As a guy who grew up watching Transformers on TV and collecting the toys, I have to say I’m not a fan of what Michael Bay has done to the franchise. It’s not that I dislike the director or his other movies (I feel he gets picked on unfairly), I just don’t think he was ever the right director for this franchise. So, it’s with a heavy heart I relay the news Mark Wahlberg expects Bay to return to the director’s chair for Transformers 5. We still haven’t heard confirmation from the director himself, so there’s still a little hope Wahlberg has spoken prematurely.
In an interview with Collider, Wahlberg was asked about the future of the Transformers franchise:
Collider: Do you have any update on the status of Transformers 5? Have you heard anything about what’s going on?
WAHLBERG: I don’t. Just that Akiva [Goldsman] and those guys are starting to write and break stories, and stuff like that. But [Michael] Bay is in Malta shooting Benghazi, and I’m in New Orleans shooting Deepwater. We’ll get together when he gets back.
Do you think he’ll still ultimately direct it?
WAHLBERG: Yes.
Now it’s likely Wahlberg has spoken to Bay personally about doing the next Transformers film and has insider information, but Bay has 13 Hours that’s all he needed.
Of course, the studio would be happy to have the director back. While fans of the source material generally dislike the recent film franchise, movie-goers can’t get enough. Released in 2014, Transformers: Age of Extinction was the only film that year to reach $1 billion globally, with the film clearly geared towards an international audience. The film actually grossed more in China than it did in North America.
It’s likely we won’t hear confirmation of who will direct Transformers 5 for a while still. The next film in the franchise is expected to release in Summer 2017.
