Something pretty interesting is happening with the Transformers property at the moment. After 2017’s The Last Knight saw a commercial dip for this once incredibly successful franchise, Bumblebee has given us an alternative take on the series that drew much praise and attention of critics and fans who in the past had shown little affection for Michael Bay’s overblown spectacles.
For the first time in a while, then, the idea of additional entries into the franchise isn’t a cause for mass anxiety and dread, but rather, folks are excited to see where things go from here and what comes next. And while we still don’t know exactly what Paramount’s cooking up, Transformers producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura has now offered a brief update, confirming that they won’t be making a sequel to The Last Knight, before stating that Bay is done with the franchise and won’t return for any future outings.
I think Bay has made it really clear that he loved what he did and he’s not doing anymore. So I think the answer is we’re writing a script. At that point, once we get script we have a strong belief in, then we’ll begin to debate that. Michael’s made it really clear that he didn’t want to do it. I don’t blame him. He spent a hell of a lot, a decade of his life, shooting them.
Though Di Bonaventura did at one point think they were going to make a sequel to The Last Knight, it’s good to hear that they’ve decided against it now. After all, that film had one of the most insane and hard to follow plots ever seen in a summer blockbuster, bringing together Arthurian mythology, a robot butler, Anthony Hopkins happily chewing scenery and a climax that was ridiculously difficult to follow.
And as for Bay, well, the fandom will probably be split on that – some love him, some hate him. But with the new direction the Transformers franchise is headed in, having the director move on is undoubtedly the right move and for once, we’re actually quite excited to see where things go from here.