ICYMI, There Are Two New Transformers Movies In The Works
(Variety) "Paramount Pictures is looking to revamp its “Transformers” franchise in a big way, as sources tell Variety two simultaneous scripts are now in active development: one by James Vanderbilt and one by Joby Harold.
Paramount’s most recent take on the franchise was 2018’s “Bumblebee,” a coming-of-age tale that was produced on a smaller budget than other “Transformers” films. That different approach went over well with both critics and audiences, grossing $465 million worldwide and opening up a new opportunity to continue the franchise, with the studio now expanding the “Transformers” universe with the development of two scripts.
No directors have been attached to either script and it’s also likely that both projects will feature brand-new casts."
First off let me give you some background on these two writers. James Vanderbilt has written the screenplay to one great movie (Zodiac) and a lot of average/below average ones (The Losers, White House Down, The Amazing Spider Man 1&2, Independence Day: Resurgence). I think the below average movies lend themselves perfectly to this franchise, actually, because these movies aren't meant to be deep. They're supposed to be popcorn movies that you can turn your brain off while watching. Joby Harold has written script for 'Awake', 'King Arthur: Legend of the Sword' and the upcoming 'Army of the Dead'. The only one of these that I have seen is King Arthur, and boy was it a stinker. I don't think that had anything to do with the writing as so much the stylistic choices by Guy Ritchie who was out of his element. (P.S. Watch 'The Gentleman' cause it rules)
The only part about this that bums me out (partially) is the all new cast thing. I miss ole Sam Witwicky himself, Shia LaBeouf. More importantly, I miss Megan Fox. I'm not sure if anyone had a bigger moment than hers from 2005-2010. Sheesh. On the other hand, I am happy to be rid of Mark Wahlberg's character, Cade Yeager. What a useless, bland and boring waste of a character. My hatred for his involvement in the franchise is almost sort of ironic considering 'Transformers: The Last Knight' was the very first movie we ever reviewed on LCB. What a heaping pile of dogshit that was.
That said, Bumblebee was actually pretty solid. If these movies end up anything like that, or inversely focus more on the robots and less on humans, I think they can be solid. This franchise will always be for 18-35 year old dudes that don't change their sheets (myself included), but that doesn't mean they can't be entertaining.