This might have been the scene after Michael Bay logged on and saw McG's comments. Despite not being the most popular directors in Hollywood, McG and Michael Bay are helming the biggest two movies of 2009. But, like a pair of Premiership managers, the pair have commenced the pre-match mind games.

The origin for the McG Vs. Bay smackdown-in-the-making is arguable.

It might have been the moment that the Terminator: Salvation robot designers came up with this particular machine: Terminator or Transformer?
Or perhaps it officially commenced on the day that Michael Bay released this statement, on his official forum:

"Okay it's time to turn up the heat on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. We've waited low in the weeds letting all the summer movies get their stuff out. We've seen the great year end movies, and watched the upcoming clips of the upcoming summer fare.

We've seen certain movies coming out even trying to duplicate Transformer size robots in their ads. Please, come on."

McG, never one to keep his mouth shut (unless you count the Christian Bale rant, during which he said very little indeed), responded with this statement to the press:

"It bothers me to tell you the truth. Ultimately, our large robots have nothing to do with the Transformers robots."

Perhaps not content with his chosen riposte, McG has fanned the flames a little futher, having been busy talking to Digital Spy about his Terminator: Salvation.
 
"I think Transformers is a terrific picture, but that's a picture whose genesis is in a toy," McG said.

"They're sort of more colorful and optimistic and the pictures are sort of breakdancing and flips and backspins. But ours is a very different, real world."

It seems likely that the famously tempestuous Bay will feel the urge to hitback, and with both films set for release in the summer, it's going to be that much more interesting to see who wins the McG/ Bay smackdown.