According to Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, another film in the main Transformers timeline will be coming soon. While the Transformers toy line and cartoon started in the 1980s, the first live-action version of the robotic aliens was created in 2007. The most recent film in the series, Bumblebee, stars Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena, with Dylan O'Brien providing the voice of Bumblebee.
The first film in the Transformers series was directed by Michael Bay and starred Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. The Transformers brand has proven to be incredibly profitable for Paramount Pictures, and has spawned a total of six movies in the series, including the recently released spinoff film Bumblebee. While Bumblebee takes place before the events of the first five movies, it will still connect to the Transformers continuity. Paramount may be focusing on promoting their first Transformers spinoff, but there are apparently plans to make another mainline film for the series.
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When speaking with CinePOP, Bonaventura revealed that Paramount is still planning on making another Transformers movie that isn't a spinoff. When asked if other origin stories, specifically Optimus Prime, are in the works, Bonaventura revealed, "We hope so. Optimus Prime is a tricky one because he’s so wise and smart that it’s hard to decide how you can make him, uh, how you can create an emotional story around him. Yeah, we’re also going to do a big Transformers movie as well".
Since Transformers has become such a lucrative film series, Paramount hasn't shown any signs of stopping the franchise. In 2015 it was revealed that Paramount had Transformers movies planned until 2025. The most recent Transformers films have gotten less than favorable reviews from fans and critics, which is why Paramount is focusing on implementing more heart and humor for Bumblebee. Paramount is also developing movies based on other Hasbro toys like G.I. Joe and Micronauts, which could potentially crossover with the Transformers universe.
Bumblebee has done fairly well with fans and critics thus far, meaning that it could open the door for other spinoff movies down the road. Bonaventura has expressed interest in an Optimus Prime spinoff before, but news about another mainline Transformers movie has been scarce. While Paramount will certainly take Bumblebee's reception into account, Bonaventura's comments seem to indicate that the Transformers franchise will include both spinoff movies and entries to the main series in the foreseeable future.
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Source: CinePOP
