Paramount has big plans for the future of Transformers, with many fans already looking ahead to seeing what the next Transformers movie is after Transformers One. Michael Bay helped launch the Transformers franchise in 2007 with stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. Although Fox left after just two films, LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky remained the focus for the first trilogy.
During this era, the series achieved peak popularity, as Transformers: Dark of the Moon made more than $1.1 billion at the box office worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). Transformers entered a new era without LaBeouf with Transformers: Age of Extinction. Mark Wahlberg became the new face of the Transformers movies, and he returned to star in Transformers: The Last Knight.
That proved to be the end of Michael Bay’s time with the franchise. 2018 saw Bumblebee hit theaters with Hailee Steinfeld in the lead, followed by another prequel movie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, with Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback. While the franchise recently moved into animation with Transformers One, there are plenty more big plans for the franchise ahead.
Transformers 8 (Release Date TBD)
Paramount has already confirmed that Transformers 8 is in the works as part of a new trilogy that Transformers: Rise of the Beasts kicked off. Details on the eighth movie are scarce at the moment. It is not confirmed if Steven Caple Jr. will return to direct the film or if Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback’s characters will return.
The next Transformers movie should continue the story from Rise of the Beasts. It does not have a release date, but the early announcement could indicate the next few years. New details confirmed that it will feature a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover, so it will likely expand on the story set up by Transformers: Rise of the Beasts‘ ending.
Caple Jr. has spoken about the opportunity and said if he returns, he wants to also deal with additional Transformers factions on other planets. He said he wants to explore the origins more, and detail more about their creator, Primus. It will mark the inception of a new narrative direction for the franchise.
Transformers 9 (Release Date TBD)
Transformers 9 is also in development, wrapping up the new Transformers trilogy commenced by Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Like its immediate predecessor, there are no further details on what the upcoming Transformers movies are about or who will be involved. It is expected that the movie will expand the Beast Wars universe in some fashion.
This could include the threat Unicron possesses after his story was left open in Rise of the Beasts. Paramount has not announced a Transformers 9 release date, but it likely won’t arrive until 2028 or 2029 unless it is filmed back-to-back with Transformers 8.
Transformers & G.I. Joe Crossover Movie (TBD)
There have long been discussions about a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie. Though Transformers and G.I. Joe have united in comics and animated series, the first hint of their live-action film crossover occurred at the end of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, when Anthony Ramos’ Noah is offered a position at the G.I. Joe organization.
There is little information about the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie. Since Rise of the Beasts offers a brief tease, the full-length film could go in any direction. It seems that Anthony Ramos will play a part in it, along with Michael Kelly’s Agent Burke. Previously known G.I. Joe characters will likely be replaced with a new cast.
Interestingly, Transformers‘ producer Lorenzo di Bonaventure has also teased (via Collider) that instead of treading the same path as Michael Bay’s movies, the upcoming Transformers live-action movie will emphasize fleshing out the titular robotic characters. Achieving this may be challenging since the movie will also introduce the G.I. Joe characters.
However, the producer hopes the crossover will find the right balance by answering two crucial questions: “Well, how much of the Joes do you want? And how much of the Transformers do you want?” He also said that it would be the next movie for the Transformers property.
Bumblebee 2 (Unconfirmed)
Paramount was also at one point developing Bumblebee 2. The sequel to 2018’s movie was reportedly in the works shortly after its release and positive reception. No writer was ever revealed for the project, although it was believed that Joby Harold’s Transformers script was a Bumblebee sequel.
This turned out to be Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which makes it unclear if Bumblebee 2 is happening. A direct Bumblebee sequel featuring Hailee Steinfeld’s Charlie seems unlikely based on what happened at the end of the last movie, which involved Bumblebee‘s canon-disrupting ending.
Transformers One Sequel (Canceled)
Transformers One paves the way for not just one but many potential follow-ups. For instance, Megatron warns Prime in the film’s closing that their war is far from over. With this as a narrative cue, a potential sequel could walk through how the events of Transformers One gradually lead to the War for Cybertron.
Since Transformers One scratches the surface of the secrets and creatures on Cybertron, a potential sequel could also delve deeper into the planet’s lore. With so much left to uncover, it would not be surprising if Transformers One makes room for a potential animated trilogy. The Transformers franchise’s producer, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, also seems enthusiastic about continuing the movie series.
In an interview with ScreenRant, Bonaventura confirmed that if Transformers One is successful, they are going to do a sequel for it. He believes they have already created the beginning of a solid story for the second film, which, like the first, will be character “character-based.” Here’s his full statement:
Number one, if we’re successful with this movie, we’re going to do a sequel for this. And we already have, I think, the beginnings of a really interesting story for the second one, which is also character-based, the way the first [is].
While Transformers One is one of the least expensive Transformers movies and earned some of the strongest reviews in the franchise, its box office results have so far been less than expected. While the reviews could make for strong word-of-mouth, the underperformance caused Paramount Animation to back out of the trilogy.
Ángel Manuel Soto’s Transformers Movie
While the sequels to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts are not scrapped, there are already plans underway to make a different live-action Transformers movie. Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto revealed that he was approached by the studio to make the next movie in the franchise, which was likely what Rise of the Beasts ended up being.
However, when Soto was uninterested in the existing script, he pitched a new idea (via Collider):
“I pitched them an idea. I read a script, I didn’t like it, and I pitched them a whole different idea, and they liked it, but then it was too late. So they told me, ‘Yeah, we cannot do your idea, but we like your idea, so we want you to write the idea and then direct it.’ So, we’ve been in that process, but the writers’ strike happened. [Laughs] It will be different, it will be different.”
Soto’s comments suggest that he was ready to take the franchise in a completely new direction. Given that there are already animated movies and a GI Joe crossover in the works, it would be surprising if the studio was ready to go down a third new path as well.
However, as of February 2024, the new live-action Transformers movie from Soto still seemed to be in development with producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura offering a cautious update:
“We’re waiting for the script is where we’re going. Thank you for asking. We don’t know yet, so we have to read a script. We don’t have one yet. “
Will Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Last Knight Sequel Happen? (Unconfirmed)
There was also a lingering question about the possibility of Transformers: The Last Knight getting a sequel. Michael Bay and Paramount had plans to make sixth and seventh installments of the franchise, but shortly after Transformers: The Last Knight‘s release, plans changed. The result has been the Bay era of movies taking a backseat.
However, Paramount could revisit the idea of continuing the Transformers franchise in the present day at a later point, even if that means pushing forward without Michael Bay’s involvement. However, with Unicron an important part of Beast Wars, Michael Bay’s movies likely won’t happen.
The New Transformers Movies Won’t Feature LaBeouf Or Wahlberg
Despite the upcoming Transformers movies, none of them will feature Shia LaBeouf, and Mark Wahlberg is also reportedly done with the Transformers franchise. The initial decision not to return came from Labeouf, who felt that Sam’s story was complete and had run its course. This didn’t sit massively well with viewers though.
Wahlberg is also through with his portrayal of Cade Yeager, with reports as far back as 2017 confirming at a charity screening of Transformers: The Last Knight that it was his final offering (via boston.com). The idea of non-Michael-Bay Transformers movies didn’t appeal to him.
That being said, neither lead was ever really going to upstage the giant, clattering Autobots and Decepticons. Therefore, it was easy for the Transformers movies to invest some creative energy into its leads and provide a robust human element to counterbalance the presence of the Bots, which Rise of the Beasts did with Anthony Ramos’ character Noah.
It was also necessary to make the changes since the Rise of the Beasts movie took place in the past, and only Charlie from Bumblebee could have logistically returned. Whether Noah returns for the rest of the trilogy remains to be seen.
Michael Bay Is Making A New Transformers Movie
In what has to be shocking news for the Transformers franchise, Michael Bay is returning to the franchise. While the idea of the Last Knight sequel was prevalent, this new deal is for a new movie. While his last movie was a box office disappointment, it still made $605 million worldwide, and all his films have grossed $4.3 billion.
With the box office totals sliding after Bay left, the studio seems to want to see if he can bring interest back to the franchise. However, at this time, there is no word on whether he will direct the movie or just produce it. Jordan VanDina (The Binge) is the screenwriter.
It is also not known if Bay is going to continue his movies from where he left off, from the Rise of the Beasts storyline, or just take things in a new direction. This is also hugely important because Paramount will lose the film rights if there is no production on a new film by 2029.
A Josh Cooley Film Is Also In Development
Josh Cooley, who directed the Transformers One animated film, has reportedly signed on to direct an upcoming live-action Transformers film. This came after he dropped the bad news that Paramount Animation was not interested in continuing his animated trilogy past the first movie.
Puck News reports that there are five Transformers movies in the works, and one of them is the Cooley live-action movie. That said, there is no word on what this film is going to be. Based on the critical success of Transformers One, he could be bringing something new to the table.
However, there is also a chance that he could be working on the next installment in the Rise of the Beasts trilogy, or he could possibly even be moving on to the big crossover movie with G.I. Joe. While Michael Bay is working on his own movie, having Cooley continue his Transformers work is equally exciting.
Sources: Box Office Mojo, Collider, boston.com, Puck News
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