Actor Mark Wahlberg posed for a photograph as he arrived for the premiere of Transformers: Age of Extinction in Shanghai. (Image Courtesy: AP)
Hong Kong:
The robots aren't the only part of the latest Transformers film that changed. Led by star Mark Wahlberg, a whole new cast was brought in to give a fresh start to the blockbuster franchise.Transformers: Age of Extinction stars Mr Wahlberg as a mechanic who strikes up a friendship with good-guy robot Optimus Prime.
Mark Wahlberg said that the idea of joining the franchise came while he and Mr Bay were working on last year's film, Pain and Gains.
"I've never done a sequel to any of the movies that I've done and this is my first installment in the series. So, still not really a sequel for me. Just thought it was fun to do something different and I really wanted to work with Michael Bay."
The first three films were anchored by Shia LaBeouf, and Mr Wahlberg has previously said that he felt pressure about stepping into the shoes of other actors. Still he jumped at the opportunity, and while he's signed to do future installments, "I'm not doing it if Michael doesn't do it. So we'll see what happens."
At the film's worldwide premiere in Hong Kong on Thursday, Michael Bay praised the 43-year-old Mark Wahlberg as a leading man with maturity and gravitas.
As a father of four, Mr Wahlberg saw his scenes with on-screen daughter Nicola Peltz as a sign of things to come and says that he's fiercely protective of his own two daughters. "I'm not excited about that part of it," he admitted of their becoming teenagers.
The 19-year-old Nicola said that she took Mr Wahlberg's advice to come to the film set extra prepared.
Another new addition, Kelsey Grammer, said that he didn't mind playing a villain since he got the chance to work with Mr Bay. "It's like throwing a lot of things up in the air @ one time, and somehow he pulls them back down, and sticks them in his movie. He's got so many ideas all the time. His mind is so quick and rich, and creative. It's kind of like a wild ride just to work with him," he said. (Also read: Transformers: Age of Extinction to be Screened at Rancho's School in 3 Idiots)
Hong Kong and China plays an important backdrop in the latest installment, another indication of China's growing importance to Hollywood. The franchise's third film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, earned $1.1 billion at the global box office, with $165 million from China, its second biggest market after North America.
But it hasn't been smooth. A Beijing property developer had called for the Chinese screenings to be suspended because of a sponsorship dispute, before all parties said Monday they'd smoothed out their differences. The Beijing Pangu Investment Co Ltd owns the dragon-shaped Pangu Plaza featured in the film.
Production in Hong Kong also was briefly disturbed by two extortion attempts on the set last year. In one case, a man reportedly tried to throw an air conditioning over Mr Bay's head. One assailant was later sentenced to 30 months in prison.
At a news conference on Friday, Mr Bay said that he thought the sentence was harsh. "I personally wouldn't want them to be punished. He was on drugs and he probably didn't know what he was doing."
He also said that after the incident, people came up to him and apologized to him on behalf of Hong Kong.
Supporting actor Jack Reynor said that despite the incident, the cast and crew had a great time on set. "Our experiences of Hong Kong were all very positive ones."
Mark Wahlberg said that the idea of joining the franchise came while he and Mr Bay were working on last year's film, Pain and Gains.
"I've never done a sequel to any of the movies that I've done and this is my first installment in the series. So, still not really a sequel for me. Just thought it was fun to do something different and I really wanted to work with Michael Bay."
The first three films were anchored by Shia LaBeouf, and Mr Wahlberg has previously said that he felt pressure about stepping into the shoes of other actors. Still he jumped at the opportunity, and while he's signed to do future installments, "I'm not doing it if Michael doesn't do it. So we'll see what happens."
At the film's worldwide premiere in Hong Kong on Thursday, Michael Bay praised the 43-year-old Mark Wahlberg as a leading man with maturity and gravitas.
As a father of four, Mr Wahlberg saw his scenes with on-screen daughter Nicola Peltz as a sign of things to come and says that he's fiercely protective of his own two daughters. "I'm not excited about that part of it," he admitted of their becoming teenagers.
The 19-year-old Nicola said that she took Mr Wahlberg's advice to come to the film set extra prepared.
Another new addition, Kelsey Grammer, said that he didn't mind playing a villain since he got the chance to work with Mr Bay. "It's like throwing a lot of things up in the air @ one time, and somehow he pulls them back down, and sticks them in his movie. He's got so many ideas all the time. His mind is so quick and rich, and creative. It's kind of like a wild ride just to work with him," he said. (Also read: Transformers: Age of Extinction to be Screened at Rancho's School in 3 Idiots)
Hong Kong and China plays an important backdrop in the latest installment, another indication of China's growing importance to Hollywood. The franchise's third film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, earned $1.1 billion at the global box office, with $165 million from China, its second biggest market after North America.
But it hasn't been smooth. A Beijing property developer had called for the Chinese screenings to be suspended because of a sponsorship dispute, before all parties said Monday they'd smoothed out their differences. The Beijing Pangu Investment Co Ltd owns the dragon-shaped Pangu Plaza featured in the film.
Production in Hong Kong also was briefly disturbed by two extortion attempts on the set last year. In one case, a man reportedly tried to throw an air conditioning over Mr Bay's head. One assailant was later sentenced to 30 months in prison.
At a news conference on Friday, Mr Bay said that he thought the sentence was harsh. "I personally wouldn't want them to be punished. He was on drugs and he probably didn't know what he was doing."
He also said that after the incident, people came up to him and apologized to him on behalf of Hong Kong.
Supporting actor Jack Reynor said that despite the incident, the cast and crew had a great time on set. "Our experiences of Hong Kong were all very positive ones."
