To recap: the previous Transformers movie ended with Optimus Prime flying into space on a mission to punch God in nards. And since audiences flocked to Transformers: Age of Extinction in comically oversized droves, we are all now going to have to find out what happens next in the newly announced sixth Transformers movie.
Michael Bay will return to the direct the untitled sequel, which means that he’s probably not putting much stock in his upcoming drama 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi turning his career around and freeing him from a lifetime of directing expensive toy commercials with negligible artistic or cultural value. The new Transformers film will be written by Akiva Goldsman, the screenwriter who contributed to Batman fans fleeing the franchise en masse after his bafflingly tone deaf 1997 turkey Batman & Robin.
Mark Wahlberg will return to star in the sequel, continuing the story of his character who… actually we have no distinct memory of anything he did after the first 20 minutes or so Transformers: Age of Extinction, except maybe scream “OPTIMUS!” a lot.
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Deadline also reports that Paramount will move forward with an animated prequel to the Transformers movies set entirely on their home planet of Cybertron, which means it will probably look exactly like all of the other Transformers movies but not have any pesky humans in it. Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari will write the untitled animated prequel after performing uncredited (but widely publicized) rewrites on Marvel’s Ant-Man.
The new films are all part of an organized attack on humanity’s eardrums and wallets on the part of Paramount Pictures, who have assembled a brain trust of writers (including The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, Elektra scripter Zak Penn and Amazing Spider-Man 2 scribe Jeff Pinkner) to create a shared universe and multi-year plan for their most lucrative franchise.
The previous Transformers movie, Age of Extinction, grossed over $1.12 billion worldwide, but was the lowest-grossing film in the series domestically (by far), earning only $245 million stateside.
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
