In this day and age of big-budget visual spectacles packed film industry, it has kind of become a necessity to go above and beyond anything that others have done, which is exactly what Shia LaBeouf did when he was chosen to play the lead protagonist in the extraordinarily successful Transformers franchise with director Michael Bay helming the projects.
And right on the mark, with LaBeouf’s intensity-filled action chops and Bay’s directorial experience and nature, the original trilogy did wonders in the industry and became one of the most valuable franchises in the world. But this success wasn’t the result of an easy shooting process, in fact, on one occasion, the main star’s life was on the line since he placed his trust in his director.
Shia LaBeouf Was Almost Torn To Shreds In Transformers
Known for creating some of the most over-the-top, adrenaline-pumping action films in the industry, filmmaker Michael Bay brought us the first Transformers film back in 2007 with Shia LaBeouf playing the role of the main protagonist Sam Witwicky in the movie. Along with actress Megan Fox in the supporting role and the director’s extravagantly curated set pieces and visual spectacles, it became an instant hit in the eyes of the public. But when the main actor reminisces about the first film, all he remembers at first is how he was saved from a dangerous fate.
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With a very high budget and an impactful film to create, the Bad Boys director left no stone unturned and no length unscaled when he was making the first film of the franchise. This included aerial gunships, explosions, and everything else that would be required to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Here, the Fury star was also dealing with attack dogs that were vicious by nature. While shooting one scene in its third take, one of the dogs was unleashed and chased the star around with the intent to kill him. He recalled the incident, saying:
“Thank God I’m really fast. [Bay’s] telling me, ‘Don’t worry. It’s safe.’ Action gets called. Attack dogs run, run, run, run! First take goes great. Second take goes great. [An attack dog] ran past the [trainer] with the arm brace and chased me around the set. They had to attack the dogs. They had to tackle them. The dog was 200 pounds. They would’ve killed me. It would have been somebody else in the part. Yeah. Welcome to ‘Transformers.'”
This was the only time that LaBeouf felt that his life was in danger, as he wasn’t as sacred when he was running through explosions.
Will Shia LaBeouf Return To The Transformers Franchise?
It has been quite a few years since we last saw the star as the lead protagonist of the Transformers franchise, which also led to the introduction of new stars from the industry to take the reigns of the protagonist in the series. As for if we can see him again as Sam Witwicky is highly unlikely since he has clarified his intentions of not returning to the franchise in the future, the reason being he feels that these films have become irrelevant in recent times.
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Transformers, streaming on Direct TV.
Source: Chicago Tribune
