The apparent trend of trying to appease Chinese-government officials in hopes of securing some of the world’s second-largest box office continues. After Paramount changed a minor plot point in the Brad Pitt zombie apocalypse feature World War Z (to blame another country for causing the attack) and Marvel and Disney allowed government officials on the set of Iron Man 3 to “monitor filming,” Michael Bay and Paramount have seemingly launched a four-pronged campaign to woo the Chinese market during the making of Transformers 4.
The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the fourth film in the popular franchise will “be a Chinese co-production involving the inclusion of some Chinese content,” will be partially filmed in China, and will feature four Chinese actors cast on a Chinese reality show created entirely for that purpose. The literally titled Transformers 4 Chinese Actor Talent Search will begin in June 2013 with the goal of casting two actors with professional acting experience and two without. Sadly, the judging panel will not feature Megan Fox, any Victoria’s Secret models, or robots with an eye for talent, but instead the film’s actual casting director and producers associated with the project. The four winners will not be the only cast members representing China, however; the producers add that the contestants “will join a number of talented Chinese actors and actresses” in Transformers 4. On top of that, indieWire reports that “Chinese censors will apparently consult on the project to make sure ‘that the Chinese military are depicted as a highly competent group of super-fighters.’” So that too.
Bay has good reason for including Chinese filmmakers, actors, and locations in the making of his next Transformers movie. The last installment in the franchise, Dark of the Moon, grossed $165 million in China alone.
Transformers 4 is scheduled for a June 2014 release.
