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Meet the Screenwriting Duo Behind Star Trek and Transformers

movieline.com — It’s a long way from Hercules and Xena, where the two began, and they’d be the first to admit their journey wasn’t the one they planned on. Now, as all they touch turns to gold (and even the projects they’ve recently produced — including Eagle Eye, The Proposal, and Fringe — have become unqualified hits) they sat down with Movieline to discuss...

Who dugg this? Made popular Jun 24, 2009

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  • phylaxer, on 06/24/2009, -2/+38How do they explain this gem: "Oh, no! The machine is buried in the pyramid! If they turn it on, it will destroy the sun! Not on my watch!"
  • DigitalisAkujin, on 06/24/2009, -1/+33Star Trek was "ok" but it had so many plot holes that it's amazing it didn't implode on it's own lack of depth.

    As for Transformers 2. Can we all stop ***** ourselves and just take the humans out? I'd much rather watch 2 hours of mecha fighting then 1 hour of mecha fighting with stupid dialog mixed in.
  • PixelMagic, on 06/24/2009, -13/+44Star Trek = Awesome
    Transformers 2 = Awful
  • krispykreams, on 06/24/2009, -1/+26Hercules, Xena, Eagle Eye, The Proposal, Transformers 2... Really crappy shows/movies.
    These guys are ***** writers and I'm sure they know it by now. Their movies only get popular because of franchise power (Star Trek, Transformers) and because the stupid masses are thoroughly entertained by fiery explosions. They didn't have to do any original writing for ST or Transformers since both are just remakes. If anything, they ***** up the timelines/storylines. I find many of these articles aren't so much articles as they are a way of sucking Hollywood's dick. Have a nice day.
  • Doctoxicated, on 06/24/2009, -6/+28Star Trek was decent.

    Wow Transformers must have been tough to write. "okay guys let's write in an explosion here.. here.. and here... I think we can fix this crucial plot point that doesn't make sense by adding in an explosion over here... and finish with a big explosion and done! great that took ten minutes let's start on the next sequel."
  • stuartjmoore, on 06/24/2009, -0/+16I'm stealing "I'd've"
  • Atmandk, on 06/24/2009, -1/+15"It’s a long way from Hercules and Xena, where the two began" - Transformers? Not so much.

    "Eagle Eye. . .unqualified hit" - really?
  • Fleagleman, on 06/24/2009, -0/+13The Transformers movie actually had a screenplay? Did they decide not to use it or something?
  • SilentJay74, on 06/24/2009, -1/+13Star Trek had some serious issues. Now I know what dumbasses to blame. First off you had Red Matter and a drop of this ***** could create a black hole. SO WHY THE ***** did Spock fly around with a 6 foot ball of this *****? I can see it now "Sure Mr Spock sign here for the substance that can end the known universe, it's all cool." Basically he was driving tug boat through the universe towing around an 8 foot lava lamp of death with no kind of escorts.
    The the bad guy was away from his home world which got destroyed on his mining vessel. Ok, so now a mining vessel is capable of destroying the entire Star Fleet? With all the time warp BS going on they must have gone back in time and commissioned the ***** A-TEAM to soup up the mining vessel. The whole thing was like loading down a dump truck with twelve .50 cal machine guns.
    So the mining vessel would drill a hole in a planet and then take red matter (Captured from Spocks tug boat) and drop a single drop into the whole it drilled, thus creating a black whole and destroying the planet. OK! THAT'S ***** RETARDED! You can't drill a hole into a planet with a molten core. Don't believe me? Try drilling a hole into a water balloon. SAME ***** PRINCIPLE!
    Now I will say that Star Trek had great special effects, and decent acting, but it was a good job wasted on a stupid ass story line.
  • jennicamorel, on 06/24/2009, -0/+12These movies were not aided by their screenplays
  • sv650touring, on 06/24/2009, -0/+9You have to admit that a cadet fresh out of the academy (on probation no less) being given permanent command of the flagship of Starfleet, and then staffing the bridge with his friends from the academy is pretty clever.

    Or maybe it's retarded.

  • inactive, on 06/24/2009, -1/+10Megan Fox is just another vacuous Hollywood bitch who thinks she's the greatest thing to happen to modern society just because she's got a nice set of T & A. There's still nobody who can tell me the reason that I should go pay $10 to watch softcore porn when I can stay at home and download hardcore porn for free.
  • kmb1794, on 06/24/2009, -2/+11Yeah...at the end of the day these guys have produced nothing good because The fail of Transformers 2 negates the success of Star Trek.
  • inactive, on 06/24/2009, -0/+9Actually, that's 50%. Which is an F.
  • Subduction, on 06/24/2009, -1/+10If you could take credit for any of the things surrounding Star Trek and Transformers would it really be the scripts?
  • fupresti, on 06/24/2009, -1/+9Let's be honest, the script for Star Trek was *****. The saving grace was fantastic casting, great performances and a good director. These two ***** hacks should be forced to write Geico commercials.
  • inactive, on 06/24/2009, -0/+7Not even the action is redeeming. You can't tell what the hell is going on about 95% of the time. All loud noises and inexplicable explosions happening for no apparent reason.
  • SpeedSteamBoat, on 06/24/2009, -0/+7I understand Eagle Eye was nothing to write home about either... or The Proposal either.

    Actually, it kind of seems like these guys are really hit and miss as apposed to "all they touch turns to gold."
  • Nephlabobo, on 06/24/2009, -0/+7***** hacks couldn't write their way out of a paper bag.
  • jezsik, on 06/24/2009, -3/+8Seriously. What passes for science fiction today consists of a space opera crammed with as much special effects as you can afford, throw in some action and hot babe and you're ready to shovel it into the feeding trough!

    How I long for films that do little more than wink at the science aspect of sci-fi ("Contact" is the most recent one I can think of).
  • inactive, on 06/24/2009, -0/+5Take a good hard look at these guys, and never ever hire them.
  • dystra, on 06/24/2009, -0/+5Alternate Title:

    "Anyone can write a Hollywood blockbuster, check out this two guys!"
  • Yazilliclick, on 06/24/2009, -3/+8Clever script? Please explain.
  • SpeedSteamBoat, on 06/24/2009, -0/+5I think it was both. The writing obviously sucked and Bay, being Michael Bay, couldn't come up with any better ideas for fixing it besides adding explosions where the story was supposed to go.
  • inactive, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4These two look exactly like the kind of guys who would write the Transformers movie... also the kind of guys who would write a big budget Trek movie with a Romulan villain who acts like a retarded caveman.
  • chuckDontSurf, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4Sigh. Guess I should've explained I was quoting Shia Whatshisface from the movie.
  • Lst01, on 06/24/2009, -0/+4I didn't realize Transformers had a script.
  • smotpoker, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3I won't bury you for the Star Trek opinion since I agree with everything else. Star Trek 2009 really was a ***** POS though
  • mythicflux, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3"Appears that they really studied hard and focused on that movie."

    By copying Star Trek II and Star Trek: Nemesis?
  • Teh1337Pirate, on 06/24/2009, -1/+4>.< I like Hercules and Xena
  • teamr, on 06/24/2009, -10/+13I'm calling shennanigans. There is no way the same people that wrote Star Trek, an enjoyable and clever script, could have written the steaming pile of ***** that is Transformers

  • mellenger, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3They were recently interviewed on Creative Screenwriting Magazine's podcast (and the mag actually). It's a really good podcast if you are interested in the writing process for movies. This is about Star Trek, but they were writing Transformers 2 around the same time and discuss it.

    http://creativescreenwritingmagazine.blogspot.com/

    here's the direct link: http://media.libsyn.com/media/creativescreenwritin ...
  • Kyderdog, on 06/24/2009, -1/+4Star Trek 2 will = awful also
  • Napiertt, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3Exactly Yazilliclick. That rubbish was a betrayal of everything Star Trek aspired to. It was just mind-numbing crap.
  • DanteDefiance, on 06/24/2009, -0/+3I'm pretty sure that was Bay's doing. He must have read the script with his patented 'SPLOSION! stamp.

  • mikonium, on 06/24/2009, -3/+5"Can we all stop ***** ourselves and just take the humans out?"
    Where does Megan Fox's boobs fit into all of this?
  • joaob, on 06/24/2009, -1/+31 out of 2 isn't so bad.
  • eadnams, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2Kurtzman and Orci were the first to write the Transformers 2 script, but not the last... the studio brought in other writers to "touch it up". Which introduced "The twins", etc. Much like Joss Whedons Alien: Resurrection script that got butchered to the point that he didnt want his name on it anymore.
    If you look at the films/shows where they maintained creative control(Fringe) or even had other writers that respected the writing(Star Trek). Their work and style shines through and is pretty great stuff.
  • Napiertt, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2Seriously zwendkos, the "plot" for Star Trek was absolute rubbish!
  • trendygamer, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2I've never been so confused as to how I feel about a pair of screenwriters. I so thoroughly enjoyed Star Trek, and was so horribly disappointed last night by Transformers 2, that I just don't know what to think. And to have the movies come out so close to each other as to make direct comparisons easy just makes it more mind-boggling. How can someone poop unicorns and....poop....at the same time?
  • SpeedSteamBoat, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2Where they've always been, on the over-rated shelf.
  • T8erT0T, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2The Autobots and Deceptocons will fight for the Locnar trophy of her boobs?
  • RadicalEdward, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2you forgot to add megan fox
  • LilRabbitFooFoo, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2#2 Why would the villain put his arch enemy on ANOTHER planet so he can watch the destruction of his home world, when it would be MUCH more satisfying to be standing right next to him to watch his anguish...you know...like they actually did with another, less meaningful to the story arc, character?

    Don't
    Get
    Me
    Started
  • donkevin, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2MICHAEL BAY-SPLOSIONS!
  • greensky, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2Rottentomatoes.com has it pegged at 20%. That's pretty dang bad.
  • beetrixi, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2It took two guys to "write" that *****?
  • falstaff, on 06/24/2009, -0/+2I was closing my eyes and keeping my fingers crossed that Transformers could be a decent popcorn flick, but if there are even 1/10 as many problems as Eagle Eye, I'm in for a major disappointment.
  • babyheadout, on 06/24/2009, -1/+3That can't hear any of you because they're busy counting money and banging hot chicks.
  • LilRabbitFooFoo, on 06/24/2009, -0/+1It's score has been dropping DAILY as more reviewers see it and weigh in...
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