THE Transformers The franchise is stuck between a rock and a hard place right now, but the series has three possible futures that could be really exciting. When it all started in 2007, Transformers quickly became one of Paramount Pictures' most valuable blockbuster properties. It hadn't seen much popularity since its original cartoon aired in the 1980s, but Michael Bay's film Transformers modernized the IP as a big-budget military action film and attracted a large audience. It was promptly followed by sequels that, for a while, got bigger and bigger (and brought in more and more money for the studio).
In recent years, however, the Transformers films have been less reliable. It hasn't been a big hit in 10 years, and the in-between output has ranged from commercial disappointments to total box office bombs. After Transformers One became the lowest-grossing entry in the franchise since the original 1986 animated film, Paramount executives have to be scrambling, trying to figure out how to get the franchise back on track. They may be thinking about returning to the Bay – but their top three options have nothing to do with the Bay.
The most exciting upcoming Transformers films are a sequel to Transformers One, Bumblebee 2 and The GI Joe Crossover
Transformers have three chances for a bright future
Right now, the three most exciting films in the Transformers franchise could offer are a sequence of Transformers Onea sequence of Beeand the already announced crossover with GI Joe. Transformers One was criminally underrated last summer – it's one of the best animated films of the year – and it would be a joy to see this prequel story continued in another film. Transformers One recaptured the spirit of the original 80s cartoonand it's just beginning. Based on Transformers OneAt the box office, a sequel seems unlikely, and that's a shame.
Alternatively, the Transformers the franchise could finally deliver a sequel to its last bona fide hit: 2018 Bee. Bee was essentially the Transformers version of ETas Hailee Steinfeld's lonely teenager forges a beautiful friendship with an alien robot, and the first film only scratched the surface of this relationship's dramatic and comedic potential. Paramount has already confirmed that it is developing a crossover between the Transformers and GI Joe franchises to accompany the provocation at the end of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. This would also be a great way to reinvigorate the franchise.
Another entry into the main transformer series is not so important now
Michael Bay's Mainline Transformers Series Has Run Its Course
After Transformers One tried something different and failed at the box office, Paramount might be tempted to go back to Bay – or at least go back to Bay's series Transformers films. But that would be a bad idea; the Bay series ran its course. The average reception Rise of the Beasts proved that audiences are fed up with big, bombastic live action Transformers films with giant casts and mega-scale battle sequences. Bee and Transformers One may not have raised as much as Bay's Transformers films, but they were much better received both by critics and the public.
Returning to Bay's Transformers the series would feel like a step backwards for the franchise. The latest steps forward didn't work out financially, but were met with a much more enthusiastic response. A sequel to Transformers One may not make sense from a commercial point of view, but it is a sequence of Bee should be a no-brainer – and the GI Joe crossover (if it lives up to the grandeur of its potential) has a good chance of winning back the fans they lost.
Why the Future of the Transformers Movie Is So Complicated
Transformers has been scattered since opening a writers' room
The future of Transformers the film franchise has been scattered ever since Paramount decided to open a writers' room. This was part of a misguided attempt to transform the Transformers series into a broad Marvel-style cinematic universe releasing regular sequels and spin-offs. Instead of taking the franchise one film at a time and really considering what each step should be, Paramount recruited a team of writers to develop multiple projects at once. This means the studio isn't keeping up with the audience's response; they are just producing randomly Transformers happy.
The studio is not keeping up with the public response; they're just producing random Transformers content.
Another big problem is that the Transformers Franchise Hasn't Delivered a Genuine Box Office Hit in a Decade. Since the last Transformers film, Transformers: The Last Knightunderperforming at the box office, all Transformers the film grossed less than the previous one. Bee was a modest success because it had a modest budget, but Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was a commercial disappointment and Transformers One it was a total failure. It will take a real crowd pleaser to win back the public's goodwill and get the Transformers franchise back on track.