According to Barracuda Labs, you might want to avoid Hasbro.com for the next week or so as it seems the site is pushing malicious software (viruses, malware). I have no idea if Hasbro is aware of the problem and working on it. Considering companies in general loathe to acknowledge bad news of any kind, it may be hard to tell when the site will be safe again. So until they get up to speed and fix the problem, its just safer to not visit the website. This could be a larger problem than normal since Transformers: Age of Extinction teaser trailer is coming tonight and that may drive traffic to their site. No mention is made if their online store, HasbroToyShop.com but might be best to avoid any Hasbro site until they do a security sweep of their site servers. More details at the article, highlights below. Thanks to Wynton R. for the link.

A week ago (on Monday, January 20), as well as on January 14, 11, and 10, Hasbro’s website pushed malicious software to visitors’ computers. As with the Cracked.com compromise a week prior, the incident was the result of direct site compromise, and affected users were unlikely to have recognized that their computers were infected. For reference, below is a screenshot of Barracuda Labs’ malicious URL detection environment after a successful attack.

...Upon successful exploitation, a payload is installed that is not well detected (both Symantec and Trend flag the malicious executable as benign).

Given the frequency with which Hasbro’s website has recently served drive-by downloads, Barracuda Labs recommends that users refrain from visiting the site until its operators have confirmed it is again safe.

If you are bored, MichaelBay.com has posted a quick poll thats asks "Which is your favorite Transformers so far?". Considering we don't know the character names for most of the new vehicles being used in Transformers 4, I decided to interpret the question as "what is your favorite new alt mode vehicle?". The vehicle line-up is here. You can vote here. If voting on favorite TF from the list, Optimus Prime is an easy win but if choosing favorite vehicle from list then my choice is the Bugatti. What is yours?

This is a "cheat sheet" for Transformers 4 that attempts to summarize the details on the movie as it comes in. As a result consider this a Spoiler Warning. Verified means the information either came from someone associated with the film (an actor, director, producer, etc.) or through mainstream press (CNN, THR, etc.) so unlikely to be false (but no guarantees). Feel free to comment on any inaccuracies or new info that isn't reflect in the sheet. The below is ultimately speculation and rumor until officially confirmed through those with the production of the film.
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JoBlo.com is reporting their sources have revealed some of the potential Transformers characters and brief story points that might be in Transformers 4. JoBlo's track record is iffy at best but that doesn't mean this isn't one of the times they get it right so spoiler warning. None of this is remotely confirmed so take it with a grain of salt. If the previous movies are any indication, it will be a while before we have any real information on what TF characters will be in the movie. Thanks to Wynton R. for the heads-up.

Rumored TF Characters:
• Optimus Prime - rides Grimlock into battle in Hong Kong
• Bumblebee - rides Swoop into battle in Hong Kong
• Grimlock and the Dinobots - as Autobots somehow "brought back to life by a captured Optimus Prime"
• Lockdown - as Decepticon
• Hound - as Autobot
• Drift - as former Decepticon, now Autobot trying to regain his honor (yep the IDW comic character)
• Galvatron - "basically Megatron reborn"; unclear if summarizing the character as potentially used in the movie or his Transformers: The Movie (1986) origin

Examiner.com is reporting that Transformers 4 is expected to start principal photography "beginning late May, 2013" and as started looking for extras in the area and LA for the film. In addition, while summarizing the casting of the film, they provided the name of Mark Wahlberg's father character as Flynn Vincent joining the only other named role of Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer). Details on the Austin extras casting is here. Thanks to Sam and Wynton for the heads-up.

You can add Austin, Texas area to the list of locations that Transformers 4 will be shooting this summer. According to Dallas News (via Seibertron), sometime in June the production will be in the small towns of Lockhart, Taylor, Elgin and Pfugnerville. In Taylor the plan is to close downtown and a railroad overpass with a car explosion set for Robinson Park. For Lockhart, the Caldwell County Courthouse will be used. The cities are part of a chase between the Autobots and Decepticons through Central Texas. Filming is expected to start in June (location unknown) with production hitting Detroit, Chicago, Hong Kong, and other unknown locations in China.

Speaking of Chicago, Bay was spotted scouting locations in the city on April 25th. Locations he and his crew checked out include LaSalle Street near Randolph Street up to the Board of Trade Building. Not sure what can gleam from that story wise but mostly reinforces that TF4 is coming soon to the area. Thanks to Wynton R. for the links.

Twitch.tv has posted an (unconfirmed) overview of the shooting schedule for Transformers 4. It seems the movie will have an almost five month shooting schedule from June to October. The production will be in Chicago and Michigan for June, July and August plans not specified, then in September head to Hong Kong, and then mainland China in October as part of the co-production agreement between Paramount and the country. The site said that Michael Bay is interested in shooting in Sham Shui Po district west of North West Kowloon which is described as "one of the oldest and most densely populated areas of Hong Kong." Thanks to Wynton R. for the link.

In two separate articles, Michael Bay discussed Transformers 4. Nothing was revealed about the story but he mentioned that he starts filming in Detroit in late May/early June, that GM cars will continued to be part of the franchise, and that there are plans to film in Hong Kong.

Also here is the last version of the TF4 Autobot logo created by Pixel Rally's Jeffrey Marshall. Just like the previous two, these are not official logos from Hasbro or Paramount but maybe they should consider how good they look. All three of them can be found here in various sizes. Make sure to give him and his site credit if use them elsewhere.

Detroit Free Press:

“I’ll be there in a month and a half,” says the director of his plans to shoot a big chunk of the fourth “Transformers” movie in metro Detroit.

“We’re going to be shooting at stages, we’re going to be shooting around the city, we’re going to be shooting at GM a bit,” says Bay, who knows the city well and credits it with having a lot of good locations.

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Transformers 4 is getting ever close to the start of principal photography sometime in late May as the Michigan Motion Picture Studios has begun to build sets for the film. The 535,000 square foot facility in Pontiac, MI is just one of many locations that Transformers 4 will be filming at. Thanks to Wynton R. for the link.

As for this very cool Autobot logo with a touch of color, it was created by Pixel Rally's Jeffrey Marshall. It is not an official logo from Paramount or Hasbro. If use it for something, make sure to him and his site credit. A few his alternate designs can be found here.

"They are in the process of pre-production right now," Wenson told MLive Detroit, when asked if Bay's film crew is in town. "They are filming in several other states, too. The majority of their shooting, I believe, will be done in the state of Michigan.

"In addition to working on our stages, they’ll also be working throughout the state at different locations. We’re really excited that they’re here. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to service another film.”

IMAX has announced at CinemaCon that they and Paramount have a five picture deal to shoot film sequences using IMAX cameras, including Transformers 4. Standard film is shot in 35mm while IMAX is 70mm. The last time Michael Bay filmed in true IMAX was for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It is suggested only on some sequences will be shot in real IMAX, not the entire film. While Transformers: Dark of the Moon was shown in IMAX theaters, it was not naively filmed that way. Transformers 4 is already planning on being shot with Real 3D cameras.

In the video interview (below) with Collider, Michael Bay spoke about returning to the IMAX format for "showcase scenes" as TF4 will be the first to use the next generation of smaller, better IMAX 3D digital cameras. He also said he would not being shooting in 48FPS (as used by The Hobbit).
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While its not much to go on, Michael Bay provided a micro-tease for Transformers 4 that starts filming in a month or so. He told ComingSoon that the plot of the movie is a "Chase from Hell." Hopefully more details might emerge as Bay makes the rounds to promote his film Pain & Gain that is coming out on April 26th. Feel free to speculate in the comments exactly what he means with his tease.

As for the logo attached to this post it was created by Pixel Rally's Jeffrey Marshall. It is NOT an official new logo from Paramount or Hasbro even though it looks so awesome I understand if others might think so. If grabbing it to post elsewhere, please make sure to give him and his site credit. Also thanks to Jeff for the new banner at the top of the blog. He provided a few other Autobot versions that I will also post in the future.

A few weeks ago it was reported that Transformers 4 production team was scouting the GM Weld Tool Center in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Now Michigan Live is reporting the team has decided to pass due to scheduling conflicts. The plant is closing in July but apparently production needed to to use the site before then. Of note is a comment about there was also some discussion about leaving some equipment behind for part of the film." It seems that while TF4 needed the space minus employees getting in the way, it also wanted the industrial equipment for whatever the set would have become. Bay loves his big machines so be interesting to see what site they chose instead. Thanks to Wynton R. for the link.

An update on Michael Bay's official website Shoot for the Edit has a new post on April 1st that simply says "Transformers 4, 5, & 6 will begin filming back to back starting June 2013. More details to follow." The site admin Nelson later commented in the forums saying, "When was the last time you saw us joke around here?" when asked if the post was part of April Fools Day.
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Fanshare.com is reporting that Shia LaBeouf is returning to Transformers 4. He would not be playing Sam Witwicky from the first three movies but instead play the voice of an unknown Autobot character. Not quotes, sources or other information is provided so take this with a grain of salt. It is something I could see Shia and director Michael Bay doing for giggles as it would be easy enough to change up his voice just enough to avoid making the audience think "Sam" or even just have Bumblebee use it to fill out his radio spoken sequences. Or its just an April Fool's Joke (after all the best one have a possibility of truth to them). Thanks to Wynton R. for the link.

At a the premiere of G.I. Joe: Retaliation that just came out, Transformers and Joe producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura answered a few questions about the movie including the suggestion of a G.I. Joe vs Transformers movie. He said that he starts on Transformers 4 "at the end of May."

On a not really related note, he also said while he would be open to a G.I. Joe vs Transformers movie if the story was right, he doubts it will happen. So do I, the budget alone would make it non-starter even assuming a great story that could juggle that many characters could be written. Read More »

According to a tweet from Matt_Boyd, "Yellow signs for a production named 'E7' off the highway near Raleigh Studios in Pontiac, Michigan." The yellow "E7" signs where used to mark the production locations of the three previous films (pic example from ROTF) so not a leap to assume this is for Transformers 4. Since its still early for principle photography to start, its likely pre-production prep but 2nd unit could be getting an early start. (via OLV)

Michael Bay's Shoot for The Edit twitter account has confirmed "#transformers4 to be filmed in 3D." Since this is Bay I am taking the small leap that this means with real 3D cameras so no post-production conversion that can be hit or miss depending on money budgeted for it. The news isn't exactly a surprise since Transformers: Dark of the Moon was also filmed in 3D and the 3D craze remains for Hollywood with no signs of going away.

Now that we know that Michigan and the Detroit area is one of the states that Transformers 4 production will be filming the question now is what locations. According to MLive.com one of them might be the General Motors Tool Center in Grand Blanc Township. The plant is going to be shut down in July so after that it would give Bay the freedom to what he wants without daily operations getting in the way. TF4 crew scouted the locations but no contracts have been signed so this just one of probably many places that Bay and company are looking at. Thanks to Sam N. for the link.

The Michigan Film Office has issued a press release verifying that Transformers 4 is returning to the state to film. Based on the $20 million tax credit on the rather precise figure of $81,933,992 that is expected to spent filming TF4, it indicates that the production will spend a significant amount of its schedule in the state. Previously Transformers and Transformers 3 production spent a few weeks in Detroit area filming various scenes. With the release is an interesting new description on the plot of the film.

As humanity picks up the pieces, following the conclusion of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Autobots and Decepticons have all but vanished from the face of the planet. However, a group of powerful, ingenious businessman and scientists attempt to learn from past Transformer incursions and push the boundaries of technology beyond what they can control – all while an ancient, powerful Transformer menace sets Earth in his crosshairs. The epic adventure and battle between good and evil, freedom and enslavement ensues.

I suspect Unicron fans will be all over the last two sentences.

Wrecked Magazine is reporting that Hasbro's Transformers will sponsor Otto Graven and his "Ultimate 86" Formula D Scion FRS vehicle.  While not stated, chances are this will be the vehicle that Jack Reynor's race car driving character will have for Transformers 4. It might also clear a copyright hurdle as all the vehicles used in Transformers 4 would have to be signed off on by their corporate creators. (via TFW2005)