Transformers 2 is on Hold Until the Strike Ends

That stupid writers strike. It looks like another victim will be “Transformers 2″, or at least according to everything I’ve read. Hollywood studios are rushing everything they can into production before the strike hits next year (if negotiations are still unresolved, that is), but it doesn’t appear as if Transformers 2 will be one of them. Which is not an entirely bad thing, from my perspective. Transformers 2 may not require a sophisticated script, but I’m reasonably certain that, at the minimum, two years is required for pre-production and post-production to work out all the robot-intensive scenes, so rushing the sequel into production now just to beat the strike would be disastrous on the film’s quality.

Here’s what Michael Bay says about it via his message board:

“But I just saw the first IMAX print of ‘Transformers’. Not depressing - freakin AWESOME! They need to bottle the magic of IMAX because it’s the future of cinema.

“It comes out next Friday the 21st. I added some extra scenes.

“‘Transformers 2′, well that’s another story. Iching [sic] to work pre-strike (June) so I might jump ship and come back a year or so later cause people at the studio have been dragging for two months. Not sure why. I’ll keep you informed.”

I say wait until the strike blows over. I can wait another two or three years. Why not? I’ve already waited 20 years for the last one…