Oops, guess we can't say "Roll out!" just yet :-(

In light of that last post about the live-action Transformers movie in '07, Ain't It Cool News is now reporting that the project is getting torn apart by its producers. At issue is whether or not to use the original cartoon's cast of voice actors.

My take on that is this: get an entirely new crew of voices. The cartoon was good for its day but it's now time to re-introduce the Transformers for a new generation... and redefine it for another that should now be expecting more. Think of the talent that's available today to do this: I can't help but think of Liam Neeson for the voice of Optimus Prime, or Sean Astin as Bumblebee. Besides, many of the original actors have sadly passed on, including Chris Latta (as the irreplacable voice of Starscream) and Scatman Crothers, who I never knew until now that he did the voice of Jazz, but thinking back on the cartoon I guess he did! Anyhoo, there's been so many iterations of the Transformers (my favorite was the Marvel comic, BTW) that it'd be wrong to limit the vision for the movie to just one: let the big-screen live-action feature stand on its own, with its own unique cast of actors.