By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Director Michael Bay, who recently visited Seoul with actors Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf to promote ``Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’’ (Transformers 2), issued a formal letter of apology for the delayed premiere and press conference.
The Hollywood stars flew in through Gimpo International Airport on the evening of June 8. Their delayed flight, poor road conditions due to heavy rain and rush hour traffic meant the red carpet event in downtown Seoul started an hour and a half late. More than 2,000 fans and press waited while local organizers provided no coherent explanation.
While the holdup for the premiere was not unreasonable given the circumstances, nevertheless, when the press conference the following morning was also postponed for almost 30 minutes, criticism mounted and some reporters were seen leaving.
``The cause of my being 30 minutes late to the press conference the following day was singularly due to me,’’ wrote the 44-year-old director in a letter released by CJ Entertainment, the domestic distributor of Transformers 2. The event, organizers tried to explain at the time, was running late because one of the three stars had not yet arrived. Bay said he had pulled a muscle in his back the previous day and ``was in serious pain’’ but ``did not want anyone to know.’’
``When we all reached the premiere two hours late, 600 Korean fans were waiting for us in the pouring rain. I was very touched by this. On stage, I called the Korean fans the greatest in the world _ because you are,’’ he wrote.
``Of all the countries I’ve visited over the years, I consider Korean press and fans to be my biggest supporters, and for that reason I specifically asked Paramount to make time for me to come to Seoul, even though I had to fly back to America to finish the movie,’’ he said. The movie presented at the premiere was not the final version, he explained.
``I’m excited to finally release (Transformers 2) around the world, especially in Korea, where the first movie was loved more than in any other country,’’ he said. The first franchise, released here in 2007, became the biggest grossing foreign film in the history of the Korean box office, which in terms of market size ranks sixth in the world.
``I am truly sorry for any offense caused, and I look forward to my next visit to Korea,’’ he said. Free tickets were distributed to fans that waited in the rain.
Tranformers 2 is slated for worldwide release June 24. The first movie is currently replaying at CGV Theaters nationwide.