Filming began on the production on June 2nd in Bethlehem, PA. Details of the plot of the film are a fairly closely guarded secret (there’s some big time Transformers 2 spoilers here if you’re interested), but we know that Michael Bay is back directing and Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, and Tyrese Gibson are all coming back. We also know that Rainn Wilson (The Office) and Matthew Marsden (Rambo) are joining the cast.

If you’re interested you can also get a glimpse of the action from the set at an abandoned factory in Bethleham, Pa. TFW2005 has a ton of pictures up that were taken of the filming there.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen is scheduled to hit theaters on June 26, 2009.

It looks like Rosemary’s Baby will be next in a long line of movies to which Hollywood has decided to give the “re-imagining” treatment. Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes production company will be doing this one too according to ShockTillYouDrop.com who first reported this.

I just find it utterly ridiculous that out of all of the creative minds in the movie industry the only way they can figure out how to make money is to remake movies that have already made money. It wouldn’t be so bad if it were only a few movies and there were good reasons for remaking them, but Rosemary’s Baby, made by Roman Polanski in 1968, is seen by many (not I) as a horror classic. Why would you want to remake a movie that is considered a classic? There’s just no class in that. It’s simple greed and bad taste.

I think this is stupid. Do you guys think this is a good idea?

But, I digress…

For better or worse, “Transformers” made a ton of money so there’s no way they wouldn’t make “Transformers 2.” It seems the guys over at IESB.net sat down with producer, Lorenzo di Bonaventura for an interview and got a few details:

IESB: Can you give us a quick update on Transformers 2. Is it still planned to start shooting in July of 08?

LDB: The second, June 2nd.

IESB: June 2nd?

LDB: Yep.

IESB: Is the story locked?

LDB: We’re no where because of the strike, we won’t know until we come back. We have a very fine outline and we know exactly where we want go with the movie but until this writers strike comes back, we’ll find out exactly where we are. Michael is completely on top of every detail. He’s designed a lot of great stuff already. He’s got a lot of great sequences imagined but you know, he needs some writers to work with before he’s ready to go, so I would say June 2nd is an unofficial start, it’s the target date we’d like to go for but, you know, we’ve got to get some writers to help us.

IESB: Now, comparing to Transformers 1, how much bigger is Transformers 2 going to be?

LDB: (laughs) You know, I’m gonna let Michael answer that question.

IESB: (laughs) Well, come on $700 million dollars…

LDB: I’ll say this much, I know that Michael wants to deliver a bigger experience for everybody.

So there you have it. The next one is going to be rushed into production by June 2, 2008. In case you don’t know, that’s really, really fast for a movie this big. And, considering how fast they’re putting this together and considering the fact that we have no idea when the writer’s strike will end, one must assume that the script might not be up to par. Considering my opinions on the last script, I’m not holding out a lot of hope for this one.

At least we know Michael Bay will blow a lot of stuff up if he doesn’t have a good story.

Transformers director Michael Bay is reviving the Friday the 13th franchise through his low-budget production company.

Bay’s Platinum Dunes banner will be producing the remake of the original 1980 horror classic, which turned the villainous Jason into a cultural icon, for New Line Cinema. Platinum Dunes is also the company that was responsible for the revivals of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hitcher.

Damian Shannon and Mark Swift wrote the script. They wrote 2003′s Freddy vs. Jason, the killer’s last big-screen appearance. That film grossed more than $82 million domestically and a whopping $114 million internationally on a $30 million budget.

The movie will be getting some changes from the first go around. In the original Friday the 13th, Jason Voorhees made only a brief appearance in the final frames and never actually killed anyone. He never even put on the famous hockey mask until the third movie. Bay’s film, however, will focus on Jason who will wear the mask and will certainly do some killing. They will also keep the famous setting of Crystal Lake.

A winter start date is planned with a 2009 release likely. If they hope to release on a Friday the 13th they would have ample opportunity as there are three such dates in 2009 (February, March, and November).

Bay’s Platinum Dunes banner will be doing the remake of the original 1980 horror classic, which turned the villainous Jason into a cultural icon, for New Line Cinema. Platinum Dunes is also the company that was responsible for the revivals of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hitcher.

The movie will be getting a face-lift for sure (I’m sure they’ll call it a re-imagining). In the original Friday the 13th, Jason Voorhees made only a brief appearance in the final frames and never actually killed anyone. And you may find this hard to believe, but he never even put on the famous hockey mask until the third movie. Bay’s film, however, will focus on Jason who will wear the mask and kill. They will also keep the famous setting of Crystal Lake.

The rumor is that Bay hopes to get this film done before the possible strikes occur but a 2009 release seems likely. If he hopes to release on a Friday the 13th he would have ample opportunity as there are three such dates in 2009 (February, March, and November).

Damian Shannon and Mark Swift will write the script. They wrote 2003′s Freddy vs. Jason, the killer’s last big-screen appearance. That film grossed more than $82 million domestically and a whopping $114 million internationally on a $30 million budget. Of course, Jason X only earned $16 million worldwide on an $11 million budget so who knows what this one will do. I’m guessing they’ll do okay.