We recently found out that Transformers: Rise of the Beasts director Steven Caple Jr. is in line to helm the I Am Legend sequel which will star Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan.
Jordan has a history with Caple Jr. after the filmmaker stepped in to direct Creed II when Ryan Coogler decided not to return for the sequel. Rise of the Beasts did slightly underperform last year but received better reviews than its predecessors and earned a solid $439 million worldwide.
Of course, many of us anticipated him directing Paramount's long-awaited Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover starring Chris Hemsworth (particularly based on comments he'd made while promoting Rise of the Beasts), so why didn't it work out?
According to The InSneider's Jeff Sneider (via SFFGazette.com), "I’m told by multiple sources it’s because he got into a heated argument with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and walked away from the project."
He adds, "I’m not going to get into the specifics of what I heard, but suffice it to say, I’m told that some of DiBonaventura’s comments were interpreted as racially-tinged and that the old-school producer suggested Caple should be more grateful for the opportunity to direct the big-budget crossover movie, which is slated to star Chris Hemsworth."
Caple and di Bonaventura's representatives at CAA have denied that any such incident occurred, with one agency insider instead claiming it was simply a heated negotiation which didn't pan out. However, Sneider insists he's been told by "several" different sources that there may have been some sort of racial component to the argument on di Bonaventura's side.
"I don’t know yet," Hemsworth said at this past weekend's San Diego Comic-Con when asked about plans for the Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover. "I keep getting asked about that. [Producer] Lorenzo [di Bonaventura] had brought it up when I was recording this film and we started talking about where the universe could expand and how fun it could be."
"And look, I’m just down for great filmmakers, great scripts, great stories. There’s a lot of potential in this universe, in both the G.I. Joe world and the Transformers world, to recreate, try something different."
Hemsworth, who plays Optimus Prime in the animated Transformers One then claimed not to know who he'll play. "I’m not even sure. I was like, 'Am I going to be, like, talking to myself? Am I still going to play Optimus Prime and then switch over to G.I. Joe? Do I get paid twice? What’s happening here? That’s the important question."
The untitled live-action crossover movie doesn't have a confirmed release date.