Transformers

Transformers, the long-planned, live-action movie based on the robot-morphing cartoon, comic and toy franchise, will roll into theaters July 4, 2007, DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures announced Wednesday. Michael Bay (The Island, The Rock) will direct; Steven Spielberg will executive produce.

The Transformers, a race of gigantic, shape-shifting robots, invaded planet Earth two decades ago, desperate to find life-giving fuel for their ailing civilization.

Now they're back, this time fueled by the nostalgia of Generation X.

"Transformer" Hero Brought Back to Life

From Autobots to Maximals, Hasbro's Transformers are still more than meets the eye

Hasbro Inc., which made nearly $950 million selling Transformers over the past seven years, is re-evaluating whether domestic demand is strong enough to justify costly promotion, company spokesman Wayne Charness said last week.

If you are a parent of a boy anywhere between the ages of five and 11, you probably know about Beast Wars Transformers already, a line of boys' action figures that also feature in a television program. Unlike what you might expect, however, the toys aren't spin-offs from the show. The show was created to promote the toys.