TF4 & 5... details from Hasbro, & speculation

Hasbro's latest profit report, not only did they reveal a 10% increase in profits during the 3rd Quarter (while the Movie was out)... and not only did they admit that the TF3 toyline was less successful than the TF2 toyline (stating that they didn't have enough NEW character product released)... but the big news is that Hasbro are indeed talking to people to get the ball rolling on TF4.

Hasbro's Brian Goldner (CEO) has stated that he's already been talking to Paramount (keeps the winning partnership), as well as Spielberg and... Michael Bay. Yes, the director who stated that he didn't want to direct any more Transformers movies after TF2 and TF3 has already been approached. But even if he does come back for the fourth, it may just be as an Executive Producer (both as an advisor, investor, & just being a name on the credits to sell tickets).
Brian mentions that more will be revealed on this in the next quarter's report.

At the same time, rumours are starting to spread around fansites and entertainment sites. Including:
- TF4 & TF5 might be filmed together to save money.
- Jason Stratham may still be a candidate, but if you believe anything Bay says, he said Jason wasn't being considered.
- Ehran Kruger (writer of TF3 and partial credit on TF2) is likely to be signed up as writer of both, to make it a two-part story.
- Shia Labouf is still out.
- Bay is listed as an Executive Producer, but may yet direct if his current project finishes in time.


What other early info and rumours have you seen? (note the source though)

The best news I've received in nine months. (Yeah this year hasn't been going well for me so far)

I don't care that much about anything; there's still TFs to see on big screens, that's all that matters.

And as long as Josh Duhamel's still in there as Colonel Lennox no other human role is necessary for me.:D:D:D:D

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Originally Posted by Arcee

The best news I've received in nine months. (Yeah this year hasn't been going well for me so far)

I don't care that much about anything; there's still TFs to see on big screens, that's all that matters.

And as long as Josh Duhamel's still in there as Colonel Lennox no other human role is necessary for me.:D:D:D:D

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Well, it looks like Fergie has some competition. ;):p

I'm glad to hear that Hasbro are actually pursuing more movies, but I can't help but feel that maybe it's a little too soon though? :o
I think having Spielberg and Bay as executive producers is a good move though, if there's any truth to that, as I think a new director really should be given a go... Not that I'm not grateful Mr. Bay, I'd just like to see some Cybertronians with personalties and screen time. ;):)

I refuse to see any TF movie if Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is not in it.
:D:p:D

Screw the humans, focus on the robots!!

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Originally Posted by griffin

and not only did they admit that the TF3 toyline was less successful than the TF2 toyline (stating that they didn't have enough NEW character product released)...

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I still can't believe we don't have any real toys for Soundwave, Mirage and Wheeljack yet... the film's already out of cinemas and is coming out on DVD/BR in a few weeks' time.

I'd guess Trans4mers and Transformers V for the titles.

One word: Unicron.

I'm sure his name has been thrown around in concept meetings before now, and if we're talking 2 new movies, possibly a 2-parter, then Unicron is a hell of a baddy to use.

Hasbro will want to spit out more movies as quickly as possible... as I think they are probably generating more profit (and income) from the movies now than the toys. (in the past, the TFs cartoons that sell toylines were probably not expected to make any money, as the toys were their primary revenue source... but now with the Hub and their partnership with Paramount & Marvel, revenue from non-toy sources must be pretty significant now)

It could also be why they aren't as fussed about getting the rest of the DotM Cast character toys out to stores, because the toys are now the gravy (instead of the other way around with the cartoons).
But seriously, Hasbro Head Office must be employing monkeys these days - they should have had the new characters out in the first waves, instead of "new" moulds of the characters that haven't changed over the last 2-4 years. It's no wonder their sales dropped with this movie, with kids who already have the character toys from last year, wanting to buy a new character instead this year.
By the time Mirage, Soundwave, Wheeljack and even Dlx Leadfoot are released, the DVD might help move them, but the main surge of interest is now long gone.

With the Dinobots in WFC2... it'd be the perfect time to cash in on that resurged concept and include them in the Movie-verse.

I'm actually quite impressed how civil this thread is. I expected to come in here reading the usual comments 'Michael Bay ruined my... blah, blah, blah'. Well done everyone :)

What I'm not surprised about is hearing they're going ahead with a fourth movie. I mean come on, Transformers 3 is the fourth highest grossing movie of all time. They're gonna keep milking this until it goes direct to DVD :p

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Originally Posted by 5FDP

What I'm not surprised about is hearing they're going ahead with a fourth movie. I mean come on, Transformers 3 is the fourth highest grossing movie of all time. They're gonna keep milking this until it goes direct to DVD :p

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And I am still going to buy them and enjoy them when they do. :D

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Originally Posted by griffin

It's no wonder their sales dropped with this movie, with kids who already have the character toys from last year, wanting to buy a new character instead this year.
By the time Mirage, Soundwave, Wheeljack and even Dlx Leadfoot are released, the DVD might help move them, but the main surge of interest is now long gone.

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Sadly this isn't the first time it's happened... ROTF Devastator anyone? And we STILL don't have above-Legends Class toys for Scrapper, Hightower or Overload... but at least we did get Legends for them, which is more than what can be said for Soundwave, Mirage and Wheeljack. :(

Edit: just remembered, there are Soundwave and Wheeljack toys scheduled for release (hopefully)... no plans for any Mirage toys though AFAIK. :mad:

There was a Mirage toy prototype shown at botcon, along with mirage and soundwave, but it would seem that Mirage wont be out before at least March next year (based on what's in the next two assortments).

What was the Mirage proto like?

Apart from Soundwave he's the only onscreen character I've got any volition to buy*

Excludes any potential repaints of Leader Starscream which I'm all over like a rash.

I just tried to look for it, and it seems I was remembering something that didn't happen. I was so sure they showed off those characters... but looking back at my BotCon report, they didn't reveal anything beyond the current waves.
SDCC was the first time they revealed Soundwave & Wheeljack... so I don't know what I'm remembering then. I'm so confused. :(
Sorry about that.

So now that I've "rebooted" my brain/memory, it would appear that there are no plans on the horizon for a convertible Mirage/Dino toy (if one is in the works, it won't be out before middle of next year). The Speedstars Minivehicle Mirage may well be the only Mirage toy we end up getting... which is really sad. (and disappointing)

Could be Hasbro doing the good ol' tease and making its fans wait for ages for a release of a Dino. Kind of like what they did with the Classics toys and slowly releasing the beloved G1 characters. However I don't see how this sort of marketing would work, the longer it takes to get out the more likely kids will just lose interest in TFs in general and Dino especially.

I'm wondering if they just didn't obtain licensing to produce a Mirage/Dino toy... or weren't willing to pay the price being asked. After all, they have to give a percentage of every Movie toy to Bay, plus pay for licensing to GM, Lockheed and Saleen, and probably Mercedes now too.
With no sign or mention from Hasbro of a convertible Mirage toy after all this time that the movie has been out, it just makes me feel like they decided against doing one at all.

I thought they did announce a Dino toy. I thought there was a news article announcing a deluxe Dino, a HA Dino and a HA Topspin amongst others:confused:

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Originally Posted by Bartrim

I thought they did announce a Dino toy. I thought there was a news article announcing a deluxe Dino, a HA Dino and a HA Topspin amongst others:confused:

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Yeah, I thought so too :confused: :confused:

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Originally Posted by 5FDP

Yeah, I thought so too :confused: :confused:

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Great minds think alike:p

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Originally Posted by Bartrim

Great minds think alike:p

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I was gonna type that but you just did :eek: :D

A 'reliable source' confirmed that there was a Deluxe and HA version of Dino in the works + a deluxe Decepticon repaint of him last month, but I thought maybe griff was saying that they'd shown progress photos at one of those no photos panels.

HECK YES! I love those stupid movies, I just love seeing the TFs as big lifelike hulks roaming around on screen. Nothing else matters to me. I couldn't care less about Shia, all he does in these movies is scream anyway, but I agree with Arcee, bring back Lennox! Keep the female fans happy, bring back that eye candy.

no no no NO NO

That's my best impersonation of Shia :D

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Originally Posted by jena

HECK YES! I love those stupid movies, I just love seeing the TFs as big lifelike hulks roaming around on screen. Nothing else matters to me. I couldn't care less about Shia, all he does in these movies is scream anyway, but I agree with Arcee, bring back Lennox! Keep the female fans happy, bring back that eye candy.

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Aww, no love for Simmons? :p:D

I agree though, just the fact that we had giant transforming robots on screen was a miracle to me and the fact that they were baring the name Transformers only helped to seal the deal; I honestly hope this has opened the doors for other Giant Robot movies into the future, transforming or not as with the case of Real Steel, and if any of them happen to be also labelled 'Transformers'?, then I'll be just thankful. :cool:

I'm just not sure now if there has been an official announcement of a convertible Mirage/Dino from Hasbro. If there hasn't, I wouldn't expect one within 4-6 months of an announcement.

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Originally Posted by SkyWarp91

Could be Hasbro doing the good ol' tease and making its fans wait for ages for a release of a Dino. Kind of like what they did with the Classics toys and slowly releasing the beloved G1 characters. However I don't see how this sort of marketing would work, the longer it takes to get out the more likely kids will just lose interest in TFs in general and Dino especially.

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I agree - totally stoopid move because a lot of the movie hype will have fizzled out by then. Hasbro needs to strike while the iron's hot and releasing it like a year after the movie? Iron's stone cold by then...

They made the same mistake with Devastator - which I reckon is why even toys like Legends Devastator shelf warmed. Had they released that toy around the time the film came out, or shortly after (as TOMY did) then I suspect it would have sold better. It took aaages for them to clear the shelves of Legends Devastators. Combiner Class Devastator would probably still shelfwarm if it had been released around the time of the film because it's so expensive and... crap... but I still think it wouldn't have shelf warmed as bad as it has (is) if it had been released sooner, cos you'd have people impulse buying it as they're riding off the movie hype.

*sigh* They release toys like DotM Mudflap and Skids (even though they appeared so briefly in the movie you wouldn't even notice them) and Jolt (who didn't even appear in the film) and various versions of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee... but no Soundwave, Mirage or Wheeljack yet?

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Originally Posted by 5FDP

no no no NO NO

That's my best impersonation of Shia :D

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trolololol. :D

I might get shot here but I actually really enjoyed the Bayformers movies, even RotF despite the fact that the plot had more holes than an old pair of undies.

The first movie, although corny was a great introduction to bringing the franchise into the 21st century. I liked what Bay did with the bots, with their many moving parts and complex transformations that were translated into their toyline.

The second movie had some great effects and introduced many more characters (although I will say the twins were Bays answer to Jar-Jar Binks) and I'm glad they didn't reappear in the 3rd instalment. Still their HA toy representations were pretty good.

The third movie I personally thought did G1 more justice by including several aspects of those stories such as Megs sitting on Abe Lincoln's chair, the ultimate doom story, etc.

I would like to see a 4th and 5th directed by Spielberg, I think he has a better ability to tell a good story. Bay should be involved with the effects however, as he has the attention to detail that giant robots deserve on the big screen.

With the revival of the franchise that Bay brought, the new Generations line is impressive and the Prime series toyline is looking to be fantastic.

I'm happy to keep pumping more money into Hasbro's pockets as long as they keep this franchise alive. Might have to extend the house to cater for the increase in merchandise however...

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Originally Posted by AJ_Prime

I might get shot here but I actually really enjoyed the Bayformers movies...

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If they are gonna shot you, they are gonna have to shot us both in a line.

And remember that no one can deny/change the fact that we died for our faith in Transformers!!

We believe in it as we were told: All are one. Our faith and God are the same as anyone else here. And it doesn't matter if others call us heretics :D

Because one day, a whole new Transformers church will rise above all, under which all will be united as one.

In Transformers We Trust.

Clearing up one of the rumours, and contradicting Hasbro's own statement.
According to Jason Stratham himself, he's not involved with anything to do with future TFs movies.
And despite the CEO of Hasbro stating that they were already talking to Michael Bay, Bay has stated that no such talking has occurred, and he's working towards a couple non-TFs movies at this time.

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Originally Posted by AJ_Prime

The first movie, although corny was a great introduction to bringing the franchise into the 21st century. I liked what Bay did with the bots, with their many moving parts and complex transformations that were translated into their toyline.

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Yeah, the first movie is my favourite because they kept it relatively simple. It captured the spirit of the G1 cartoon quite well.

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Originally Posted by AJ_Prime

The second movie had some great effects

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I think on the whole all the movies are visually stunning spectacles. But of course, special effects are nothing more than fancy story telling tool. I prefer movies with less expensive effects but better written stories - like Star Wars: A New Hope (the original version). Produced with a "backyard budget" (by Hollywood standards) it's a pretty good story (it was even formerly studied as an HSC English text (examining the Hero's Journey I believe))! I know most people may prefer Empire or Jedi over Hope, but the sequels were bigger and more expensive productions - I think relative to the amount of money that was spent, A New Hope is a pretty good movie (it gave rise to the entire Star Wars phenomenon after all :)).

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Originally Posted by AJ_Prime

and introduced many more one-dimensional caricatures

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Fix'd. :) Although the G1 cartoon was guilty of this too (which is why many G1 fans prefer the comics)

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Originally Posted by AJ_Prime

The third movie I personally thought did G1 more justice by including several aspects of those stories such as Megs sitting on Abe Lincoln's chair, the ultimate doom story, etc.

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All the movies made several references to G1, and the first movie had elements that were similar to G1 too. e.g. Bumblebee befriending the Witwicky boy

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Originally Posted by AJ_Prime

With the revival of the franchise that Bay brought, the new Generations line is impressive and the Prime series toyline is looking to be fantastic.

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I think saying it was a "revival" is overrated. The franchise was never dead or even in danger of dying when the movie franchise came along. In fact, it was because of the strength of the franchise that prompted Hasbro and Paramount to consider making a live action movie in the first place (cos it'd an awful lot of money to invest into a failing franchise!). The Transformers revival really occured in 1996-97 with the debut of Beast Wars. Since then Transformers has gone from strength to strength.

I would agree that the movie franchise has absolutely given the TF franchise a massive boost (TF toy sales doubled after the first movie came out), but I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a "revival" (in my personal opinion anyway).

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Originally Posted by AJ_Prime

I'm happy to keep pumping more money into Hasbro's pockets as long as they keep this franchise alive.

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Thankfully the TF franchise has never died. Since 1984 there Transformers has always been in production - we've never had a year without Transformers for the past 27 years and I think that's pretty darn awesome. I've been supporting the franchise since it started and I have no intention to stop. So keep 'em rolling Hasbro! :)

Perhaps revival wasn't the best word, but Bay definitely increased the awareness of the franchise to a whole new audience. The space dedicated to transformers related toys on shop shelves has also increased somewhat since the movies were released.

This could only have been a good thing for me at least, because I had only started collecting a few months before the movie so my first figures were generations rodimus, starscream and mirage and my hunger for more needed to be satiated...