ComingSoon.net recently chatted with “Transformers” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura about what is going on with Transformers 3, scheduled for a July 1, 2011 release.
Q: On a film like “Transformers 3,” do you find yourself having to explain a lot about what you’re doing to the director and studio or are you given free reign?
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: Not with Bay, you know? With Bay, no not too much there either. Bay is such a general that it moves at his pace. The first movie we had to explain a lot of why we wanted to spend this, what was going on
dah dah dah, but most movies in my experience and in most studios they’re all running in a difficult time right now and they’re concerned about their careers and concerned about the results. I grew up in the Warner Brothers system and our philosophy was once we made our bet, which meant it’s up to the filmmakers to deliver it. So it wasn’t a particularly intrusive system after once it made its bet. You had to pass a lot of hurdles to get to the go, but once you got there it was like, alright we’re here. We’ve placed our bet and our philosophy at Warner’s was you can’t direct the movie if you’re an executive and you can’t write the movie and you can’t act the movie, so you know, unless they’re going sideways what can you do? It’s up to them to elevate it.
Q: Are any of these actors you’re working with now, are they going to be in any of your future films?
Di Bonaventura: Actually [John] Malkovich is in “Transformers 3.”
Q: And what is his role in that?
Di Bonaventura: You know we don’t talk a lot about that script, but he’s going to have a lot of interaction with Shia in that movie. And he’s got a really fun character. And he’s going to bring a really interesting spin to that franchise so it’s going to be great.
