Megan Fox dropped from third 'Transformers'

LOS ANGELES – Megan Fox, who made her name as Shia LaBeouf's sultry love interest in the first two "Transformers" movies, has been dropped from the third.

Paramount Pictures said Wednesday that Fox's option was not picked up for part three in the blockbuster Michael Bay series. The studio, which released the first two movies about shape-shifting machines doing battle, declined to give further details or say who would replace the 24-year-old actress.

Fox's publicist, Dominique Appel, did not return a message left at her office seeking comment.

Fox, notorious for making attention-grabbing comments to the media, engaged in a public spat with director Bay around the release of part two last summer. But Bay later defended her and said he looked forward to working with her on part three.

In announcing "Transformers 3" in October on his blog, http://www.michaelbay.com, he wrote: "P.S. Megan Fox, welcome back. I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture."

"Transformers" from 2007 and the 2009 sequel "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" have made more than $1.5 billion worldwide. Production is scheduled to begin this month on the third installment, with a release date set for July 1, 2011, Paramount said.

Fox also starred last year as the title character in "Jennifer's Body," playing a possessed cheerleader who preys on high school boys. The movie, written by Oscar-winning "Juno" writer Diablo Cody, made a disappointing $16.2 million domestically.

Next, Fox will star opposite Josh Brolin and John Malkovich in the supernatural Western "Jonah Hex," scheduled for release June 18.

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