Wow what a week… I feel like a long James Joycean ramble… goo goo g’joob…Warners announced the Deadman deal in time for ComicCon … which was okay but weird since we had been working on it for a year and the deal wasn’t done with the DC liaison guy…SHOOT ‘EM UP continues going amazingly… I got to spend the early part of the week with a lifesize, gigantic Megatron which was surreal and so cool you’re all jealous. I mean so cool… started budgeting a new big movie at Warners that we hope we will film next- fingers crossed for Susan and I… and then the Cullen thing. As you all know when we started this grand experiment two years ago, Cullen and Welker were the ONLY Thing you gave me any consensus on. I’m serious, because I read everything you write, no matter how ****ty. And if someone suggested something, half of you would shout it down. And the ONLY thing you overwhelmingly agreed on was that Prime should sound like Prime and Megatron should sound like Megatron. Which makes sense, especially since both actors are alive and well. So I pushed your agenda. As some of you know, that was not an easy one. My own partner advocated celebrity voices. Then I showed him the results of your guys’ input and he immediately joined the bandwagon. Ian Bryce came to the show well in to the process and saw the results and supported immediately. John Rogers needed no prodding god bless his pointed head. One or two Dreamworks executives also supported from relatively early on. The interesting thing is that the director never gave an opinion any way. He had a lot of us telling him that there was no choice, really, the fans had spoken. But he had Skorponok and a lot of people at Dreamworks and Paramount FIGHTING actively not to do it. The forces of Cullen kept the push going. Several weeks he came in and auditioned, which was all anyone could ask the director to do. Then he came back for a meeting. And now, Optimus Prime has his voice back. And there is much rejoicing. I now have people that really don’t like me because of this. But as we learned in this week’s sudden purge at Disney, it is the movie that counts. I have never cared if I was liked- all that anyone remembers is the film. And 14 years later I am still making movies… before you negativists start asking wotup with Welker, hey we are all working on it. Fact is I was told he was harder to arrange audition time with and his schedule--- hell I don’t know. No one wants Cullen without Welker. I will not say that the director has made the decision because he hasn’t. But you see this particular director is one of the most amazing I’ve ever seen work. One day he was shooting on a big city street- five cameras going at once. He set every shot up. He set the extras, hell he OPERATED one of the cameras. My gut tells me that Michael Bay weighs every decision QUITE STRONGLY. You have to remember that. HE finally okayed Cullen once HE was convinced. And should Welker happen, as I know everyone hopes, it will happen when he can make the decision. Which, quite frankly, is not an urgent decision to make at this moment. Hang tight….as far as ComiCon goes- I’ve been going since 1988 when it actually was about Comics. I screened Natural Born Killers there a month early in 1994. It has always been something to look forward to for me. But for the first time, I don’t know, it is just out of control… tens of thousands of people lumbering around. Sometime in the late 90s it doubled in size and became movie con. Then three years ago it tripled in size and stayed Movie con. But it is out of control as I say. Saturday Susan and I left at noon- there was no way to walk in. Some poor bastards were cueing around the building in the hot sun just to register. It was NUTS. And what did one learn at the place? That morbid obesity is a huge problem in the United States? That Marvel couldn’t afford a booth for the fifth year in a row? Now I am not saying I am done with ComicCon but SOMEBODY needs to radically rethink it- stat. And I HATE all the Johnny come lately film execs who come up to you and say “Hey Don and Susan did you find anything?” as if buying a comic book on the floor gives you movie rights or some ****. NO we didn’t find anything. We weren’t looking! EVERY comic book thing we want to do we knew about in advance. We met with the creators we wanted to because they expected us. Between our track record with Comic films and our best friend Gaston at Meltdown Comics in LA we know more about what is ou there than you could ever hope to. So wander around looking for something with a thousand other development execs- you’re wasting your time and ruining the Con….Finally, we are going to add a moderator Monday to this forum. His name is GRIMM and he works for Angryfilms. And he is a super cool cat a real rising star in Hollywood. You know I hate censorship which is why Stan and I almost never censor. But, well, as this goes on I am noticing more and more LIES being posted. Rumors are okay. Bad opinions are fine. LIES about people working on the film, about their private life, etc. that is not okay. So GRIMM will come in here and do some reaping….Happy Sunday Stooges… I am the Eggman… Hang Tight Stooges, Hang Tight!
