Transformers is one of Hasbro's most profitable franchises, but the movie series has been far less successful in terms of its critical acclaim, compared to the love for the toys and animated shows. There's a number of reasons for this, but Hasbro is moving forward in a new direction.
The industry is currently in the era of the cinematic universe and everyone is trying to get a piece of the proverbial pie. It's therefore not surprising that Hasbro continues to have its sights set on a universe of some description based upon their toy properties. While this extends past just Transformers, the robots in disguise are a crucial piece of the puzzle.
Hasbro's Long-Term Plans
Hasbro has wanted to create a cinematic universe for quite some time, which extends past just the Transformers franchise. With the likes of G.I. Joe, Battleship, and even Dungeons And Dragons in their library, there's certainly a lot of cinematic universe potential.
Out of all of these properties, though, it is Transformers that's been the most successful on-screen and has become the most famous. It appears that this area of the universe still fits into Hasbro's long-term plans, but they are still taking time to get everything right.
A New Universe
While Transformers had already created a cinematic universe of some form, the slate has been wiped completely clean. Bumblebee acted as a new way into this universe, and any future sequels can learn a lot from it. It seems now the universe is heading towards Beast Wars.
Based on the animated series, new characters will be introduced that are animalistic in nature and design. The idea is to do something completely different with this universe, meaning that the same ground will not be tread, in order to set the second canon apart from the first.
Moving Away From Michael Bay
It's fair to say that Michael Bay's original movies strayed quite far away from the canon of the universe. While the movies worked for what they needed to and were commercially successful, they didn't ultimately please fans or become a good representation of the brand itself.
Ultimately this kind of universe killed the franchise for a short time until the Bumblebee reboot set everything on a new path. The universe is staying away from the types of things that Bay did in his series; not only moving away from the director himself but also from some of the tropes such as generic character designs.
Continued Releases
When Bumblebee was initially released it did appear that this would be a one-off. However, it now appears that Hasbro will continue to push out releases in order for the universe to build momentum. There will be a consistency in terms of how often there are projects announced, therefore.
Beast Wars is the latest example of that, but the concept extends to the wider Hasbro cinematic universe. The release of Snake Eyes for instance demonstrates a continued commitment to G.I. Joe despite past failures and the same will continue to happen with Transformers.
TV Show Rumors
Of course, Transformers largely grew in popularity because of the original animated TV shows which were designed to sell toys. However, the live-action universe could be expanded upon by dipping into the television format, for a new ongoing franchise.
While nothing is currently in the works there have been plenty of rumors both for and against the notion of a live-action TV show. While the budget for such a series would likely be huge, it would at least give Hasbro a chance to cement their universe further on-screen.
Focused On Character
It appears that the latest way of creating a shared universe is by focusing on the characters themselves. Bumblebee was a hit because it put so much emphasis on the titular character in a way that the previous films had not been able to do in an ensemble setting.
The Beast Wars project will do something similar, aiming to focus on this new team of characters before bringing them into a wider setting. Hasbro is doing the same with their other projects, with Snake Eyes once again acting as a great example.
Going Back To The Source Material
Part of the failure of the original films was a refusal to look at the actual source material. This was damaging as some of the characters looked nothing like the original designs and many of the personalities had been shifted in unusual ways. Even the best Transformers villains had been changed, almost to an unrecognizable level.
Bumblebee marked a shift in this respect as well, with Hasbro focusing on getting the source material right. The characters looked and felt like they did in the original animated TV shows and with a reliance on Beast Wars as a narrative, the same will happen again in the future.
Film One At A Time
Despite the grand plans of the studio, it appears that Hasbro and indeed Paramount are only announcing and working on a film at a time. Often with cinematic universes, the studio has a slate ready to go and continues on this plan no matter what happens.
This doesn't always work though as was the case with the Dark Universe. With Transformers, only one project is announced officially at a time. Once it's released the studio works on the next project, based on the results of the previous. It's a great path to take, but fans will be happy to know there are other rumored future installments that just haven't been officially announced yet.
Won't Leave Animation Behind
Although Hasbro is putting a lot of focus into live-action films, that doesn't mean that animation is being left behind. Netflix has a slate of projects lined up for the franchise and animation will always be a huge part of the franchise overall.
That doesn't mean the two are connected though. While other shared universes like the galaxy far far away and the MCU are experimenting with a hybrid of both animated and live-action storytelling, Transformers appears to be keeping the two very separate for the maximum amount of creative freedom.
Previous Crossover Potential
As previously mentioned, Hasbro has had its eyes set on a shared universe for some time. But, it wouldn't just pertain to Transformers. It would actually include the various toy brands that Hasbro owns, with the company even putting together a writer's room to make it all work.
This was reportedly unsuccessful at the time and Hasbro goes back to the drawing board once more. Perhaps the Transformers sequels will provide the key, with the franchise acting as a base to build around as it continues to be taken to new critical and commercial heights.