Transformers Film Series
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''Transformers'' is a series of
science fiction action films Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
based on the ''Transformers'' franchise.
Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget high-concept action films with fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special eff ...
directed the first five live action films: ''
Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...
'' (2007), '' Revenge of the Fallen'' (2009), '' Dark of the Moon'' (2011), '' Age of Extinction'' (2014), and ''
The Last Knight Last Knight may refer to: Books *'' The Last Knight: The Twilight of the Middle Ages and the Birth of the Modern Era'', a 2005 nonfiction book written by the medievalist Norman Cantor *''The Last Knight'', a 2000 graphic novel Will Eisner *''The La ...
'' (2017), and has served as a producer for subsequent films. A sixth film, ''
Bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...
'', directed by
Travis Knight Travis Andrew Knight (born September 13, 1973) is an American animator, producer, director, actor, and former rapper. The son of the Nike co-founder Phil Knight, he has worked as the lead animator and current CEO for the stop-motion animation s ...
, was released in 2018, while a seventh film, '' Rise of the Beasts'', directed by Steven Caple Jr., was released in 2023. The series has been distributed by
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
, and
DreamWorks Pictures DreamWorks Pictures (also known as DreamWorks SKG and commonly referred to as DreamWorks) is an American film studio and Film distribution, distribution label of Amblin Partners. It was originally founded on October 12, 1994, as a live-action a ...
. They worked on the first two films. While the ''Transformers'' film series has received negative to mixed reception, ''Bumblebee'' received positive reviews. Despite its critical reception, the ''Transformers'' film series has generally been successful at the box office, with ''Dark of the Moon'' and ''Age of Extinction'' grossing over $1 billion each; the latter was the highest-grossing film of 2014. It is the 14th-highest-grossing film series, with a total of $5.29 billion grossed over seven films to date.


Films


''Transformers'' (2007)

For the film, producer
Don Murphy Don Murphy (born April 1970) is an American film producer who produced ''Natural Born Killers'', ''Real Steel'', '' Splice'' and many other films, including ''Transformers'' and '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' and the upcoming re-ima ...
was planning a ''G.I. Joe'' film adaptation, but when the U.S. launched the
invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...
in March 2003,
Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...
suggested adapting the
Transformers franchise ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...
instead.
Tom DeSanto Tom DeSanto (born January 1, 1968) is an American film producer and screenwriter. Career DeSanto is a founding writer/producer behind several of the biggest franchises in movie history (''X-Men'', ''Transformers''). DeSanto's films have gross ...
joined Murphy because he was a fan of the series. They met with comic book writer
Simon Furman Simon Christopher Francis Furman (born 22 March 1961) is a British comic book writer who is best known for his work on Hasbro's ''Transformers'' franchise, starting with writing Marvel Comics's initial comic book to promote the toyline worl ...
, and cited the Generation 1 cartoon and comics as their main influence. They made the
Creation Matrix The Autobots are a fictional faction of sentient robots in the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. The Autobots are living robots from the planet Cybertron who, like most Transformers, are each imbued with a unique "life force" known as a " ...
their
plot device A plot device or plot mechanism is any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing a loss of the suspension of disbelief ...
, though Murphy had it renamed because of the film series ''The Matrix''. DeSanto chose to write the treatment from a human point of view to engage the audience, while Murphy wanted it to have a realistic tone, reminiscent of a
disaster film A disaster film or disaster movie is a film genre that has an impending or ongoing disaster as its subject and primary plot device. Such disasters may include natural disasters, accidents, offensive (military), military/terrorism, terrorist att ...
. The treatment featured the
Autobot The Autobots are a fictional faction of sentient robots in the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. The Autobots are living robots from the planet Cybertron who, like most Transformers, are each imbued with a unique "life force" known as a " ...
s
Optimus Prime Optimus Prime, also known in Japan as is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Transformers'' franchise. Generally depicted as a brave and noble leader, Optimus Prime is the supreme commander of the Autobots in their fight ag ...
, Ironhide,
Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
, Prowl,
Arcee Arcee is a robot character in the ''Transformers'' franchise, an Autobot usually pink or blue in color. She has made more appearances and has had several more incarnations than any other female Transformer. Arcee's design, alternate mode, and p ...
, Ratchet, Wheeljack, and
Bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...
, and the
Decepticon The Decepticons are a fictional faction of sentient robots in the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. Serving as the main antagonists in the franchise, their goals include conquering their fictional homeworld planet Cybertron, defeating ...
s
Megatron Megatron is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by the American toy company Hasbro and the Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. He is the tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, a villaino ...
,
Starscream Starscream is a character in the ''Transformers'' media franchise produced by the American toy company Hasbro and the Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. He is the second-in-command of the Decepticons, a villainous faction of alien robots that s ...
,
Soundwave Soundwave or Sound Wave may refer to: * Sound, a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave * Acoustic wave, the wave which carries sound Festivals * Soundwave (Australian music festival), an annual music festival 2007–2016 * Soundwave Fe ...
, Ravage, Laserbeak, Rumble,
Skywarp The Decepticons are a fictional faction of sentient robots in the ''Transformers'' multimedia franchise. Serving as the main antagonists in the franchise, their goals include conquering their fictional homeworld planet Cybertron, defeating ...
and
Shockwave In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a me ...
.
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
, a fan of the comics and toys, signed on as
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
in 2004. John Rogers wrote the first draft, which pitted four Autobots against four Decepticons, and featured the Ark spaceship.
Roberto Orci Roberto Gaston Orcí (July 20, 1973 – February 25, 2025) was a Mexican-American film and television screenwriter and producer. Born in Mexico City, Orci began his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman while at school in California. Toge ...
and
Alex Kurtzman Alexander Hilary Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for co-writing the scripts to ''Transformers'' (2007), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)'', ''Star Trek'' (2009), ''Star Trek Into Darkness ...
, fans of the cartoon, were hired to rewrite the script in February 2005. Spielberg suggested that "a boy and his car" should be the focus. This appealed to Orci and Kurtzman because it conveyed themes of adulthood and responsibility, "the things that a car represents in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
". The characters of Sam and Mikaela were the sole point of view given in Orci and Kurtzman's first draft. The Transformers had no dialogue, as the producers feared talking robots would look ridiculous. The writers felt that even if it would look silly, not having the robots speak would betray the fanbase. The first draft also had a battle scene in the
Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a mile (). The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon Nati ...
. Spielberg read each of Orci and Kurtzman's drafts and gave notes for improvement. The writers remained involved throughout production, adding additional dialogue for the robots during the sound mixing (although none of this was kept in the final film, which ran fifteen minutes shorter than the initial edit). Furman's ''The Ultimate Guide'', published by
Dorling Kindersley Dorling Kindersley Limited (branded as DK) is a British multinational publishing company specialising in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 63 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a subsidiary of German media cong ...
, remained as a resource to the writers throughout production. ''Prime Directive'' was used as a fake working title. This was also the name of
Dreamwave Productions Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996. Best known for its comic book adaptations of ''Transformers (toy line), Transformers'', the company shut down on January 4, 2005. History Brothers ...
' first ''Transformers'' comic book.
Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget high-concept action films with fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special eff ...
was asked to direct by Spielberg on July 30, 2005, but he dismissed the film as a "stupid toy movie". Nonetheless, he wanted to work with Spielberg, and gained a new respect for the mythology upon visiting Hasbro. Bay considered the first draft "too kiddie", so he increased the military's role in the story. The writers sought inspiration from G.I. Joe for the soldier characters, being careful not to mix the brands. Because Orci and Kurtzman were concerned the film could feel like a
military recruitment Military recruitment is attracting people to, and selecting them for, Recruit training, military training and Military service, employment. Demographics Gender Across the world, a large majority of recruits to state armed forces and Viole ...
commercial, they chose to make the military believe nations like
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
were behind the Decepticon attack as well as making the Decepticons primarily military vehicles. Bay based Lennox's struggle to get to the Pentagon phone line while struggling with an unhelpful operator from a real account he was given by a soldier when working on another film. Orci and Kurtzman experimented with numerous robots from the franchise, ultimately selecting the characters most popular among the filmmakers to form the final cast. Bay acknowledged that most of the Decepticons were selected before their names or roles were developed, as Hasbro had to start designing the toys. Some of their names were changed because Bay was upset that they had been leaked. Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream were the only characters present in each version of the script.
Arcee Arcee is a robot character in the ''Transformers'' franchise, an Autobot usually pink or blue in color. She has made more appearances and has had several more incarnations than any other female Transformer. Arcee's design, alternate mode, and p ...
was a female Transformer introduced by Orci and Kurtzman, but she was cut because they found it difficult to explain robotic gender; Bay also disliked her motorcycle form, which he found too small. An early idea to have the Decepticons simultaneously strike multiple places around the world was also dropped, being used later in the film's sequels.


''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' (2009)

In September 2007, Paramount announced a late June 2009 release date for the sequel to ''
Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...
''. A major hurdle that was overcome during the film's production was the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, as well as possible strikes by the
Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...
and the
Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
. Bay began creating
animatics A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of simple illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process ...
of action sequences featuring characters rejected for the 2007 film; this would allow animators to complete sequences if the
Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...
went on strike in July 2008, which ultimately did not happen. The director considered making a small project in between ''Transformers'' and its sequel, but knew "you have your baby and you don't want someone else to take it". The film was given a $200 million budget, which was $50 million more than the 2007 film, and some of the action scenes rejected for the original were written into the sequel, such as the way Optimus is reintroduced in this film.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura Lorenzo di Bonaventura (; born January 13, 1957) is an American film producer and the founder and owner of Di Bonaventura Pictures. He is best known for producing the ''G.I. Joe (film series), G.I. Joe'' and Transformers (film series), ''Transfo ...
said the studio proposed filming two sequels simultaneously, but he and Bay concurred that was not the right direction for the series. Writers
Roberto Orci Roberto Gaston Orcí (July 20, 1973 – February 25, 2025) was a Mexican-American film and television screenwriter and producer. Born in Mexico City, Orci began his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman while at school in California. Toge ...
and
Alex Kurtzman Alexander Hilary Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for co-writing the scripts to ''Transformers'' (2007), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)'', ''Star Trek'' (2009), ''Star Trek Into Darkness ...
originally passed on the sequel because of a busy schedule. The studio began courting other writers in May 2007, but as they were unimpressed with their pitches, they convinced Orci and Kurtzman to return. The studio also signed on
Ehren Kruger Ehren Kruger (born October 5, 1972) is an American film screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing three of the five installments in the original ''Transformers'' film series: '' Revenge of the Fallen'', '' Dark of the Moon'', and ' ...
, as he impressed Bay and Hasbro president
Brian Goldner Brian David Goldner (April 21, 1963 – October 11, 2021) was an American business chief executive and film producer. He was the chief executive officer of the American toy and media company Hasbro from 2008 until his death. Early life Goldner w ...
with his knowledge of the Transformers mythology, and because he was friends with Orci and Kurtzman. The writing trio were paid $8 million. Screenwriting was interrupted by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, but to avoid production delays the writers spent two weeks writing a treatment, which they handed in the night before the strike began, and Bay expanded the outline into a sixty-page
scriptment A scriptment is a written work by a movie or television screenwriter that combines elements of a script and treatment, especially the dialogue elements, which are formatted the same as in a screenplay. It is a more elaborate document than a standa ...
, fleshing out the action, adding more jokes, as well as selecting the majority of new characters. The three writers spent four months finishing the screenplay while "locked" in two hotel rooms by Bay: Kruger wrote in his own room and the trio would check on each other's work twice a day. Orci described the film's theme as "being away from home", with the Autobots contemplating living on Earth as they cannot restore Cybertron, while Sam goes to college. He wanted the focus between the robots and humans "much more evenly balanced", "the stakes obe higher", and the science fiction elements more prominent. Lorenzo di Bonaventura said that in total, there are around forty robots in the film, while
ILM Ilm or ILM may refer to: Acronyms * Identity Lifecycle Manager, a Microsoft Server Product * '' I Love Money,'' a TV show on VH1 * Independent Loading Mechanism, a mounting system for CPU sockets * Industrial Light & Magic, an American motion p ...
's Scott Farrar has said there are actually sixty. Orci added that he wanted to "modulate" the humor more, and felt he managed the more "outrageous" jokes by balancing them with a more serious plot approach to the Transformers' mythology. Bay concurred that he wanted to please fans by making the tone darker, and that "moms will think its safe enough to bring the kids back out to the movies" despite his trademark sense of humor. Before ''Transformers'' was released, producer DeSanto had "a very cool idea" to introduce the Dinobots, while Bay was interested in an
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
, which was dropped from the 2007 film. Orci claimed they did not incorporate these characters into ''Revenge of the Fallen'' because they could not think of a way to justify the Dinobots' choice of form, and were unable to fit in the aircraft carrier. Orci also admitted he was also dismissive of the Dinobots because he does not like dinosaurs. "I recognize I am weird in that department", he said, but he became fonder of them during filming because of their popularity with fans. He added "I couldn't see why a Transformer would feel the need to disguise himself in front of a bunch of lizards. Movie-wise, I mean. Once the general audience is fully on board with the whole thing, maybe Dinobots in the future." Bay said he hated the Dinobots and they had never been in consideration for being featured in the movies. It is the last film in the series to be distributed by DreamWorks.


''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' (2011)

For the third film, as a preemptive measure before the release of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', Michael Lucchi and Paramount announced on March 16, 2009, that a third film would be released in IMAX 3-D on July 1, 2011, which earned a surprised response from director Bay: Screenwriters
Roberto Orci Roberto Gaston Orcí (July 20, 1973 – February 25, 2025) was a Mexican-American film and television screenwriter and producer. Born in Mexico City, Orci began his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman while at school in California. Toge ...
and
Alex Kurtzman Alexander Hilary Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for co-writing the scripts to ''Transformers'' (2007), '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)'', ''Star Trek'' (2009), ''Star Trek Into Darkness ...
, who had worked on the two previous ''Transformers'' films, declined to return for the third film, with Kurtzman declaring that "the franchise is so wonderful that it deserves to be fresh, all the time. We just felt like we'd given it a lot and didn't have an insight for where to go with it next". ''Revenge of the Fallen''s co-writer
Ehren Kruger Ehren Kruger (born October 5, 1972) is an American film screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing three of the five installments in the original ''Transformers'' film series: '' Revenge of the Fallen'', '' Dark of the Moon'', and ' ...
became the sole screenwriter for ''Dark of the Moon''. Kruger had frequent meetings with
Industrial Light & Magic Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American Film, motion picture visual effects, computer animation and stereo conversion digital studio founded by George Lucas on May 26, 1975. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lu ...
's (ILM) CGI
visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action fo ...
producers, who suggested plot points such as the scenes in Chernobyl. On October 1, 2009, Bay revealed that ''Dark of the Moon'' had already gone into pre-production, and its planned release was back to its originally intended date of July 1, 2011, rather than 2012. Due to the revived interest in 3-D technology brought in by the success of ''
Avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
'', talks between Paramount, ILM, and Bay had considered the possibility of the next ''Transformers'' film being filmed in 3-D, and testing was performed to bring the technology into Bay's work. Bay originally was not much interested in the format as he felt it did not fit his "aggressive style" of filmmaking, but he was convinced after talks with ''Avatar'' director
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...
, who even offered the technical crew from that film. Cameron reportedly told Bay about 3-D, "You gotta look at it as a toy, it's another fun tool to help get emotion and character and create an experience." Bay was reluctant to film with 3-D cameras since in test he found them to be too cumbersome for his filming style, but he did not want to implement the technology in post production either since he was not pleased with the results. In addition to using the 3-D Fusion camera rigs developed by Cameron's team, Bay and the team spent nine months developing a more portable 3-D camera that could be brought into location. On the day of the film's release, Shia LaBeouf announced that ''Dark of the Moon'' would be his last ''Transformers'' film. In a hidden extra for the
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
release of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', Bay expressed his intention to make ''Transformers 3'' not necessarily larger than ''Revenge of the Fallen'', but instead deeper into the mythology, to give it more character development, and to make it darker and more emotional. Having been called ''Transformers 3'' up to that point, the film's final title was revealed to be ''Dark of the Moon'' in October 2010. After ''Revenge of the Fallen'' was panned by critics, Bay acknowledged the general flaws of the script, having blamed the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike prior to the film for many problems. Bay promised to not have the "dorky comedy" from the last film.


''Transformers: Age of Extinction'' (2014)

In February 2012, producer di Bonaventura stated that a fourth film was in the works, aiming for a 2014 release, with Michael Bay to direct and produce. On the same day, Paramount Pictures and Michael Bay announced a June 27, 2014 release date for a fourth film.
Ehren Kruger Ehren Kruger (born October 5, 1972) is an American film screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing three of the five installments in the original ''Transformers'' film series: '' Revenge of the Fallen'', '' Dark of the Moon'', and ' ...
would pen the script and
Steve Jablonsky Steve Jablonsky (born October 9, 1970) is an American composer for film, television, and video games, best known for his musical scores in the ''Transformers'' film series, ''Desperate Housewives'', and '' The Sims 3''. Some of his frequent col ...
would score the film, as each had for the previous film. The film is set five years after the events in ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon''.
Shia LaBeouf Shia Saide LaBeouf ( ; born June 11, 1986) is an American actor and filmmaker. He played Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel series ''Even Stevens'', a role for which he received Young Artist Award nominations in 2001 and 2002 and won a Dayt ...
did not return in any future installments.
Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...
was instead cast in the lead role as new character, Cade Yeager. In November 2012, casting began to search for two more leads. Isabelle Cornish,
Nicola Peltz Nicola Anne Peltz Beckham (born January 9, 1995) is an American actress, filmmaker, and billionaire heiress. She is best known for her roles as Katara in the film '' The Last Airbender'' (2010), Bradley Martin in the A&E drama series '' Bates ...
,
Gabriella Wilde Gabriella Zanna Vanessa Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe (born 8 April 1989), known professionally as Gabriella Wilde or Gabriella Calthorpe, is an English actress and model. She has appeared in the films '' St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's G ...
, and
Margaret Qualley Sarah Margaret Qualley ( ; born October 23, 1994) is an American actress. A daughter of actress Andie MacDowell, she trained as a ballet dancer in her youth. She made her acting debut in the 2013 drama film ''Palo Alto'' and gained recognitio ...
were all considered to play Cade's daughter Tessa Yeager, while
Luke Grimes Luke Timothy Grimes (born January 21, 1984) is an American actor and musician. He is known for his role as Navy SEAL Marc Alan Lee in the film ''American Sniper''. He played Christian Grey's little brother, Elliot, in the film ''Fifty Shades o ...
,
Landon Liboiron Landon Liboiron (born March 10, 1991) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Declan Coyne in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' and his lead role as Peter Rumancek in Netflix's original series '' Hemlock Grove'' (2013–15). Early l ...
,
Brenton Thwaites Brenton Thwaites (born ) is an Australian actor. Beginning his career in his home country in 2011, he had a starring role on the series '' Slide'' and later appeared on the soap opera ''Home and Away''. Since moving to the United States, Thwait ...
,
Jack Reynor Jack Reynor (born 23 January 1992) is an Irish actor. His notable roles include the films '' What Richard Did'' (2012), '' Transformers: Age of Extinction'' (2014), '' Glassland'' (2014), ''Macbeth'' (2015), '' Sing Street'' (2016) and '' Midso ...
, and
Hunter Parrish Hunter Parrish Tharp (born May 13, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing the role of Silas Botwin in the Showtime series ''Weeds'' and for his performances in the Broadway productions of ''Godspell'' in the role of Jes ...
were all considered to play Tessa's race-car-driving boyfriend, Shane Dyson. Bay announced on his website that Reynor would portray Shane and that the fourth film would start the next installment in the overall series; the film was to be a darker sequel to ''Dark of the Moon'' and have a different feeling.
Peter Cullen Peter Claver Cullen (born July 28, 1941) is a Canadian voice actor. He voiced Optimus Prime in the original 1980s ''The Transformers (TV series), Transformers'' animated series, later returning to the role in ''Transformers'' media in 2007, sta ...
, who voiced
Optimus Prime Optimus Prime, also known in Japan as is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Transformers'' franchise. Generally depicted as a brave and noble leader, Optimus Prime is the supreme commander of the Autobots in their fight ag ...
in the films, was to reprise his role.
Tyrese Gibson Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American R&B singer and actor from Los Angeles, California. He signed with RCA Records in 1998, and released his debut single " Nobody Else" in August of that year. It peaked within the top ...
was in talks to reprise his role as Sgt. Robert Epps from the original trilogy.
Glenn Morshower Glenn Morshower (born April 24, 1959) is an American actor and inspirational speaker. Known for his distinctive Texas accent, he is well known for playing military and law enforcement roles in both live-action and voice work, particularly Secret ...
stated that he was contracted for two films and he was to reprise his role. It was later announced that he would not return until the next film. With a budget of $165 million, filming was expected to take place in London between April and November 2013—once ''
Pain & Gain ''Pain & Gain'' is a 2013 American black comedy action crime film directed by Michael Bay and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. It is based on a 1999 series of ''Miami New Times'' articles by Pete Collins about the activities of ...
'', another film that Bay was directing, had finished editing. On January 8, 2013, it was announced that Reynor was joining Wahlberg in the lead. On March 26, 2013, Nicola Peltz was cast as the female lead. Bay confirmed that the movie was to be in 3D. Bay revealed to Collider that actor
Stanley Tucci Stanley Tucci Jr. ( ; born November 11, 1960) is an American actor. Known as a character actor, he has played a wide variety of roles ranging from menacing to sophisticated, earning numerous accolades, including six Emmy Awards and two Golden ...
had joined the cast, and that the film would be the first feature film to be shot using smaller digital IMAX 3D cameras. On May 1, 2013, actor
Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained fame for his role as the psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984–1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993–2004, and again F ...
was cast as the lead human villain named "Harold Attinger". On May 6, 2013, actress
Sophia Myles Sophia Myles () is an English actress. She is best known in film for portraying Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in Thunderbirds (2004 film), ''Thunderbirds'' (2004), Isolde in ''Tristan & Isolde (film), Tristan & Isolde'' (2006), Darcy in ''Transfo ...
was cast in a major supporting role. That same month, Chinese actress
Li Bingbing Li Bingbing ( zh, c=李冰冰, p=Lǐ Bīngbīng; born February 27, 1973) is a Chinese actress. She gained critical acclaim for her role in '' Seventeen Years'' (1999) and received widespread success with films such as '' A World Without Thieve ...
and comedian T. J. Miller joined the cast. Actor T.J. Miller would be playing the best friend of Wahlberg's character who is a mechanic. Also revealed were two Autobots who would have the following alternate modes—a black-and-blue 2013
Bugatti Veyron The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engine sports car designed and developed in Germany by the Volkswagen Group and Bugatti, and manufactured in Molsheim, France by French automobile manufacturer Bugatti. It was named after the racing driver Pi ...
Grand Sport Vitesse named "Drift", and a green 2014 C7 Corvette Stingray concept named Crosshairs. A truck from
Western Star Trucks Western Star is an American truck manufacturer headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It is owned by Daimler Truck North America, which is a subsidiary of German automotive manufacturer Daimler Truck AG. Western Star trucks are commonly sold at F ...
would be Optimus Prime's new alternate mode for the movie. Bumblebee's new alternate mode was revealed to be a modified vintage 1967 Chevrolet Camaro, which later transforms into a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro concept. A green military vehicle (later confirmed to be Hound) and a white emergency response vehicle were also revealed. Filming began in June 2013, in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
,
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
, Los Angeles, and
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
. The film was released on June 27, 2014.


''Transformers: The Last Knight'' (2017)

In March 2015,
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...
reported that Paramount Pictures was in talks with
Akiva Goldsman Akiva Goldsman (born July 7, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. Goldsman's filmography as a screenwriter includes ''The Client (1994 film), The Client''; ''Batman Forever'' and its sequel ''Batman & Robin (film), Batman ...
to pitch new ideas for the ''Transformers'' franchise's future installments. The studio intends to do what
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...
and
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
have been doing in planning three ''
Avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
'' sequels, and what Disney has done to revive ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'', with sequels and spin-offs. Paramount has wanted to have their own cinematic universe for ''Transformers'', similar to
Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...
's/
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
's
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(which had been one of Paramount's previous film series), and
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
/
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
'
DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comic ...
. Goldsman is the head of the future projects, and worked with franchise director
Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget high-concept action films with fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special eff ...
, executive producer
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
, and producer
Lorenzo di Bonaventura Lorenzo di Bonaventura (; born January 13, 1957) is an American film producer and the founder and owner of Di Bonaventura Pictures. He is best known for producing the ''G.I. Joe (film series), G.I. Joe'' and Transformers (film series), ''Transfo ...
to organize a "writers' room" that incubates ideas for potential ''Transformers'' films. The writers' room members include
Christina Hodson Christina Hodson is an English screenwriter. She is best known for writing the films ''Bumblebee'' (2018), ''Birds of Prey'' (2020), and ''The Flash'' (2023). Her screenplay ''Shut In'' appeared on the 2012 edition of the Black List, an annua ...
, Lindsey Beer, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari (''
Ant-Man Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, his first appearance was in '' Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962) as Dr. Henry ...
''),
Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creat ...
('' The Walking Dead''), Art Marcum & Matt Holloway,
Zak Penn Zak Penn (born March 23, 1968) is an American screenwriter. Penn wrote and directed '' Incident at Loch Ness'' and '' The Grand'', wrote the script for ''The Incredible Hulk'', co-wrote the scripts for '' X2'', '' X-Men: The Last Stand'', and th ...
(''
Pacific Rim Uprising ''Pacific Rim Uprising'' is a 2018 American science fiction monster film directed by Steven S. DeKnight and written by DeKnight, Emily Carmichael, Kira Snyder and T. S. Nowlin. It is the second installment in the ''Pacific Rim'' franchise ...
''),
Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Early life and education Born to a Jewish family,The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'' (internationally titled ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro'') is a 2014 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel En ...
''),
Ken Nolan Ken Nolan () is an American screenwriter and novelist best known for adapting the 2001 biographical war film ''Black Hawk Down'' from the non-fiction book of the same name. Life and career Nolan was born in Detroit and raised in Buffalo, New Y ...
, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Kirkman left the room after just one day to undergo throat surgery. In July 2015, Akiva Goldsman and
Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Early life and education Born to a Jewish family,G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), A ...
'' and ''
Micronauts Micronauts is a North American science fiction toyline manufactured and marketed by Mego from 1976 to 1980. The ''Micronauts'' toyline was based on and licensed from the '' Microman'' toyline created by Japanese-based toy company Takara in 1974 ...
'' properties, Paramount began to negotiate with
Art Marcum and Matt Holloway Art Marcum and Matt Holloway are an American screenwriting duo, best known for writing the scripts of movies like ''Iron Man'' and '' Punisher: War Zone''. Career In 2008, Marcum and Holloway wrote the script of Marvel Studios' superhero film ...
(''
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
''), as well as Ken Nolan ('' Black Hawk Down''), to write the film. Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet were also brought aboard for writing duties. After '' Transformers: Age of Extinction'', Bay had decided not to direct any future ''Transformers'' films. But in early January 2016, in an interview with ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', he stated that he would return to direct the fifth film, and that it will be his last ''Transformers'' film.
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
spent $80 million on production in Michigan, in return for $21 million in state incentives, under agreements entered into before the state legislature eliminated the film office incentive program in July 2015. In April 2016, Paramount hired cinematographer Jonathan Sela. On May 17, Bay revealed the official title of the film to be ''The Last Knight'' on his
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
account, where he also posted a production video showing a close-up of Optimus Prime's face with purple eyes instead of blue, and his face mostly discolored. The official Twitter account showed a 19-second short video in morse code that translates to "I'm coming for you May 31". On May 31, it was revealed that Megatron would return in the sequel.


''Bumblebee'' (2018)

''Bumblebee'' is a spin-off film and prequel centered on the ''
Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...
'' character of the
same name ''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first and last name. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after four-ep ...
and set in the 1980s. The design and style of the film included both elements from the current franchise and influences from the 1980s '' Transformers: Generation 1'' toyline.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
on the film began in July 2017, in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, California. It was released on December 21, 2018, to positive reviews. Following the film's critical success, Hasbro intends to continue and evolve the franchise similar to ''Bumblebee''.


''Transformers: Rise of the Beasts'' (2023)

In March 2019, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura announced ongoing developments for a follow-up to ''Bumblebee''. By January 2020, it was officially announced that a sequel to ''Bumblebee'' was in development with a script written by
Joby Harold Joby Harold is an English screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-l ...
, alongside an adaptation of '' Transformers: Beast Wars'' with a script written by
James Vanderbilt James Platten Vanderbilt (born November 17, 1975) is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing the films ''Zodiac'' (2007), ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (2012) and its 2014 sequel, and '' Independence Day: Resurgence'' (2 ...
. The film was then scheduled for release on June 24, 2022, that May, while in November, Steven Caple Jr. was hired to serve as director on the project, which serves as both a ''Bumblebee'' sequel and ''Beast Wars'' adaptation. In April 2021,
Anthony Ramos Anthony Paul Ramos Martinez (born November 1, 1991) is an American actor and singer. After graduating in musical theater from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, he began performing in stage musicals. In 2015, he originated the dual role ...
was cast in one of the lead roles for the film, with Dominique Fishback in final talks to play the lead role. The project was a joint-venture production between Hasbro, eOne, and Paramount Pictures. Principal photography began in June 2021, with the official title announced as ''Transformers: Rise of the Beasts'', confirmed to be set after the events of ''Bumblebee''. ''Rise of the Beasts'' was originally scheduled for release in June 2022, but was delayed until June 9, 2023.


Future

* Untitled ''The Last Knight'' sequel: Originally announced during the ongoing plans for a "Transformers Cinematic Universe" with a scheduled release date of June 28, 2019; the film was removed from Paramount's release schedule following the negative reception to ''The Last Knight''. By March 2019, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed that a script was being written for sequels to both ''The Last Knight'' and ''Bumblebee''. It was later confirmed that the film will not be a direct sequel to the previous installment. In an interview in September 2021, when asked about the possibility of a film taking place after ''The Last Knight'', actor Josh Duhamel had expressed interest in reprising his role as Colonel William Lennox. * Untitled Angel Manuel Soto film: In March 2021, another film entered development directed by
Ángel Manuel Soto Ángel Manuel Soto (born January 28, 1983) is a Puerto Rican film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the films ''Charm City Kings'' (2020) and ''Blue Beetle (film), Blue Beetle'' (2023). Early life Ángel Manu ...
, from a script written by Marco Ramirez. The plot will take place separately from films that have previously been released, while
Lorenzo di Bonaventura Lorenzo di Bonaventura (; born January 13, 1957) is an American film producer and the founder and owner of Di Bonaventura Pictures. He is best known for producing the ''G.I. Joe (film series), G.I. Joe'' and Transformers (film series), ''Transfo ...
,
Don Murphy Don Murphy (born April 1970) is an American film producer who produced ''Natural Born Killers'', ''Real Steel'', '' Splice'' and many other films, including ''Transformers'' and '' Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' and the upcoming re-ima ...
, and
Tom DeSanto Tom DeSanto (born January 1, 1968) is an American film producer and screenwriter. Career DeSanto is a founding writer/producer behind several of the biggest franchises in movie history (''X-Men'', ''Transformers''). DeSanto's films have gross ...
remain involved in their producing roles. The project will be a joint-venture production between eOne and Paramount Pictures. * Untitled ''Rise of the Beasts'' sequels: In February 2022 at the ViacomCBS Investors' Event, Paramount announced that ''Rise of the Beasts'' will be the first installment of a new trilogy of films. In June 2023, di Bonaventura stated that future installments will progressively include elements and characters from the G.I. Joes prior to the event of a crossover with the ''G.I. Joe'' series. Director, Caple Jr. stated that discussions have included adding additional Transformer factions from other planets into the series. The filmmaker expressed interest in further exploring the origins of the Transformers, with hopes of including more details about their creator Primus in the future.


Shared universe connections

In March 2013, during the release of '' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'', producer di Bonaventura announced the studio's plans to develop a ''
G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), A ...
/Transformers'' crossover. On July 26, 2013, ''G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' director
Jon M. Chu Jonathan Murray Chu (born November 2, 1979) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for directing the romantic comedy '' Crazy Rich Asians'' (2018) and the musical fantasy '' Wicked'' (2024), the former being one of ...
stated that he was also interested in directing a ''Transformers/G.I. Joe'' crossover film. Despite di Bonaventura stating that a crossover was not in the immediate plans for the franchises, he acknowledged that it was something they intended to do. In March 2015, Paramount hired Academy Award-winning screenwriter
Akiva Goldsman Akiva Goldsman (born July 7, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. Goldsman's filmography as a screenwriter includes ''The Client (1994 film), The Client''; ''Batman Forever'' and its sequel ''Batman & Robin (film), Batman ...
to oversee and compile a team of writers, to pitch ideas for future films to expand the franchise into a cinematic universe. Twelve individual stories were written and pitched for the cinematic universe. Goldsman was tasked with developing a multi-part sequel storyline, along with prequels and spin-off films. A "brain trust" was commissioned to guide the productions of these stories, including Goldsman, Michael Bay, and producers Steven Spielberg and Lorenzo di Bonaventura. The team of writers who were hired included:
Robert Kirkman Robert Kirkman (; born November 30, 1978)Löchel, Ingo"The Walking Dead: Die Comic-Serie – Robert Kirkman" Zauberspiegel. Retrieved February 17, 2013. is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for co-creat ...
, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway,
Zak Penn Zak Penn (born March 23, 1968) is an American screenwriter. Penn wrote and directed '' Incident at Loch Ness'' and '' The Grand'', wrote the script for ''The Incredible Hulk'', co-wrote the scripts for '' X2'', '' X-Men: The Last Stand'', and th ...
,
Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Early life and education Born to a Jewish family,Christina Hodson Christina Hodson is an English screenwriter. She is best known for writing the films ''Bumblebee'' (2018), ''Birds of Prey'' (2020), and ''The Flash'' (2023). Her screenplay ''Shut In'' appeared on the 2012 edition of the Black List, an annua ...
, Lindsey Anderson Beer,
Ken Nolan Ken Nolan () is an American screenwriter and novelist best known for adapting the 2001 biographical war film ''Black Hawk Down'' from the non-fiction book of the same name. Life and career Nolan was born in Detroit and raised in Buffalo, New Y ...
,
Geneva Robertson-Dworet Geneva Robertson-Dworet (born May 8, 1985) is an American screenwriter. She rose to prominence after being hired in 2015 to rewrite the script for the 2018 ''Tomb Raider'' reboot, starring Alicia Vikander and directed by Roar Uthaug. She co-wrot ...
, and Steven DeKnight. Goldsman described the writer's room collaboration process, as a way to map out stories that can be further developed by the projects that are
green-lit In the context of the film and television industries, to greenlight is to give permission to proceed with a project. It specifically refers to formally approving its production finance and committing to this financing, thereby allowing the projec ...
by the brain trust; stating: "...if one of the writers discovers an affinity for particular story they can drive forward on treatments that will have been fleshed out by the whole room." In August 2017, following the poor reception of ''The Last Knight'' which Goldsman co-wrote, the filmmaker officially left the franchise. In December 2018, di Bonaventura stated that there will be further films in the series, while also acknowledging that the franchise will make some changes in tone and style due to the success of ''Bumblebee''. In July 2021, producer di Bonaventura and actor
Henry Golding Henry Ewan Golding (born 5 February 1987) is a British actor of Malaysian origin. He has starred in the romantic comedies '' Crazy Rich Asians'' (2018) and ''Last Christmas'' (2019), the thriller '' A Simple Favor'' (2018), the action comedy '' ...
expressed interest developing a crossover film. In July 2021, a crossover film with the ''G.I. Joe'' film series was once again in development. In June 2023, beginning with ''Rise of the Beasts'', the two franchises began to share continuity. Producer di Bonaventura stated that in future films, actors from the ''G.I. Joe'' films may reprise their roles. In July 2023, di Bonaventura stated that while the crossover would not interfere with the continuity of the franchise's first five installments, he believed that "continuity's overblown, because sometimes you miss a great idea." In April 2024, Paramount announced that a crossover film is in development.
Derek Connolly Derek Connolly (born c. 1976) is an American screenwriter and film producer. He is best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Colin Trevorrow, and has written the films ''Safety Not Guaranteed'' (2012), '' Jurassic World'' (2015) and its se ...
was hired to write the crossover film in June 2024. Di Bonaventura announced to ''Collider'' that the crossover will be the next film. On November 20, 2024, in the wake of the underperformance of the animated film ''
Transformers One ''Transformers One'' is a 2024 American animated science fiction action film based on Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. It was directed by Josh Cooley from a screenplay by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, the latter two of ...
'' (2024), Hasbro announced that they would no longer be co-financing film adaptations, instead leaving external studios to exclusively fund such projects.


Short films


''Transformers: Beginnings'' (2007)

Released separately from the first film on home release in October 2007, on DVD as a Walmart Exclusive; the short is an animated prequel, presented in the form of a
motion comic A motion comic (or animated comic) is a form of animation combining elements of print comic books and animation. Individual panels are expanded into a full shot while sound effects, voice acting, music, and animation are added to the original artwo ...
, with narration from the character Bumblebee. Mark Ryan provides the voice-over work for the role, while the short depicts Megatron's arrival on Earth, as well as Archibald Witwicky's discovery 4 million years later. The short skips to 2003 with Bumblebee arriving on Earth, and Sector 7's pursuit of him.


''Sector 7 Archive'' (2019)

Released on the home video release of ''Bumblebee'', two short films under a "Sector 7 Archive" label were released.


''Agent Burns: Welcome to Sector 7'' (2019)

A short released as an in-universe orientation video, of Agent Burns addressing new hires.


''Sector 7 Adventures: The Battle at Half Dome'' (2019)

A short film, released in the form of a motion comic, takes place two years after the events of ''Bumblebee'' which depicts a fight between Bumblebee and Soundwave. When Sector 7 is attacked by Soundwave, Bumblebee arrives to protect them. During the ensuing battle, Soundwave demands that Sector 7 give back what belongs to the Decepticons.


Web series


''Transformers: Cyber Missions'' (2010)

A 13-episode long web mini-series released in 2010 and set within and using the Transformers design from the continuity of the live-action movies. It was released on Hasbro's website and in 2011 re-released on Transformers' official YouTube channel. The series was made by TG Studios in only three months. It is set between the events of ''Revenge of the Fallen'' and ''Dark of the Moon''.


''Bumblebee's First Life on Earth'' (2019)

is a 3-episode long retelling of the first half of the ''Bumblebee'' film with no spoilers. The series was released on Paramount Pictures' Japanese
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account.


Cast and characters


Crew and production details


Reception


Box office performance


Critical and public response

The film series has met with generally negative to mixed reception. With the exception of ''Bumblebee'', common elements of the original film series were held in low esteem by critics, such as the repeated formulaic plots, sophomoric and
toilet humor Toilet humour or potty humour is a type of off-colour humour dealing with: defecation (including diarrhea and constipation), in which case it is called scatological humour (compare scatology); urination; flatulence, in which case it is called fla ...
, female character
objectification In social philosophy, objectification is the act of treating a person as an object or a thing. Sexual objectification, the act of treating a person as a mere object of sexual desire, is a subset of objectification, as is self-objectification, th ...
, clichéd and controversial characterizations, racial and cultural stereotypes, overuse of
MacGuffin In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself. The term was originated by Angus MacPhail fo ...
s,
product placement Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of t ...
, long running times, and excessive retroactive continuity changes (or retcons). The first ''Transformers'' film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its groundbreaking visual effects, sound design, action sequences, story, performances, with criticism for the Transformer redesigns and product placement. The second film, ''Revenge of the Fallen'', received negative reviews, with criticism of its screenplay and runtime, but praise for its visual effects and sound design. The third film, ''Dark of the Moon'', received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its visual effects and sound design, but criticism for its screenplay and runtime. The fourth film, ''Age of Extinction'' received negative reviews from critics for its runtime and direction. The fifth film ''The Last Knight'' received negative reviews from critics for its direction, thin plot, and overlong runtime. ''Bumblebee'' received positive reviews, with praise for its lighter tone, story, visuals, performances, voice acting, direction, action sequences, and faithfulness to the 1980s Transformers show. ''Rise of the Beasts'' received mixed reviews, with critics calling it an improvement over the pre–''Bumblebee'' films, but with some criticism of the runtime.


Accolades

The franchise has been frequently praised and won awards for its visual effects and sound design. Michael Bay praised the crew and highlighted the importance of sound saying "I have like 2,000 people – through their artistry – making my dreams a film," Bay said. "The artistry of this sound group is just amazing. I love, love sound. It's 45–50% of the movies."


Academy Awards


Golden Raspberry Awards


Visual Effects Society Awards


Home media

The films have been successful in domestic home video sales and have grossed over $890 million.


Other media

In addition to the films, the film series has a promotional expanded series that is set both before and after the events of the films. This includes comic books, video games, and novels. While the novels are partially based on the films themselves, and the video games are not in the same continuity as the films, the comic books and graphic novels are in the same continuity and fill in several parts of the stories from the films. Also, '' Transformers: The Ride 3D'' is an amusement ride based on the film series. The ride introduced a new character, Autobot Evac, voiced by Dustin James Leighton.


See also

* '' The Transformers: The Movie'', a 1986 animated film based on the original TV series * ''G.I. Joe'' film series (Hasbro have teased a shared cinematic universe with the ''Transformers'' series) * ''
Transformers One ''Transformers One'' is a 2024 American animated science fiction action film based on Hasbro's ''Transformers'' toy line. It was directed by Josh Cooley from a screenplay by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, the latter two of ...
'', a 2024 animated film and prequel to the ''Transformers'' franchise.


Notes


References


External links

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