Michael Bay to Return for New Transformers Movie Despite Last Film’s Poor Reviews and Box Office

Michael Bay is making a big return to the Transformers franchise, eight years after he stepped down as director. According to insider Matthew Belloni, Bay is back working with Paramount and will direct a new Transformers movie.

This is a surprise since Bay had previously said he wouldn’t direct another film after the disappointing performance of 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight. The screenplay will be written by Jordan VanDina.

Bay’s comeback has been quietly in progress since last year. At first, he was set to join as a producer, but discussions soon shifted toward him directing again. Belloni says this reunion happened because both sides need each other. The Transformers series has seen a steady drop in box office sales since Bay left.

At the same time, Bay has struggled to get his own big projects moving. Alongside Bay’s film, Paramount is working on other Transformers projects, including a movie by Josh Cooley, the director of Transformers One, and a possible crossover with the G.I. Joe franchise.

Paramount faces a deadline to begin filming a new Transformers movie by 2029 or risk losing the franchise rights.

This puts pressure on the studio to deliver. Bringing Bay back is a risky but clear move to try to revive the series. While The Last Knight made about $600 million globally, that was a big drop compared to the earlier films, which led Bay to step away.

Bay’s work on the first Transformers movie in 2007 set the tone for the entire franchise. His style, often called “Bayhem,” includes huge explosions and nonstop action, turning the 80s toy brand into a box office hit. The first three films, Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen, and Dark of the Moon, were huge summer hits, making billions despite poor reviews from critics.

After the original trilogy, the series started to lose steam. The 2014 film Age of Extinction still made over a billion dollars but was criticized more harshly. The problems became very clear with 2017’s The Last Knight, which tried to mix Transformers with King Arthur’s legend.

Critics did not like it, and the movie made much less money, showing the franchise was losing its appeal. After this, Bay left the director’s chair.

Since then, Paramount has tried changing the style. The 2018 movie Bumblebee, directed by Travis Knight, focused more on story and emotion. It got good reviews but only earned $468 million. The latest movie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in 2023, aimed to blend Bumblebee’s emotional side with big action scenes. Still, it only made $441.7 million and didn’t come close to the billion-dollar hits of the past.

From where I stand, Michael Bay returning might bring some fresh energy back to the Transformers movies. His style is what made the franchise so popular in the first place, so maybe he can find a way to make it exciting again. What do you think? Are you looking forward to Bay’s return to the director’s chair? Share your thoughts in the comments below.