Is this the first teaser poster for Transformers 3?

I’m almost immediately skeptical of any poster sent in by a scooper, especially when it’s for a film that’s highly anticipated among the fanboy crowd (they’re fond of Photoshopping stuff – who new?). But there are a couple of reasons why I think this TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON poster is the real deal.

First, it skips all the obvious hallmarks of fake posters. Most fake posters try to convince us they’re real by overdoing it with poster-y kinda stuff like logos and fancy titling. What we have here is simple and not trying to convince anyone of anything. Also, most teaser posters try to disguise their poor Photoshop work in shadows but here we get a rather up close and personal look at Optimus Prime with a very Michael Bay-ish sun glare between his legs. Finally, the marketing campaign kicks off next week with the debut of the teaser trailer (with TRON: LEGACY) so the timing makes sense.

I’ve contacted Paramount to check on the authenticity of this poster so stay tuned as we learn more. For now, take a look and let me know what you think.

UPDATE – As vtxjosh points out in the comments below, this poster was seen in-person at the 2010 Licensing International Expo and this is an official version of that banner. Whether it will be something that hangs in your theater lobby remains to be seen. But it IS legit.