News Bites: ‘Transformers 2′ Goes IMAX, Mary Jane Returns and More

October 1, 2008

Happy New Year to all my brothers and sisters. Might 5769 kick a whole lot more ass than 5768. While over 98% of Hollywood takes the day off, here’s what’s happening:

Variety reports that Michael Bay has taken a page from Christopher Nolan and will shoot “at least three action set pieces” using IMAX cameras during Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Usually I’d reserve this spot for a Bay joke, but I truly think this is a great thing for a film like Transformers. The action scenes in the last one felt claustrophobic (especially toward the end), and so utilizing IMAX would allow Bay and Co. to open it up and really have fun with the thing. Visually, this could add a lot to the film. Hopefully they’ll use it for some big robot battle. Other films also mentioned in the article as possible contenders for a similar IMAX approach include Iron Man 2 and Y: The Last Man.

Looks like the old gang is making a play for Spider-Man 4 (and 5?), as Kirsten Dunst told MTV that she’s “in” when asked whether she’d be returning to the mega-franchise as Peter Parker’s old lady, Mary Jane. However, she did follow that up with “I’m not saying anything. I know there’s rumors …” — which, in actor-speak, means “We’re still negotiating and I’m not really allowed to open my big mouth.” I’d expect a large announcement soon stating the return of Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst for a back-to-back shoot of Spider-Man 4 and 5.