‘Transformers’ Writers Room Adds ‘Daredevil’ Showrunner Steven DeKnight

Just when you thought Akiva Goldsman’s Transformers writers room was complete, he goes an adds someone else to the staff, collecting writers as if he’s picking up Pokemon. The latest addition to the writers room is former Daredevil showrunner Steven DeKnight, who joins fellow TV pro Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) in a room that’s looking more and more promising. Surely with so many smart, talented people, they can roll out a few good Transformers movies, right? Right…?

Deadline reports the hiring of DeKnight, who also previously created the acclaimed Starz series Spartacus, and produced shows like Smallville and Angel. Goldsman is heading up the writers room, shepherding a group which includes (deep breath) Kirkman, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (Iron Man), Jeff Pinkner (Lost), Zak Penn (Pacific Rim), Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari (Ant-Man), Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down), Geneva Robertson-Dworet (writer of Black List screenplay Hibernation), Christina Hodson (the upcoming remake of The Fugitive) and Lindsay Beer (Disney’s upcoming Dig).

Goldsman recently teased his plans for the franchise, which include potential sequels and spinoffs, but first the team will get to work this week building a detailed timeline for the franchise mythology:

We’ve got a work space that is beautifully production designed to be immersive with a strong sense of the franchise history. We will look at the toys, the TV shows, the merchandise, everything that has been generated by Hasbro, from popular to forgotten iterations, and establish a mythological time line. It has been designed with a lot of visual help, toys, robots, sketches and writers and artists. After that super saturation, the writers will figure out not one, but numerous films that will extend the universe.

As of now, Paramount has Transformers 5 scheduled for a 2017 release date, with Michael Bay reportedly returning to direct when he completes production on his Benghazi drama 13 Hours.