‘Transformers’ cast, crew enjoy HK despite problems

HONG KONG—Led by star Mark Wahlberg, a whole new cast was brought in to give a fresh start to the blockbuster “Transformers” franchise. “Transformers: Age of Extinction” stars the actor as a mechanic who strikes up a friendship with good-guy robot Optimus Prime.

Wahlberg said the idea of joining the franchise came while he and Bay were working on last year’s film, “Pain and Gain.”

“I really wanted to work with Michael,” Wahlberg said.

At the film’s worldwide premiere in Hong Kong on Thursday, Bay praised the 43-yearold Wahlberg as a leading man with maturity and gravitas.

As a father of four, Wahlberg saw his scenes with on-screen daughter Nicola Peltz as a sign of things to come. “I’m not excited about [my daughters becoming teenagers],” he said.

Hong Kong and China play an important backdrop in the latest installment, another indication of China’s growing importance to Hollywood. The franchise’s third film, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” earned $1.1 billion at the global box office, with $165 million from China, its second biggest market after North America.

But it hasn’t been smooth. A Beijing property developer had called for the Chinese screenings to be suspended because of a sponsorship dispute, before all parties said on Monday that they’d smoothed out their differences. Beijing Pangu Investment Co. Ltd. owns the dragon-shaped Pangu Plaza featured in the film.

Production in Hong Kong was also briefly disturbed by two extortion attempts on the set last year. In one case, a man reportedly tried to throw an air-conditioning unit over Bay’s head. One assailant was later sentenced to 30 months in prison.

At a news conference Friday, Bay said he thought the sentence was harsh. “He was on drugs and he probably didn’t know what he was doing.”

Supporting actor Jack Reynor said that despite the incident, the cast and crew had a great time on set. “Our experiences of Hong Kong were all very positive ones.”