While Paramount has set out to acquire Warner Bros. and its catalogue of film and television properties, the studio is also hard at work on expanding its own franchises. Among them is Transformers, a $5 billion franchise in desperate need of an overhaul.
Michael Bay's movies, while critical flops, broke box office records. However, interest waned by the time 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight came along, and the series has made less money with each subsequent instalment (Bumblebee, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and Transformers One), despite far more positive reviews.
Now, The Wrap (via SFFGazette.com) is reporting that It: Welcome to Derry and Wonder Woman writer Jason Fuchs is penning an untitled Transformers movie for Paramount and Hasbro. Plot details are being kept under wraps, as is how it would fit into wider plans for the franchise.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, Michael Bay, Tom DeSanto and Don Murphy will produce, while Steven Spielberg and Hasbro Entertainment will executive produce.
Before getting too excited, it's worth noting that the studio has multiple takes on Transformers in the works. Jurassic World writer Derek Connolly is writing a Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover movie, while rumours about Bay stepping behind the camera for another Autobot vs. Decepticon explosion-fest persist.
Fuchs is also writing My Hero Academia for Netflix and Legendary, and also counts the It movies and Argylle among his credits. It's worth noting that he also penned a Lobo script, which Bay was once set to direct.
In 2022, Bay reflected on 2007's Transformers. "The first one was scary. It was technology we didn’t know would work, and then it became very successful. It was the first time digital effects were that highly reflective, so it broke a lot of new ground."
"It was a fun experience," he added. "It made more than [$709 million], that’s a lot of movie tickets and a lot of people that have seen it."
However, Bay also acknowledged that he should have walked away when the going was good. "I made too many of them. Steven Spielberg said, 'Just stop at three.' And I said I’d stop. The studio begged me to do a fourth, and then that made a billion too. And then I said I’m gonna stop here. And they begged me again. I should have stopped. They were fun to do."
Only time will tell what becomes of Transformers, but moves are being made to bring the property back to theaters. Convincing moviegoers to buy a ticket won't be easy, but hiring Fuchs to pen the script feels like a good start.
Stay tuned for updates as we have them.