20 Things You Didn't Know About Transformers
2. Bay Did Not Want To Direct It
Bay initially rejected producer Steven Spielberg’s offer to direct the film, referring to it as a “stupid toy movie.” He was only swayed after spending some time at Hasbro and learning about the franchises lore. He called it 'Transformers school'.
Once convinced, Bay made the decision to move the film away from being directed at kids. Instead, he opted to make a more military oriented film, with a heavy emphasis on how the US army would respond to the invading robots. This makes sense considering Bay's background in directing films centered around the US military.