We learned, at the end of March, Paramount was bringing on Akiva Goldsman (Jonah Hex, Batman & Robin) to help Transformers franchise director Michael Bay, exec producer Steven Spielberg and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura organize a “writer’s room” to create a Transformers universe, a la Marvel’s Avengers universe, so as to open up opportunities for more Transformers-releated sequels and possible spin-offs. Now Hasbro has reiterated the point as the company’s CEO Brian Goldner told investors during an earnings call (via TFW2005):
“Our plan with the studio and filmmakers, you may have heard some writers being hired and we have in fact brought in Akiva Goldsman to lead a group of writers to really create a strategic plan around Transformers. We think there are any number of stories to be told from the brand that has been around for 30 years with amazing canon and mythology. We would expect the sequel to [Transformers: Age of Extinction] to happen in 2017.”
I’m sure some (or most) of you are letting out a collective groan, but I’m sure there are people all over the world ready for Transformers 5 after Age of Extinction brought in $1.09 billion worldwide last year, making it the eleventh highest grossing global release of all-time. So groan all you like, people are clearly loving it.
Mark Wahlberg is already under contract for more films, but it looks like Bay is unlikely to return to direct, which may be the reason for the meeting of the minds to see where to take this and just how much someone will have to attempt to duplicate the Bayhem and to what level.
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