It looked like a long shot, but give ’em credit for moving quickly when they needed to — DreamWorks/Paramount is getting its ducks in a row for the fast-tracked Transformers 2.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has secured the services of Michael Bay and Shia LaBeouf, and the production team of Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and Steven Spielberg remains intact. Next up is the script, which looks like it’ll be written by a trio: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who wrote the first Transformers, are in talks with the studio to write the sequel with Ehren Kruger. From the article:
The teaming will not be a case of complete strangers being thrust together, as the three writers are working together on “Nightlife,” a DreamWorks serial-killer project that sees Kruger adapting a Thomas Perry novel, with Kurtzman and Orci producing along with Neal Moritz. Kruger also adapted the Stephen King tome “The Talisman,” which Spielberg is exec producing for TNT.
Sources are pegging the writing deal, which is not yet closed, in the $5 million-$7 million range, which also might be an industry high for a nonoriginal screenplay. Reflected in the price is the pressure to perform: With the studio hoping to make the movie before a potential talent strike, the writers are going to have to type fast.
The somewhat unusual arrangement might be necessary, according to the article, because Kurtzman and Orci are tied up with writing Star Trek XI, as well as their production duties for DreamWorks’ Eagle Eye. Another Kurtzman/Orci project not mentioned by the Reporter, according to IESB, is a rewrite of Alex Tse’s script for Watchmen. Says IESB:
Hot off Transformers, the pair were brought in months ago to take a whack at the critically acclaimed superheroes.
I don’t know how many elements of Alex Tse’s script remains in the current shooting draft but we have been told that the script is quite different from the former.
We have also been informed that there were minor tweaks of the Orci/Kurtzman script done by director Zack Snyder himself. Can’t go wrong with these three involved!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Source: IESB
