"Transformers: The Last Knight" is currently facing controversy after it was revealed that the Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, is being used for the film's production, but it has been draped with Nazi imagery. Director Michael Bay has since defended this decision.
The image first appeared in the newspaper publication The Sun, and it was pointed out that the palace appears to have been altered to be represented as a Nazi stronghold, which can be seen as a form of insult to World War II veterans.
However, speaking to BBC News, the director has explained that people are taking the images out of context and that the movie would, in fact, make Churchill proud when the full story and circumstances are taken into consideration.
Bay explained that he "would do nothing to disrespect veterans." He also went on to say that: "People have not been fortunate enough to read the script and they don't know that Churchill in this movie is a big hero. Churchill would be smiling. When you see the movie you'll understand."
The director also pointed out that he is a big supporter of military veterans and claimed that he has filmed more active duty military men and women in his movies than any other director in the world.
However, a report from Screen Rant points out that Bay has been guilty of cultural insensitivity in the past, particularly in films like "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" where two of the Autobots were criticized for being insensitive to African-Americans.
Cinema Blend states that this revelation also gives a better look at the film's plot. It was previously hinted that there will be flashbacks to the medieval period, given how important King Arthur and Merlin will be in the film. However, it is now speculated that time travel will be involved if the main characters also get to travel to the World War II era.
"Transformers: The Last Knight" is scheduled to open in theaters on June 23, 2017.
