2 Sequels confirmed in development

[BigTransformerTrev]

According to a news article on Seibertron which sites an interview, there are not one but two sequels in development. One could be considered Transformers 6 and the other considered Bumblebee 2.

Guess it kinda makes sense. Bumblebee was very popular with the critics, the other movies were very popular at the box office. So by continuing both they are trying to please everyone (good luck with that considering what the TF Fandom can be like :rolleyes::p)

Anyway, the link is HERE (https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/two-sequels-in-transformers-live-action-franchise-confirmed-in-development/43083/) :)

[Magnus]

If this is true, I'm glad that the previous movies aren't being ignored and that there will be a sequel to The Last Knight, as it was hinting at more to come from the Unicron/Quintessa angle.

[G1Optimal]

Its probably the optimus prime movie

[BigTransformerTrev]

Its probably the optimus prime movie

Well they think the sequel to Bee will be like a buddy movie with both Optimus and Bumblebee, but it’s not confirmed

[G1Optimal]

Oh i see

[griffin]

Even if they have two in the confirmed planning stage, it means at least 2-3 years before we see another Transformers Movie. Probably good from a toy perspective, as it gives stores time to get rid of their previous movie toys before the new movie toys come through (unlike the short gap between TLK and Bumblebee, leading to quite a few TLK toys still in stores).



Some interesting additional info that TFW posted up (https://news.tfw2005.com/2019/03/16/more-info-regarding-the-future-of-the-transformers-movie-franchise-2019-and-beyond-385389), probably from the same original source (who was covering the press events at the Japanese promoting of the Bumblebee Movie)...



Paramount has not set any release date for either movies but we expect them to arrive before October 2022; prior to the expiration of the current contract between Hasbro and Paramount.
Additionally, we have learned a little bit more about the contract and according to the document, Paramount must develop at least 1 live action movie based on any Hasbro property per year, up to a maximum of two. In addition to that, they can produce 1 animated movie per year if they chose to do so. This does not affect the number of live action movies per year.
Current Slate for Hasbro-Paramount Contract:

2018

Live Action Movies:


Transformers: Bumblebee
Optional Slot (Unused)

Animated Movies


Optional Slot (Unused)

2019

Live Action Movies:


Mandatory Slot (Unassigned) – previously assigned to Transformers 6
Optional Slot (Unassigned)

Animated Movies


Optional Slot (Unassigned)

2020

Live Action Movies:


G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes (March 27th)
Micronauts (October 23rd)

Animated Movies


Optional Slot (Unassigned)

2021

Live Action Movies:


Dungeons and Dragons (July 23rd)
Untitled Movie (October 1st)

Animated Movies


Optional Slot (Unassigned)

2022

Live Action Movies:


Mandatory Slot (Unassigned)
Optional Slot (Unassigned)

Animated Movies


Optional Slot (Unassigned)

Hasbro-Paramount* movies in development without a release date (in order of announcement):



Prequel to Transformers Franchise (Animated – Unknown)
My Little Pony (Animated – In Production)
Power Rangers (Live Action – In Discussions)
Transformers: Beast Wars (Unknown – Unknown)
Sequel to Transformers: The Last Knight (Live Action – Unknown)
Sequel to Transformers: Bumblebee (Live Action – Unknown)

*Note: Hasbro is working on other titles with help from other production studios. Those films are omitted from the above list.

[GoktimusPrime]

https://screenrant.com/transformers-last-knight-sequel/
Transformers 6 = sequel to The Last Knight.

Now before we all lose the plot, please bear in mind that MICHAEL BAY WILL NOT BE DIRECTING, and as Travis Knight as shown us, it is possible to make a good Bayverse movie with a different director. Because Bumblebee on its own isn't a definitive reboot or prequel, it's rather ambiguous which I think was a deliberate decision on the studio's part to leave their options open. We know that the original cut was a more definitive prequel but then edits were made to make it more ambiguous. So Bumblebee could still very easily be retconned as a prequel.

And The Last Knight did finish with some interesting story ideas, such as...
* Earth = Unicron
* Unicron being the ancient enemy of Cybertron
* Cybertron has come to Unicron
* Unicron is awakening
* Quintessa survived and is on Earth posing as a human
There are some potentially decent story elements here, we just need to good director to pick the ball up and run with it, and importantly, give us a good story that isn't a "rinse, lather, repeat" of the Michael Bay films. Cos that was the thing that was bugging people with Bayformers, it had become too predictably formulaic - as demonstrated by The Nostalgia Critic's Not Review of The Last Knight which was fairly accurate in predicting what would happen in that film before it was even released.

Bumblebee isn't the most original idea in the world - it's basically recycling the plot from films like E.T. and The Iron Giant (etc.), but it's a good story and as far as the Transformers cinematic universe is concerned, it was a different story. Movies don't need to be perfect, they just need to be good and entertaining. The MCU has proven this to us many times over.

[G1Optimal]

https://news.tfw2005.com/2019/03/18/next-main-transformers-movie-is-a-reboot-says-lorenzo-di-bonaventura-385526

Next main movie is a reboot

[griffin]

That guy just can't make up his mind... or he just has no interest in what he is producing (I think he's just an investor, so probably doesn't actually do anything creative in the production of the films, to know what they are even about).

[Magnus]

https://news.tfw2005.com/2019/03/18/next-main-transformers-movie-is-a-reboot-says-lorenzo-di-bonaventura-385526

Next main movie is a reboot

If true, it's disappointing.


That guy just can't make up his mind... or he just has no interest in what he is producing (I think he's just an investor, so probably doesn't actually do anything creative in the production of the films, to know what they are even about).

Di Bonaventura has been pretty consistent in saying that Transformers would not be rebooted, so this is a surprise.

In July, when asked about a reboot, he said this: (https://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/bumblebee/274972/bumblebee-taking-the-transformers-series-back-to-its-roots)


It's possible. I avoid the word "reboot" because I don't think it's really accurate, but I will give you a sense of how wide-ranging our thought process is. We have talked about a World War II movie. We have talked about a time travel movie because they can go through wormholes, so you can go to different timeframes from that. We have talked about a lot of different kind of genre concepts to put on it. We have talked about going later in the timeline. What would that look like?

All those things are swirling around at the same time, and we really haven't settled on a writer, but I just got off the phone this morning, talking about this very thing and coming up with a take. It's exciting to think that we could do something different. It's one of the things that's been fun about Bumblebee, is it's such a completely different movie. I love the fact that on Transformers we're talking about all these different possibilities. I trust the process, and we'll come to the right decision.

In December, he said this: (https://www.slashfilm.com/transformers-reboot/)


“Reboot” is one of those words the media likes to throw around. It applied to Casino Royale and Batman Begins because they completely started those franchises over from scratch. But just because a franchise is changing course doesn’t mean it’s a reboot. X-Men: First Class was called a reboot, but the original X-Men cast returned for the next one.

“Reboot, I always hate that word because for one, I’m not sure I really understand what it means,” Di Bonaventura said. “We are going to do another big Transformers movie. It is going to be different than the ones that we’ve done before.”

[griffin]

Di Bonaventura has gone back to saying that the Bumblebee movie is not a reboot... so he's changed his mind again.
Actually, in a new interview with a Japanese magazine, he seems very vague or disinterested, beyond seeing the profit potential of more movies in this franchise (he is just an investor in the films, not part of Hasbro, so has no need to worry about the Brand itself in the long term).
He's still opposed to the concept of Unicron, so it's a toss-up if we will still see it feature in the movie that is supposed to follow TLK.
(at least the interview confirms his intention of having two more Transformers Movies, each one following the events of the last two)



TFW have posted up some parts of the interview (https://news.tfw2005.com/2019/03/24/lorenzo-di-bonaventura-highlights-the-future-direction-of-the-transformers-movie-series-385782), translated to English...



The River: Is Transformers: Bumblebee a reboot or a prequel?
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: That’s a good question (laughs). In fact it is a spin off. It is a story before the series, set in 1987. In other words, neither a reboot nor a remake. It is a story before [the 2007 Movie] starts. So you can fill in the blank time from 1987 to the first Transformers movie.
The River: “Transformers: Bumblebee is a new storytelling universe”. What does that statement mean to you?
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: “Freedom”, isn’t it? The difficulty in developing a movie series is the fact that constraints increase as you move forward. In the early days of the series, you have the freedom to start new things. You do not have to follow the rules established in other films. In Bumblebee, different approaches and different productions were possible.
The River: Do you have plans for a new film maker in addition to Michael Bay and Travis Knight in future works?
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: For the sequel to Transformers: Bumblebee, I hope Travis Knight will return. On the other hand, I do not yet know what to do with the ‘Transformers” main series’. I am currently working on a script. I learned many things in Bumblebee, so I think it will be useful in the Transformers series. More emotional, more character-oriented, etc.
The River: What exactly do you mean by ‘character oriented’?
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: Even if there are no big explosion or anything, the audience will accept the patience to concentrate on one character. In Bumblebee, I wanted to make a film that feels emotion and warmth, but I think that it requires patience to continue to observe the relationship developed between the two. Don’t do a big explosion every few minutes. I have learned that you can like this style as well. I think that it will be utilized in the sequel of both Bumblebee and Transformers.
The River: Certainly, Bumblebee has changed the style significantly. Were you concerned?
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: While there are many characters in ‘Transformers’, there are only 3 characters in “Bumblebee” (and 4 if we count Optimus). About 15 characters were made for ‘The Last Knight’, so it was a big difference. I was worried when I thought of this. But there was no reaction regarding what I was concerned about. I enjoyed the characters depicted in this work, and I also liked the Decepticons. So in future works, I wonder if the characterization should be more complicated.
The River: The transformation sequences of the Autobots were also great. It reminded me of my childhood when I transformed toys.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: The first request from Travis was to reduce parts. With each ‘Transformers’ movie, the part count increased. ‘The Last Knight’ had about 1,000 parts per body. I cannot concentrate on the transformation scene. I thought that the movement of parts was well understood [in Transformers: Bumblebee] and fresh when tried to make it simple.
The River: Lorenzo, tell us about the business that drives a big series like Transformers.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: “I’m going to make a series”, I will fail if I have an arrogant idea like that. The movie series I’ve been involved with was always about “I’m making a movie”. Focusing on just one, and then there is the next. Because it worked well. It is tough to do with the idea of ​​making three from the beginning. It’s hard to make a good movie.
Culture has changed in the last few years, and people’s preferences have also changed. In a series like ‘Transformers’ I always push the visual side and flashy battles. Technology also evolves, so you can do more big things and change things. If you keep doing the same thing, you will be told by the fans “make something like the previous one.” But if you do it, you get bored. The reason is that while the elements of the previous work are also required in part, it is important to have a balance that incorporates new things. So I try to make small changes every time.
The River: That’s difficult, isn’t it? You are asked for the same thing, but you need change, but you cannot do too much change.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: Exactly! That’s right. In the long journey so far, we have done a lot of experiments. Sometimes I use script to extend an idea and try out the feel. At one point, I would like to change the direction slightly in the middle, in order to introduce a new idea that floated in the midst of production.
The River: Well, as a fan of the series, I am concerned about the continuation of the main series. In the previous work ‘The Last Knight King’, it ended with the suggested appearance of Unicron. What’s going on? According to what I heard, Lorenzo does not like Unicron (laughs).
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: Yes, that’s right.
The River: The sequel to ‘The Last Knight’ has to be the story of Unicron, right?
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: I will tell you why (laughs). Unicron is too big to be caught up with fear. The size is beyond imagination. How on Earth are you going to fight it? It would not be good if it was a big one.
The River: When will we see the sequel to ‘The Last Knight’? The sequel to Bumblebee is being considered, and there is also the possibility of a new spin-off. What will be the next work for ‘Transformers’?
Lorenzo di Bonaventura: I do not know what will be the next work. It’s up to the screenplay. Currently, two scripts are in progress; one of them is the main series sequel. It doesn’t feel like I’ll start with that script. We are still in the process of putting together ideas with scriptwriters. We all like the idea of ​​a Bumblebee and Optimus Prime buddy movie, but that may change in the future. Maybe if someone brought in a great idea for an ​​Optimus Prime solo film, and it would be “Good! Let’s do it!” (Laughs). The plan is undecided, but it is also an interesting part of this job.

[griffin]

And Di Bonaventura has backflipped again (or the execs at Paramount did)... now saying that there won't be a sequel to The Last Knight (https://news.tfw2005.com/2019/04/04/paramount-is-not-working-on-a-sequel-for-transformers-the-last-knight-386634).

[BigTransformerTrev]

And Di Bonaventura has backflipped again (or the execs at Paramount did)... now saying that there won't be a sequel to The Last Knight (https://news.tfw2005.com/2019/04/04/paramount-is-not-working-on-a-sequel-for-transformers-the-last-knight-386634).

I’ve given up checking out the movie news, it’s a different prediction every week. I’ll just wait until I read ‘Have just started production on...’

[griffin]

I’ve given up checking out the movie news, it’s a different prediction every week. I’ll just wait until I read ‘Have just started production on...’


Even that's too trusting... I'd wait until I'm sitting in the theatre and starting to watch the next Transformers movie. :p

[griffin]

This isn't huge news for Transformers, so this existing news topic was probably closest in its subject matter.

Viacom (who owns Paramount Studios) is intending to re-merge with CBS Television (https://news.tfw2005.com/2019/08/15/viacom-cbs-merger-what-we-know-and-how-it-will-affect-our-franchise-394611) (no link to the source of the info being posted there), which notes that there now should be more Transformers Movies (after being put on hold in the last year), and it improves the chances of TV shows for CBS based on movie properties that Paramount has done in the past, like Transformers.
(I was surprised to find out that there are already another two GIJoe Movies in production for next year.)