Will there be a sequel to Transformers One? Director Josh Cooley shares disappointing update

Transformers One director Josh Cooley shares an unfortunate update about the sequel to his sci-fi action animated film. Cooley recently appeared at a panel during the Transformers convention, BotCon, where he was asked about the future of his animated franchise. He reveals that he doesn't have any updates because the studio is reportedly not looking forward to making a sequel:

"I wish I had something to announce, but I do not. What I’ve been told is that Paramount Animation is not interested in making a sequel. That’s what I was told," he said.

Although Paramount is not interested in following Cooley's 2024 film with a sequel, Cooley had a few ideas that he wanted to work with for a potential follow-up project. In line with this, he told the disappointed Transformers fans:

"I wish we could [make a sequel]. I have ideas, too. So it would have been cool. We’ll see what happens. You never know."

Based on Cooley's comments, there won't be a Transformers One sequel anytime soon, even though Cooley had plans for some follow-up projects.

Transformers One director had a few ideas to expand the story of his 2024 film.

27th SCAD Savannah Film Festival - Day 2 - Source: Getty

Josh Cooley's 2024 film followed the origin story of Optimus Prime/Orion Pax and Megatron/D-16, voiced by Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry, respectively. Although known as sworn enemies, they showed them as brothers-in-arms, fighting for a common goal, as their actions changed the fate of Cybertron.

Despite the lore from Michael Bay's movies and other projects, Cooley decided to work on an origin story instead of taking over the narrative he revealed throughout all those years. In September 2024, Cooley spoke with ComicBook about his creative approach to his film:

"Starting this as an origin story, it was great to go, ‘Nothing’s been done.’ We’ve never seen this before. We’ve never started like this before. There’s obviously a story of what we know will happen: a war will happen, and [the Autobots and Deceptions] will go to Earth. That’s just part of Transformers. That’s part of every version of Transformers that happens."

At the time, Cooley also spoke about his interest in expanding the creative canvas:

"The thing I’m excited about moving forward is we can tell the same story and do things slightly differently, the way we started slightly differently. There are so many different continuities, it’s just a huge sandbox. And so I think it’s a prequel to the same type of events, but maybe in the future they’re different."

Why is the Transformers One sequel not happening? Speculations explored

A still from Transformers One (Image via YouTube/Paramount Pictures)

There are no official reports on why Paramount Animation is not going ahead with a sequel for Cooley's 2024 film. Still, it might be because of its box office performance.

Transformers One received a favorable reception from critics and audiences alike, but some sources suggest that it had an underwhelming box office run, earning $129 million at the box office. It started topping the streaming charts once it arrived on Paramount+, but that may not be enough for the studio to greenlight a sequel.