I don't think anybody was surprised yesterday when Hasbro revealed that discussions were already underway with Michael Bay to helm a possible fourth film in the Transformers franchise. There's too much money on the table, and when the last film earns over $1B nobody's going to walk away from that. Well clearly there's more than just "active discussions" taking place, because details are dropping pretty fast.
Variety reports that Paramount is considering shooting not only Transformers 4, but also a fifth film in the series. The idea would be to film them back-to-back, with screenwriter Ehren Kruger having come up with a storyline that works for the studio. Writers are being sought for the job, but this is an excellent cost saving manuever we've seen used effectively before, such as with the last two Matrix flicks.
The biggest info comes on the casting front. We know that Shia Labeouf doesn't intend to return(I wouldn't be so sure of that), and one name that's being floated out there is Jason Statham to take over. No offer has been made, but adding him as the lead would instantly take the franchise in a wildly different direction, with a more active human participant in the fight. I'm totally diggin' that idea, so let's hope it happens.
Michael Bay will be a part of the production as an exec-producer alongside Steven Spielberg, but he also has some interest in returning as a director. It'll likely depend on the schedule, as Bay wants to complete his crime flick set in the bodybuilding world, Pain & Gain. If he wraps that up fairly quick, Transformers could kick off in late 2012 or 2013.
Told you it wasn't over. We're gonna be seeing Transformers movies for a long time, so might as well strap in and enjoy the ride.
