Transformers

You know the Transformers series, which unveils its fifth film, The Last Knight, later this week. But did you know that the franchise largely exists because of the war in Iraq? It’s true; producer Don Murphy originally pitched Hasbro on making a G.I. Joe film series, but because of the political climate in the early 2003 after 9/11, they were hesitant and suggested Murphy instead devote his energies to the Transformers. Hasbro did eventually make two big-budget G.I. Joes, but only after the Transformers became a massive success with Paramount and DreamWorks. That’s just one of the facts featured in the latest installment of You Think You Know Movies!

You would think that after five attempts, Michael Bay would eventually figure out how to make a coherent Transformers movie. Apparently not. I challenge anyone — including this film’s four writers — to explain the story of Transformers: The Last Knight, how the characters get from point A to point B, and why any of it matters. I maintain that it cannot be done. Either this movie is dumb or I am.

Transformers: The Last Knight will indeed be Michael Bay’s last foray into the world of Autobots and Decepticons, and the conclusion of the series that started with Shia LaBeouf and a little yellow Camaro. But it won’t be the end of the Transformers filmic universe, and Bay says that, because of the questions raised in the final film, there are a lot of directions the franchise could take.

Actually, Optimus Prime Has Always Been a Total Jerk

While Michael Bay’s Transformers series may be at an end with the upcoming The Last Knight, there are a number of Transformers spinoffs in the works to keep the robots in disguise on the big screen for the next few years at least. One of these is the Bumblebee movie, and there are also talks of taking the robots back in time to the days of ancient Rome.

Transformers: The Last Knight probably won’t be the end of Michael Bay’s Transformers movies, and the series seems to be expanding, whether the people want it to or not. There’s a planned Bumblebee spinoff in the works, which will focus on the smallest of the Autobots before the events of the main Transformers series. Since we’re going back into the past with this, and since Hasbro’s Transformers toys first hit the market 30 years ago, it seems fitting that the Bumblebee movie is going to be set in the 1980s.

Upstart stop-motion animation studio Laika hasn’t been doing so hot as of late. Though such early efforts as Coraline and Paranorman generated healthy grosses, the box-office receipts have been in a steady decline with The Boxtrolls and last summer’s Kubo and the Two Strings. Though their films have been marvels to behold across the board, their expenditures have increased as they’ve expanded and invested in new technologies, and Kubo ended up as their first flop when it needed to be their biggest hit. In what might seem like the most dire sign of all for the studio, Kubo director and Laika President/CEO Travis Knight has now taken high-profile work elsewhere.

How do you save a franchise that never really took off? Combine it with another, bigger one from (technically) the same universe, of course! While Michael Bay has, uh, transformed Transformers into a billion-dollar industry with his live-action movies, G.I. Joe hasn’t exactly done as well. Apparently, there was talk at one point of joining the two franchises together in what would have been a beautiful, violent mess.

Even if you’re not a huge fan of Star Wars movies, with all the trailer announcements we’ve seen in the last few days, odds are good you might still find something to enjoy during Rogue One. A few days ago, we shared a fun little rumor that the first teaser for Spider-Man: Homecoming would be appearing before the highly anticipated Star Wars standalone when it hits theaters this December. Not to be outdone, Michael Bay took to social media to share that his first trailer for Transformers: The Last Knight would also be included with the film.

It looks like Paramount’s writers’ room approach is paying off for the Transformers franchise as the studio has reportedly landed on a script for their Bumblebee spinoff. The concept and screenplay are credited to Christina Hodson, a former development exec who transitioned to screenwriting four years ago — since then, three of her scripts have landed on the Black List and her resumé has quickly expanded, and now apparently includes an upcoming DC movie universe project.