20 years ago," said Keita Satoh, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Takara. "Together with Hasbro, DreamWorks and Paramount, we will
bring the property to a new level for fans in the Japanese market, as well
as around the world."
DreamWorks will distribute the film domestically, while Paramount will
distribute internationally.
In 1984, the TRANSFORMERS brand took the world by storm with its
compelling saga of the ROBOTS IN DISGUISE, and quickly became a childhood
rite of passage with a tremendously successful toy line from Hasbro and
Takara, comic book series, television program and animated feature film.
Twenty years later, a new generation of kids has discovered the excitement
of the TRANSFORMERS brand and the legendary characters, such as OPTIMUS
PRIME and MEGATRON, that truly are "more than meets the eye." Today, the
franchise features a popular toy line, an animated series on Cartoon Network
and a chart-topping comic book series from Dreamwave Productions, which sold
two million TRANSFORMERS comic books last year.
