Universal Studios to Launch 'Transformers' Ride

Megan Fox will not be included, but Universal Parks and Resorts has clasped hands with DreamWorks and Hasbro to create a Transformers attraction at its Universal Studios parks in Hollywood and Singapore. In a strange move, the Singapore location will open the attraction first. I went to the press tour for the Universal christening of the T2 ride, and I'd like to visit Singapore, so maybe these two independent ideas can work something out.We'll see 3D-HD footage on the ride, with oodles of special effects and robotics that will put fans right in the middle of a big Autobots/Decepticon battle. As part of the attraction, the Transformers will, apparently, transform.I wonder how much of this has to do with Steven Spielberg, who recently took DreamWorks away from Paramount and signed a sweet distribution deal at Universal. He is, as you're probably aware, an executive producer of the Michael Bay-directed series, which will probably be a trilogy, and if I had to guess, I'd say that third film will open about a month or two after the debut of this attraction in Hollywood in 2011. Let's also not turn a blind eye to Spielberg's history at the theme park, with Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, War of the Worlds, and E.T. all making the transition to fairground attractions. We don't have a ballpark estimate for how much this will cost, but Variety says The Simpsons Ride was a $40 million project, and you can expect this to be well above that. Transformers will replace the Backdraft and special effects soundstages in Hollywood, while in Singapore, the entire theme park will be located at the still-unfinished Resorts World at Sentosa.

Comments

[Lost Wilson]

Farewell to Backdraft, the most irrelevant of Universal Studios rides!