WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After two spins with Megan Fox, the Transformers just needed a change.
This from producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, addressing Fox's abrupt departure from Transformers 3, which is now shooting in Chicago.
Speculation had focused on Fox's stormy relationship with director Michael Bay -- in one well-publicized interview she compared him to Hitler -- but di Bonaventura says the decision was about keeping the franchise fresh.
"We really wanted to avoid the staleness of the third movie," he says, referring to the fate that befalls most second sequels.
"We wanted Megan to return, but it had to progress the story forward and we didn't all see eye-to-eye on that."
So Fox is out, replaced by Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
"One of the things that's going to be fun about the third movie is that you've got John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Patrick Dempsey and Rosie now," di Bonaventura says, listing off new actors joining Shia LaBeouf. "I think what that does is bring a new focus on the storytelling, so hopefully that will be fun for the audience."
Transformers 3 is scheduled to open next summer.
More Artists
