Another Transformers movie was inevitable, after the third instalment did so well at the box office. However, it’s been shrouded in mystery for a number of reasons – not least that it hasn’t been confirmed yet, and Michael Bay and Shia LaBouef were very vocal about the third movie being their last in the franchise.
The Hollywood Reporter are now reporting that Hasbro are in talks with producer Steven Spielberg, along with Michael Bay, with regards a fourth film. Even if Bay gives the directing job to someone else, he’ll most likely remain as an executive producer. Hasbro CEO hopes to be able to announce Transformers 4 sometime in the next quarter, which will no doubt lead to much speculation.
Where can the series go from here? Well, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume the Sam Witwicky story is done, and so we’ll probably see a whole new raft of human characters. Most likely they’ll stick with the “young guy and his car” theme for the main role, but hopefully the girl by his side will be a little more fleshed out this time.
Unlike the likes of Batman, Bond or Spider-Man, however, just because it’s the fourth movie doesn’t mean the robots need to be rebooted. Indeed, that would only make things more complicated than necessary, and the characters are generally very well liked. Some redesigns are to be expected, at the hands of whoever takes the reins. One difficulty they will have is the scope of the film – Transformers 3 basically destroyed an entire city in the space of an hour, so who knows how they will top that. Or do they even need to? There’s much to be said for a smaller-scale movie with more exciting and visceral action scenes, perhaps up against a new villain this time. Some of the most exciting scenes in the trilogy were the ‘simpler’ chase sequences on motorways or between two sparring robots, which as Real Steel proved, is something people are keen to pay money for.
At this stage there can be no telling of who may direct, should Bay move aside, but Paramount know this is a giant film in the making, so a safe bet would be that they’ll go with a seasoned action pro. Roland Emmerich of course springs to mind, but I’d also suggest Len Wiseman. He did great work with Die Hard 4.0, and Total Recall is shaping up to be a pretty exciting reboot…….so you never know, he’d certainly be worth considering!
There’s no doubt that we’ll see a fourth movie in the series, and whilst many will groan at the thought, at the hands of a new director, and with a new team on board, something interesting or at least fun could come from it……watch this space!
UPDATE:
Showblitz are now reporting that talks are ongoing for TWO Transformers movies to be shot back-to-back, thus cutting considerable costs and allowing closer release dates. Ehren Kruger, who wrote the third movie, has apparently impressed the studio with an idea for the follow-ups. They still note that there’s a chance of Bay returning too, but that he might want to do another movie before that.
Although whatever happens, you can be sure they’ll promote it with a title like TRANS-4-MERS or similar. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
