Michael Bay helmed five Transformers movies, all of which were undeniably successful at the box office. Critics weren't thrilled with them, and fans were often divided, but the "least" successful of his films still made $605 million, with the most successful surpassing $1.1 billion.
Still, as the box office returns for Bay's movies diminished, it became clear that the time had come to move on from him and do something new with the franchise.
While Bumblebee, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and Transformers One were hailed as a breath of fresh air, none of them found the same level of commercial success. Since then, much has been said about Bay returning for a new Transformers movie.
That's despite the G.I. Joe crossover teased in Rise of the Beasts; as a reminder, Steven Caple Jr. helmed the 2023 movie and was eyed for a follow-up, bringing the iconic franchises together on screen for the first time. Well, the project has been officially scrapped.
In its report confirming that Bradley Cooper will lead Danny McBride's new G.I. Joe movie, Deadline (via SFFGazette.com) writes, "Plot details [for G.I. Joe] are under wraps, but it will be a reimagining of the franchise. It also will be uncoupled from a previous crossover film with Transformers that is no longer in development."
While the G.I. Joe franchise's future is now clear, we don't currently know what's next for Transformers. However, David Ellison may be banking on Bay's return as the best way to restore Transformers to its former box office glory.
Last October, we learned that Robert Kirkman's Skybound Entertainment was teaming with Hasbro Entertainment for an adult animated series based on Kirkman's Image Comics series, Energon Universe.
That features characters from the worlds of Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Void Rivals, and Joe Henderson (Lucifer) has been tapped to write the series and serve as showrunner. That will likely scratch the itch for a Transformers/G.I. Joe team-up, so those live-action plans being shelved isn't hugely surprising (even after Transformers: Rise of the Beasts grossed $441.7 million worldwide).
It's already been over three years since Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was released, and excitement for the potential meeting between these characters has since diminished.
The last time Caple Jr. addressed plans for the crossover, he said, "I still do have big plans for what that could be, but we'll have to see. We'll have to see what comes about it. I am not part of the next Transformers film, but it's still in development, and there's still time, so you just never know. Yeah."
Stay tuned for updates on the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises as we have them.