For better or worse, Transformers: The Last Knight marked a major sea change for Paramount and Michael Bay’s CG-laden bonanza.
It was supposedly Bay’s last hurrah in the world of Autobots, Decepticons, and crude one-liners (the jury’s still out on that one), all the while acting as a springboard for future installments in the Transformers series, beginning with the 80s-set Bumblebee: The Movie that’s due to launch later this year.
Travis Knight and Hailee Steinfeld (Pitch Perfect) are the ones spearheading the live-action spinoff, and while there have been rumblings of a possible franchise reboot taking into effect beyond 2018, Bleeding Cool quoted a Transformers brand manager as saying that fans needn’t worry about a hard reset. Speaking at Toy Fair New York this past weekend, the executive responded to the allegations as so:
Don’t believe what you hear, don’t worry.
Short and sweet, then. But it’s important to stress that this isn’t a denial, necessarily; merely a means of reassuring Transformers fans that the franchise’s future – or lack thereof – is in safe hands.
Besides, even if Michael Bay returns for a sixth Transformers movie – Paramount has reserved a July 2019 release date for its vague sequel – he’ll likely spin things out in an entirely different direction given the events that transpired in The Last Knight. There are many more questions still to be answered, then, and that radio silence will likely continue right up until the moment when Bumblebee: The Movie rolls into theaters this December.
It’ll be facing off against stiff competition, given Warner Bros. has slated Aquaman for release on December 21st, too. Other competitors of note include the long-in-development Alita: Battle Angel movie, which recently surrendered its summer 2018 release date in favor of the festive period.
