From 2007 to 2017, Michael Bay directed five live-action films in the Transformers franchise: Transformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), and Transformers: The Last Knight (2017). After he stepped away, the franchise continued with Bumblebee (directed by Travis Knight) in 2018 and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (directed by Steven Caple Jr.) in 2023. We’ve heard that the next movie in the series would be a G.I. Joe crossover… but that might not be the case, as Puck reports that Bay has pitched a new Transformers project to Paramount Pictures last year, his intention being to return to the franchise as a hands-on producer and potential director. Bay has reportedly chosen Jordan VanDina, writer of the comedies The Binge and It’s a Wonderful Binge, to write a screenplay based on his pitch. Details on the plot and characters are being kept under wraps.
This is quite a surprising turn of events, because Bay has previously been quoted as saying that he “made too many” Transformers movies.
Apparently there are five Transformers projects currently in development at Paramount. Bay’s mystery project is one, the G.I. Joe crossover is another, and then there are three projects we don’t know anything about. It’s rumored that Josh Cooley, director of the animated movie Transformers One, has been hired to direct a live-action Transformers movie, but it’s not clear which one. Derek Connolly is said to be writing the script for the Transformers / G.I. Joe crossover, which Chris Hemsworth (who provided the voice of Orion Pax / Optimus Prime in Transformers One) might have a role in.
What would you like to see come next for the Transformers franchise? The Transformers / G.I. Joe crossover, a live-action Transformers movie from Transformers One director Josh Cooley, this Michael Bay / Jordan VanDina project, or something else? Let us know by leaving a comment below. My vote would be for the G.I. Joe crossover, simply because I was a huge G.I. Joe fan when I was a kid and loved the original Transformers / G.I. Joe crossover comic book.
