Most of the writers here at We Got This Covered can assure you that there is very little love lost between film critics and director Michael Bay with regard to his juggernaut Transformers franchise. Despite being huge moneymakers, each entry has been seemingly more turgid and painful to sit through than the last – partly thanks to Bay, who just can’t seem to keep the runtimes down. However, we’re hearing today that the director may soon depart the Transformers franchise, possibly even before Transformers 5.
USA Today mentioned in an article related to the films that Bay’s time with Transformers will soon come to an end:
Bay, 49, believes he will pass the baton for future Transformer movies to a new director while he turns his focus elsewhere. “There’s kind of a new chapter, a new direction in movies I want to make,” says Bay, who is eyeing a passion project, a documentary on elephant poaching. “I have a lot of stories to tell. And it’s about flexing new muscles.”
Four mega-blockbusters later, you can’t blame Bay for tiring of Transformers. Of course, there’s no announcement here that Transformers: Age of Extinction was the director’s last contribution to the franchise – it seems more likely that Bay will stay on board as a director for the remaining two chapters of the new trilogy Age of Extinction kicked off, then pass the torch to some other director in time for Transformers 7.
Transformers is well on its way to grossing $4 billion worldwide, and with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also a box office success this summer, there’s no denying that the director knows exactly what the masses want to see. With that in mind, Paramount Pictures almost certainly wants to keep the helmer behind the camera for as long as humanly possible. The question is, how long will Bay be content to deliver more of the same for the studio?
What do you think? Will Bay depart before Transformers 5, or will he finish out this new trilogy then part ways with Transformers? Sound off below!
