Is Michael Bay returning to direct a new Transformers film? Here's what we know

Michael Bay has been a key to the success of the Transformers movie series. He has directed every project in the live-action franchise except Bumblebee (2018) and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023). So, fans often associate its success with the director. Since he departed from the franchise, fans have reportedly been interested in seeing him back behind the lens.

The latest update may indicate Bay's return to the franchise. Bay reportedly told entertainment journalist Matt Belloni of Puck News that he is returning to direct a new Transformers movie at Paramount. The studio reportedly holds the rights to the franchise until 2029.

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Some reports suggest that Bay is returning to the franchise because the recent installments struggled at the box office. According to Belloni’s report, the project is still in early development, with screenwriter Jordan VanDina (Animaniacs, SuperMansion) expected to write the script. Belloni’s Puck News says:

“Bay approached the studio last year to come back as a hands-on producer and possibly director, and he’s got writer Jordan VanDina working on a script."

It also states that Bay’s movie is one of five or so franchise projects in development. Furthermore, the source mentions that there is a possible G.I. Joe–Transformers crossover in discussions, but both ideas are still in development. It’s important to note that we haven’t yet received a concrete update from the studio or the director.

Tracing Michael Bay's history in the Transformers franchise

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Michael Bay has been a crucial part of the Transformers movie series, which has wowed the audience with its CGI-laden world since the mid-2000s. The first movie came out in 2007, starring Megan Fox, Shia LaBeouf, John Turturro, and Josh Duhamel, among others. The film grossed $709 million worldwide against a budget of $145 to $200 million.

Bay continued working on these chapters, with a sequel subtitled Revenge of the Fallen arriving only two years later. Fox, LaBeouf, and Turturro returned to the cast for this project, which became a similar box-office sensation, earning nearly $836 million against its reported budget of $200–210 million. Bay’s franchise projects consistently drew large audienced to theaters, since they kept flocking to watch every other chapter executed by him.

The third movie, subtitled Dark of the Moon (2011), went even further crossed the $1 billion mark against a budget of $195 million. Age of Extinction (2014) had a similar ratio of success, even though The Last Knight (2017) was comparatively behind. Despite their commercial success, Bay’s movies never received a Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

That changed with Travis Knight’s Bumblebee (2019), the spin-off project, which was a major critical success. It didn’t reach the box-office heights of the franchise’s predecessors, but it was still a commercial success. Then came Rise of the Beasts (2023), which was reportedly considered a box-office disappointment. So, Bay’s return could help revive the franchise’s commercial momentum.