The Transformers franchise has been one heck of a roller coaster ride. Michael Bay’s first Transformers movie that hit the big screen in 2007, took the world by storm. It grossed over $US 700 million at the box office and garnered positive reviews as well. It was also the most mindblowing movie 14-year-old me had seen in cinemas. However, it all went downhill from there. While Bay’s consequent Transformers movies continued to smash it at the global box office (particularly in China), they floundered in terms of quality.
Bay amped up his Bay-isms leading to a bunch of messy, convoluted, somewhat nonsensical movies scattered with racist jokes and bouncing breasts. After four movies, even the casual audiences decided they had enough. Transformers: The Last Knight cost Paramount Studio close to $US 100 million in losses.
The studio then decided to regroup and start over, which birthed Bumblebee, which is arguably the second-best live-action Transformers movie to date. While the film was a huge critical success and also grossed over $US 467 million worldwide, it may not have grossed as much as Paramount might’ve been hoping for.
Could that be the reason why it appears as if Paramount is once again trying to figure out what to do with the franchise? According to Variety, Paramount Pictures are looking to revamp the Transformers franchise in a huge way and is currently developing two separate scripts altogether, one by James Vanderbilt (Murder Mystery) and one by Joby Harold (John Wick 3). Details behind both scripts are still unclear and no directors have been attached to the projects just yet. Sources also tell Variety that the projects will most likely feature new casts.
I’m desperately hoping that Paramount decides to continue where Bumblebee left off. The movie was legit awesome and had the feel of the old school animated series. Let’s not get our hopes up, though, as it once again seems like the studio will be rebooting the franchise.
