Drift film role fires writer
The boyhood dream of Perth comic book writer Shane McCarthy came true recently when a Transformers character he created got a starring role in the fourth film in the blockbuster franchise Transformers: Age of Extinction.
"The 10-year-old me was very excited to see it happen," McCarthy said about seeing his comic book creation, the Autobot named Drift, on the big screen.
"I heard he was going to be in the film quite a while ago, but hearing his name and seeing him up there was exciting."
A new character in the successful yet critically crucified series, Drift transforms into a Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse that 'drifts' around corners. It is voiced by The Last Samurai star Ken Watanabe.
The writer admits he was disappointed by the film and offended by the way his character was changed to a Samurai warrior.
"Drift in the comics isn't Japanese at all but in the film he's a Japanese stereotype with a yellow face," McCarthy said.
"But despite my misgivings about how much they changed him or the movie in general, it was a thrill."
McCarthy, 38, has written Transformers, Star Wars, Batman, X-Men and Daredevil comics from Perth for more than a decade.
Transformers: Age of Extinction has now made more than $1 billion worldwide, but McCarthy will not be pocketing any of its profits.
"I don't get any credit or compensation for the character's appearance in the film as he's owned by (toy company) Hasbro," he said.
