Michael Bay says Transformers 4 will be his last in the series

June 6, 2012 by | 40 Comments

transformers 4 Image

When Transformers: Dark of the Moon made a ton of money at the box office, we knew we hadn’t seen the end of the Transformers franchise. The surprising part was that series director Michael Bay signed on for a fourth movie, despite his ardent claims that the third film would be his last. Now, in a piece about a new $100 million Transformers ride debuting at Universal Studios, Hero Complex has a statement from Bay detailing his thoughts on the upcoming entry into the franchise.

Here’s what Hero Complex had to say:

There’s plenty more Transformer action to come with a major new video game release, “Transformers: Fall of Cybertron,” due in August and another Bay movie in the works. (The director, by the way, says that the fourth film will include some redesign of the robots and an entirely new cast. He also said it will be his last and set the franchise up “for the next guy.”)

We obviously can’t believe anything that Bay says at this point considering his previous flip-flopping on coming back for this fourth entry, but it’s probably worth keeping a public record of his decisions. The interesting aspect about this is thinking about how Bay is going to use an entirely new cast to set up the fifth film without a traditional “transition” movie in between. It’s not like all of the supporting players will be gone and we’ll just have Shia LaBeouf’s character this time…Shia has said he’s not interested and, unlike Bay, I imagine he’ll keep his word.

Say what you will about him, but Shia’s Sam Witwicky and his relationship with Bumblebee was the heart of the franchise, and I’m not sure how this series will move forward without him. Time will tell, but how do you think this will all play out? Do you think Bay is coming back for yet another movie after Transformers 4, or is he really done this time?

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  • arun279

    I think Michael Bay lost creative integrity the moment he said he will direct a 4th one after claiming that 3rd was going to be the last. Add to that the fact that Transformers has been on a downward spiral since the first part, culminating in the really awful 3rd part, while it had some beautifully choreographed action set pieces, it failed miserably to deliver even an average story, let alone a good one. Add to that, the fact that he has involved himself in what I can only call the rape of the beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons that we loved so much as children. The only positive thing I can think of to say is that Michael Bay should make better use of his only viable skill and become a visual effects consultant to Dreamworks and help make more action movies look as good as he makes his.

    • B

      Then don’t watch it and let the rest of enjoy it.

      • arun279

        After reading my comment do you think I am going to watch it?

        • Likwit

          So why even comment lol you could have left that to yourself.

          • arun279

            So as long as I have nothing positive to say, I should not voice my opinions? In that case, if you don’t like what I say, then why did you comment?

          • Likwit

            I commented from feelings evoked from your post, by all means state your opinion but be open to a rebuttals by those that may look upon an open forum such as this. Also we or I only stated that why comment and or watch the movies if that’s how you feel, who want to read negativeness??

          • arun279

            You commented from feelings evoked from my post and I commented from feelings evoked from the article. I am open to rebuttals, I am not open to someone telling me not to give my opinions because it does not agree with that person. I don’t generally differentiate and select things I read like that, I will read anything that catches my attention, in a positive or a negative way.

          • Likwit

            I hear you bro

          • Scotsman

            i too was very disappointed with what Bay did with Optimus in the 3rd movie. Will I watch the 4th? Most likely, but it won’t be on the big screen (unless i’m given a free ticket ^_^). The other question is how will Bay make a Transformer movie that we will all want to see that does not have Optimus or Bumblebee in it. At one point in the cartoons they killed off Optimus and Rodimus Prime was born…but then they brought Optimus back his spark and he once again resumed the role of Prime.

          • No

            How can you manage such eloquence with all that Michael Bay dick in your mouth?

          • Likwit

            Shut up assclown, gotta concentrate on porking your whore moms, thank you

      • No

        How does Michael Bay’s dick taste? It must be something given how you want “the rest of enjoy it”.

    • Red

      Transformers was the only great one he made.

  • Sean

    Just bring on the Dinobots!!!!!

  • Ada

    don’t care anymore , no Megan Fox , no movie

  • James

    Would someone get this guys away from my childhood franchise? The third movie sucked! Bring someone else in, please!

    • Red

      Aye, get Joss Whedon or Steven Spielberg for god sakes! Keep Bay for the damn producing or effects management guy XD

    • Joshua

      Letting Megan Fox walk out that door was another huge mistake in my opinion. Like I mentioned before, for example, try replacing Hugh Jackman as Wolverine for somebody else :/ See what happens then

      • http://www.facebook.com/joseph.mckinley.5 Joseph Mckinley

        No way man. She’s eye candy at best but her acting skills are dismal. Not to mention every time that woman opens her mouth she reveals how utterly disconnected from reality and unintelligent she truly is. I just about shun everything she’s in, add to the fact that Shia was amusing and could somewhat filled the role for the first, his antics and attempt at comedy became extremely trivial in the rest and down right lethargic by attempting to add moments of levity via slapstick punch lines when they clearly were not needed.

    • uiiiiii43

      this guy nailed it ^

  • Nocturnis

    I wonder if it will be a prequel, would make sense if the orginal cast are not in. Could also be about the primes, thoughts?

    • Red

      IT SHOULD BE A DAMN PREQUEL ON THE LIFE OF THE CYBERTRONIANS ON CYBERTRON, NOTHING MORE…

  • Joshua

    No Shia in a Transformers movie is like trying to find another guy to play Wolverine besides Hugh Jackman. The fans will hate it, and you. And if Shia is saying he doesn’t want to return for another Transformers, he sucks. If you are going to end the run in one final film, then at least bring Megan Fox back(respectively) and keep the original loved cast.

    • Frank West

      Shia is the worst part of EVERY movie he is in. To be compared with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is just ignorant.

  • Joshua

    If “the next guy” takes on the franchise, it should not involve humans. Like Beast Wars, just robots

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Carpenter/100000181592374 David Carpenter

    Bay, I’m really tired of you rolling out movies based on the 86′ Transformers animated flick which was just a sick, demented attempt by hasbro to kill everyone so they could roll out the new toys. For Christs sake the only scenes that were cut from that movie were the ones where more Bots died, they were borderline having their rating changed. You think the death threats and the reports of thousands of people walking out of the theatres would have taught them something. “But you cant fix stupid.” Just reboot it, and let someone else direct, you killed everyone I had any interest in seeing. (Oh, and leave my turtles alone) P.S. Dinobots!

    • Frank West

      did you actually see the animated film, or are you just daft?

  • RoDeYo

    let’s bring in Unicron, Rodimus Prime and Galvatron

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1306050360 Carlos Martinez

    Please Take Bay of the project as the last two Transformers sucked. I was a huge fan back in the 80′s during my childhood and I was insulted by the last two films. Michael bay has no repect for this franchise. Since when do robots have sexual desires to hump girls legs and why the hell would they have enormouse testicals like deveastator. (completley stupid) And how the hell do alien robots speak with itallian and scotish accents not to mention speaking gangsta? I almost felt like the last two movies were not even fit to take my children who were dying to see it. Its like parts 2 and 3 had a national lampoons influence. I say bring Peter Jackson on board! Now there is a real director. Bay should stick to chessey horror movies.

    • Steven

      In no way am I trying to criticize what you have said, but if I recall in some Transformers cartoons throughout the years, many robots had accents if I remember. One that always comes to my mind is the G1 cartoon series that had Ironhide with a cowboy-like accent. However, I do agree that Bay ruined parts 2 and 3. Since he is directing the 4th film, he needs to make it a prequel, not a sequel. I would honestly like to see the transformers that landed on earth years before the events in T1 happened, like that scene in the 2nd film where they had photos of automobiles and planes that were actually robots in disguise. Or even a movie with the Transformers on Cybertron with no humans at all, that would be better.

  • munkeynutzz

    NO! micheal bay!! NO!! bad director no biscuit!!! *sprays with water* NO touching any more movies that should be awesome!!! its hard to ruin something like tranformers but you sure did find a way.

  • Anon

    Hopefully it will be about Transformers and not pubescent jokes.

  • dewd

    Shia not wanting to play Sam again is kinda a slap in the face IMO… Transformers got him to where he is today and now he just drops the franchise? kinda lame IMO

  • The Stiv

    onslought! I WANT ONSLOUGHT!

  • Kotsios

    Guys Ttransformers is not only about Optimus and 
    Bumblebee.  I’m pretty sure that Bay can find a way to make it even better!!! I mean when the first movie came out almost all of us said he shouldn’t make a second one and that it would suck, but it didn’t!!! It was better than the first one and the last one even better!!!  I believe that the fourth movie will be much more better for 2 reasons: a) I have trust in Bay because he is the best at what he does and is a not fair he didn’t have an oscar for this movies and b) we haven’t even seen half of the characters of the original series!!!  So as for me i will be in the cinema watching the new movie!!!

  • w

    If Shia doesn’t return, they should find someone who resembles Shia, but perhaps slightly older, so you keep Sam in the storyline. If they do it right, you can gradually make Sam older and older and eventually bring in his son, Spike.

    I’ve been entertained by Bay’s Transformers Franchise, but didn’t care for certain aspects of it…think they should’ve stayed closer to the cartoon…like with Devastator and Soundwave. And too often the Transformer characters have so many spikes and jagged lines it’s hard to see the parts of their bodies. They look like a pile of shards in the action sequences.

    As for others’ comments about bringing in the Dinobots, I say nay. I was never a fan of the Dinobots, perhaps because they were presented in animation as dumb-sounding, caveman types. Never a fan of Beast Wars either. Finally, they need to bring back Jazz.

  • DapperDan11

    These writers, directors, and studios really need to learn how to let a series or trilogy die a peaceful death. These movies are becoming more watered down the more they do. I can say that Lord of the Rings and the Dark Knight trilogies really nailed it, but, as for everything else, it’s too much. Let Transformers die off.

  • http://www.facebook.com/elbunit.krasniqi Elbunit Krasniqi

    Has anyone noticed the shape of the Sentinel Prime in the third sequel? I mean he has never visited earth before and he already transformes into a firefight truck (I guess it is a firefight truck)? When Prime finds him in the dark side of the moon, into the spaceship, Sentinel has already the ability to transform into a firefight truck because it has all the parts he needs (from the first sequel it was clear that a transformer needs to scan the vehicle he wants to transform into, i dont think there were firefight trucks in cybertron)! in my opinion this is a great leap of sense and that makes it hard to call Bay a good director! there are many other “directing bugs” through the trilogy!

  • http://www.facebook.com/brian.d.macleod Brian Douglas Macleod

    MAKE THE FUCKING MOVIE ABOUT THE ROBOTS, NOT THE PEOPLE.

  • mae

    Why so many Michael Bay haters? You guys obviously lead fantastic lives of your own. It’s so funny how all these haters will be the ones first in line at the movies to watch this so called “trash”. Just keep supporting all of which you claim to hate, idiots.