Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Ron Friedman's first The Transformers The Movie script now online
105 views
Skip to first unread message
Simon Letch
Sep 1, 2023, 11:14:16 PM9/1/23
to
In 2010, screenwriter Ron Friedman consigned many scripts and reference material from his days writing for Sunbow Productions in the mid-80s, to be sold by Heritage Auctions. A group effort by fans, coordinated by Jim Sorenson, saw 31 Transformers TV scripts, briefing binders and the second script for The Transformers The Movie bought up, scanned and made available online.
One item that eluded this endeavour was Friedman's first script for the Movie. Completed in February 1985 and rejected by Griffin-Bacal, who supplied a new outline for Friedman to make a second attempt, before Flint Dille was called in to make heavy re-writes as production commenced.
In Autumn 2020, former Sunbow producer Flint Dille was in the process of clearing out his storage, finding many items from his decades-long writing career. One such item displayed online on October 9th was a second copy of that first Movie script. Most likely in Flint's possession as reference for his and Creative Director Jay Bacal's own unsuccessful attempt at writing a Transformers movie: The Secret Of Cybertron.
The following month, Jim Sorenson flew out to LA in order to scan as many of Flint's written works from his Sunbow days before they were auctioned off. On November 2nd, he scanned this script and sent the digital files to me for merging and OCR.
The script was used as the basis for a panel presentation at TFNation 2022, hosted by Jim Sorenson and Chris McFeely, that summarised the plot and featured fanart intepretations from a quartet of artists.
Now, fourteen years since it was first seen, nearly three years since a second chance emerged and a full year since the story was revealed to the world, the Sunbow Marvel Archive is proud to present the very first script for The Transformers The Movie: [URL="https://sunbowmarvelarchive.blogspot.com/p/mp-4034-transformers-movie-sunbow.html"]https://sunbowmarvelarchive.blogspot.com/p/mp-4034-transformers-movie-sunbow.html[/URL]
One item that eluded this endeavour was Friedman's first script for the Movie. Completed in February 1985 and rejected by Griffin-Bacal, who supplied a new outline for Friedman to make a second attempt, before Flint Dille was called in to make heavy re-writes as production commenced.
In Autumn 2020, former Sunbow producer Flint Dille was in the process of clearing out his storage, finding many items from his decades-long writing career. One such item displayed online on October 9th was a second copy of that first Movie script. Most likely in Flint's possession as reference for his and Creative Director Jay Bacal's own unsuccessful attempt at writing a Transformers movie: The Secret Of Cybertron.
The following month, Jim Sorenson flew out to LA in order to scan as many of Flint's written works from his Sunbow days before they were auctioned off. On November 2nd, he scanned this script and sent the digital files to me for merging and OCR.
The script was used as the basis for a panel presentation at TFNation 2022, hosted by Jim Sorenson and Chris McFeely, that summarised the plot and featured fanart intepretations from a quartet of artists.
Now, fourteen years since it was first seen, nearly three years since a second chance emerged and a full year since the story was revealed to the world, the Sunbow Marvel Archive is proud to present the very first script for The Transformers The Movie: [URL="https://sunbowmarvelarchive.blogspot.com/p/mp-4034-transformers-movie-sunbow.html"]https://sunbowmarvelarchive.blogspot.com/p/mp-4034-transformers-movie-sunbow.html[/URL]
Velvet Glove
Sep 2, 2023, 5:13:43 AM9/2/23
to
Thank you so much for this... I mean, it's *terrible*, but it's amazing at the same time. Now we can read an absolutely unreadable script! Seriously, I tried and then I gave up and skimmed. Yet I'm so glad it's now accessible. I will probably be returning to this frequently to do a Ctrl F on different characters.
This time I tried to follow Arcee's storyline, since I know Ron Friedman wrote her in for his daughter, and I'd heard the initial version is supposed to be really sexist. In many ways, it's fascinating... Arcee actually does a hell of a lot more in this script than she ever did in her on-screen appearances, but it's all in aid of the running gag that her contributions are totally ignored and/or taken credit for by her male superior and apparent love interest, Wheeljack. Yes, this is the character he wrote for his *daughter.* The meta-ness of this socio-political commentary is hilarious. (Arguably I do like it better than the second script version where she couldn't get through a scene without being called femme-bot, she-bot, lady-bot, etc.)
I kind of like Wheeljack as a left-field choice for a romance subplot (and not just because it means he survives the Movie), but he's incredibly out of character in this. Yes, he was an absent-minded scientist, but he was much more of a nice-guy type than a jerk! Wasn't Ron Friedman a story editor for season 2? Shouldn't he have known better?
Velvet Glove (Ratchet also survives! Even he can't save Prime, but at least he can stretch the emergency across several deathbed scenes, knowing it's the only screentime he'll get.)
This time I tried to follow Arcee's storyline, since I know Ron Friedman wrote her in for his daughter, and I'd heard the initial version is supposed to be really sexist. In many ways, it's fascinating... Arcee actually does a hell of a lot more in this script than she ever did in her on-screen appearances, but it's all in aid of the running gag that her contributions are totally ignored and/or taken credit for by her male superior and apparent love interest, Wheeljack. Yes, this is the character he wrote for his *daughter.* The meta-ness of this socio-political commentary is hilarious. (Arguably I do like it better than the second script version where she couldn't get through a scene without being called femme-bot, she-bot, lady-bot, etc.)
I kind of like Wheeljack as a left-field choice for a romance subplot (and not just because it means he survives the Movie), but he's incredibly out of character in this. Yes, he was an absent-minded scientist, but he was much more of a nice-guy type than a jerk! Wasn't Ron Friedman a story editor for season 2? Shouldn't he have known better?
Velvet Glove (Ratchet also survives! Even he can't save Prime, but at least he can stretch the emergency across several deathbed scenes, knowing it's the only screentime he'll get.)
Joseph Bardsley
Sep 4, 2023, 1:28:32 AM9/4/23
to
It may be my version of Adobe, or my ancient laptop - not sure. But, I'd love to check this out.
Thank you, all!
Joseph
Velvet Glove
Sep 4, 2023, 9:04:43 AM9/4/23
to
On Monday, September 4, 2023 at 6:28:32 AM UTC+1, Joseph Bardsley wrote:
> Question/humble request for the group: would someone be able to download this .pdf file, and email it to me?
>
> Question/humble request for the group: would someone be able to download this .pdf file, and email it to me?
>
> It may be my version of Adobe, or my ancient laptop - not sure. But, I'd love to check this out.
>
> Thank you, all!
>
> Joseph
I've sent you the pdf. Hopefully, that will work!
>
> Thank you, all!
>
> Joseph
Velvet Glove
Simon Letch
Sep 4, 2023, 11:30:03 AM9/4/23
to
Zobovor
Sep 4, 2023, 6:04:11 PM9/4/23
to
On Friday, September 1, 2023 at 9:14:16 PM UTC-6, Simon Letch wrote:
> One item that eluded this endeavour was Friedman's first script for the Movie.
It's so crazy to think that they were already working on the movie in 1984. They must have quickly realized Transformers was a huge success, and they were like, "We need to start working on a motion picture NOW, because it's gonna take like two years to finish, and we don't want to miss our window."
> One item that eluded this endeavour was Friedman's first script for the Movie.
It's interesting that Ramjet and Thrust and Dirge are already part of the Decepticon cast (toys that probably didn't require much on the development side of things), but no sign of the Triple Changers yet.
The more I read about the Tanker character, the more I'm convinced he was conceived as the Bonaparte Tulcas tank from Special Armored Battalion Dorvack (the third Deluxe Autobot that would have joined Roadbuster and Whirl).
Given that Springer is described as an Arnold Schwarzenegger of an Autobot, that just makes his G1 toy that much more pathetic-looking.
Galvatron shows up and he, himself, transforms Starscream and the others into servants of Unicron. And Soundwave, of all possible characters, objects to this and refuses to cooperate?! That's just crazy sauce.
This bears almost no resemblance to the Transformers: the Movie that we know and love. Like, it's got Daniel in it, and it's got Dinobots, and it has a universal greeting, and it has Kranix (well, Granix). But that's just about it. The set pieces, the dialogue, the character motivations, it's all pretty much unrecognizable here. It's a hot mess. Can you imagine if they had actually filmed *this* story?!
Zob (I suspect there wouldn't even be a fandom presence today, if we're being honest)
Joseph Bardsley
Sep 10, 2023, 10:07:05 PM9/10/23
to
JB
0 new messages