Greed In Disguise

Looks like they are planning to make a live-action Transformers movie, which makes me very very happy, if it is done properly of course. Everyone knows money is the ultimate motive behind the decision. This is capitalism we are talking about! But still, I find it hard to stomache the amount of crass commercialism exhibited in the story:

Added DeSanto: "Transformers is one of the properties I have been infatuated with for a long time. Like 'X-Men,' Transformers offers an amazing mythology with all the elements to create a successful ongoing franchise, iconic characters, global themes and a world that has never been seen before onscreen."

"We loved the creative take that Tom and Don presented to us," said Jane Ritson-Parsons, president of the Hasbro Properties Group. "And for Hasbro, the center of our corporate strategy is extending our core brands in a variety of entertainment forms ... This is a franchise where the next story arc and the next destination is on the big screen."

"Properties"? "Franchise"? "Corporate strategy"? "Core brands"? We are talking about the coolest robots ever imagined!! They can transform into cars, planes, and other cool shit. I don't think "franchise" was in my vocabulary when I got hooked on "Transformers." This story just makes me more cynical and disillusioned. Sigh.