Every Upcoming Transformers Movie Currently In Development
It's fair to say that the Transformers film franchise has had its share of highs and lows. In the 14 years since Transformers hit theaters, there have been six films about the robots in disguise and the humans that stand alongside them. While these movies haven't always been a hit with critics, they have been a big box office draw, grossing over $1.5 billion collectively (via Box Office Mojo).
At the moment, the franchise is at a bit of a crossroads. The last film in the Transformers series was released three years ago, so it seems like we're overdue for another one. While there's been a lot of speculation about what's coming next, fans have also received some mixed messages. Will there be another Bumblebee movie? Is Michael Bay coming back as director? How many more Transformers movies will there be? Is Megan Fox available for a triumphant return?
While it's still hard to answer some of those questions, we do know what Transformers films are currently in the works today. A quick glance at what's in development makes it clear there's something for just about every Transformers fan out there. Let's take a look at what's coming up next for the series.
The next Transformers film is set for 2022
In May 2020, Paramount announced the premiere date for the next film in the Transformers franchise — June 24, 2022 (via Deadline). At the time of the announcement, there were reportedly two separate films in development at the studio — one a sequel to Bumblebee with Joby Harold attached, and the other a Beast Wars film from James Vanderbilt.
While we're just a little over a year away from the purported release date, there are few details available about these two projects. It's still possible that both or neither could make it to screen. Paramount is apparently interested in casting Hamilton' Anthony Ramos in the lead role for the new film, though, according to Deadline. That means they've likely made the decision about which direction they're going in. Whatever we see in 2022, it appears it will continue the spin-off trend started by 2018's Bumblebee.
There's a Transformers animated film coming
While Bumblebee was the most critically acclaimed film in the Transformers series thus far, it was the least financially successful, which may signal that fans were losing interest in the live-action franchise. They may be excited to know, then, that there's a new animated Transformers film in the works — and it appears to be an origin story.
Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley was announced as the director of the new animated film back in April 2020 (via Deadline). There hasn't been too much information about the film since, but when Paramount gave word that it was on its way, we also learned that the film will focus on the relationship between Megatron and Optimus Prime. Getting back to basics may be just what fans need to reignite their interest in the decades-old series — and since so many fans grew up watching the animated TV show, the nostalgia factor could work in its favor. Thus far, there's no release date yet for the Transformers animated film.
A standalone Transformers movie is also in the works
In addition to the 2022 Transformers film, which is expected to reboot the franchise in some way, there is another live-action film on the way. Though Paramount Pictures will oversee both films, the second, announced in March 2021, reportedly does not connect to the main Transformers series at all, per The Hollywood Reporter.
This seems to be a clear sign that Paramount wants to expand the reach of the Transformers universe, though the extent to which the studio will actually do that remains unclear. Details about what fans can expect in the standalone Transformers film are pretty scarce, but we do know that Paramount has tapped Charm City Kings' Angel Manuel Soto to direct, and The Defenders showrunner Marco Ramirez has been tasked to write the script.
Given that Soto will be pretty busy with his duties on Blue Beetle, it's likely that the second live-action Transformers film won't see the light of day for a little while.