Michael Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for directing high-budget action-adventure films characterized for their fast edits and substantial use of practical effects. Bay's first feature film, Bad Boys (1995), became a success as did his follow-up films, The Rock (1996) and Armageddon (1998).
Producer/writer James Cameron was rumored to have completed a screenplay for a new Planet of the Apes movie by November 1998, with Arnold Schwarzenegger earmarked for the lead. Michael Bay was suggested as director, but Peter Hyams (Capricorn One, 2010) was ultimately chosen. However in December, Fox rejected Hyams as director and Cameron, disillusioned, quit the project.[1]
20th Century Fox went back to the drawing-board to figure out a new direction and began meeting with several top directors and writers. In March 1999, William Broyles Jr. (China Beach, Apollo 13) agreed to write a script "when I found out I could have an extensive amount of creative control".[2] Fox projected a release date of July 2001, and Stan Winston continued to develop animatronic makeup masks. Michael Bay was again reported as director, but soon turned down the director's position to helm Pearl Harbor.[1] The project, provisionally titled 'The Visitor', was inherited by director Tim Burton in February 2000. Bay went on to direct the profitable Transformers movies.
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