By Sarah Cortina

Arts & Culture Jul. 04, 2009 - 03:00AM JST ( 1 )

TOKYO —

With the success of the first “Transformers” movie in 2007 and the hype surrounding its sequel, one would be justified in assuming that a third film is in the works—especially since Paramount has already made an announcement to that effect. So it was surprising to see director Michael Bay seem a bit taken aback when that very topic came up at a recent press conference. “I’ll tell you how 3 will go,” he responded, pointing to “Transformers” star Shia LaBeouf. “We open in his bedroom… He’s dead.”

LaBeouf, 23, plays main character Sam Witwicky, an unsuspecting high-schooler thrust into the middle of a war between the robot-like Autobots and their enemies, the Decepticons. In “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” the bad guys are gone and Sam’s character has moved on to college, leaving his girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox) behind. All that changes, however, when Sam begins having visions about the origins of the Transformers. Once again, he finds himself hunted by the Decepticons—who, it turns out, aren’t quite as defeated as everyone thought.

For the second installment in the blockbuster franchise, Bay knew he needed to up the stakes. “I wanted to create an imagery that the world hasn’t seen,” the director declared. “We broke a lot of new ground with the visual effects.” The increased scope is also apparent in the variety of filming locations, including Paris, Jordan and Egypt. “We were the first movie in about 30 years to actually shoot on the pyramids,” Bay revealed. The producers received special permission from Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt’s Council of Antiquities, who is apparently a fan of the first film.

Shooting in the Egyptian desert wasn’t all fun and games, however. The stars had to perform some rather intimidating stunts, as well. “There was one scene where we were running from a thousand-gallon gas bomb,” Fox, 23, said. “And we got, like a 30-second safety briefing. ‘Just run. And don’t fall, because that would be deadly.’” The cast—LaBeouf in particular—managed to get their revenge, however, subjecting Bay to several practical jokes, including filling the director’s personal cooler with sunflower seeds.

Bay was able to take the antics in stride, however, especially since that comedic instinct was exactly what he was looking for. “I think funny moments in action movies are a really great thing,” the director explained. “So I always try to hire actors who have a great improv sensibility.” LaBeouf jumped in, adding “Every time anyone laughed at something, he’d pounce on it and say, ‘Why? Why is that funny?’ To the point that it wasn’t funny anymore.”

The tables were turned on the garrulous actor when one journalist braved the question that was undoubtedly on more than one person’s mind. Which was better, kissing Megan Fox or Isabel Lucas? “Christ!” LaBeouf exclaimed. “Thank you for that. Really—thank you.”

This story originally appeared in metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).