Michael Bay is in talks to direct the next two robot action installments back-to-back with Statham replacing LaBeouf. Transporter vs. Transformers? Bring it on.
As soon as Transformers: Dark of The Moon crossed the $1 billion worldwide mark it should have became clear to everyone that this wasn't a movie franchise Paramount and toy-making property licensers Hasbro were going to just let die. Despite director Michael Bay and star Shia LaBeouf making their intentions known that they wanted to pursue other things, at least for a little while, Paramount & Hasbro were always going to find a way to make further movies one way or another. The Transformers series keeps too many people in a job. This week details started to emerge on just what direction that may be. In a conference call with investors on Monday morning, Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner revealed that he has held talks with producer Steven Spielberg and the first trilogy director Michael Bay about a proposed inevitable fourth installment to the juggernaut summer franchise. He hinted that confirmation of a Transformers 4 will be announced Q1 2012, I'm guessing to shoot late 2012/early 2013, for a release July 2014. The reason for the longer delay (which again isn't said anywhere but I can't imagine it not being true) between movies is Michael Bay's desire to actually make a movie outside of the franchise with the smalltime crime thriller about competitive body-building titled Pain and Gain and the fact that it's going to take a little longer to put all the pieces together for the different gloss T4 will have. Bay is still likely to direct T4, he just wants to do a personal project first and as long as he can make that movie within 12 months, there shouldn't be a problem. Late on Monday, Variety updated the story telling us that with LaBeouf gone, Spielberg/Bay were talking about who could lead the franchise for the next few movies. For current Transformers B-players it's not Josh Duhamel or Tyrese getting a promotion to mega stardom but instead a hiring of the British Expendable himself... Jason Statham. Transporter vs. Transformers? Bring it on. The idea presumably is to elevate the film aimed at young teenagers into the action arena crowd, perhaps also mindful that those who were the key audience back in 2007 are now likely to be emerging into adulthood by the time of the next film, so something a little more bad-ass could be on the cards. It will still be popcorn friendly - it won't be the man from Crank, but think a more family blockbuster diet-Statham version but with way more action than Shia Labeouf's time on the series. For some reason it feels like execs behind the biggest action franchises are just starting to notice Statham to make them a bit more edgier. We heard that Universal last month had the same idea to use Jason Statham as a big player in Fast & Furious 5 and 6 that will be shot back-to-back next year in Germany, now the word is Statham is wanted for Transformers 4 and 5. Yes, you heard me right. Transformers 5. It's been revealed Paramount want to shoot two more movies back to back and it's the brainchild idea of writer Ehren Kruger who it's said will seek help with crafting the two films. Speaking of ideas... whose do we think it was to bring Statham into the franchise? Well Spielberg & Bay wouldn't be able to come up with an idea that cool themselves so we are betting it's model Rosie Huntington-Whitely who replaced Megan Fox in the last movie and has dated Statham for a while. Either that or Statham came up with the idea and his girl passed it along; So there you go, that's the stage we are in right now. Details of Statham/shooting back-to-back/announcing two new films with Bay as the director in Q1 next year all likely stem from that conference call with investors yesterday morning. There's certainly nothing concrete here and no offers on the table yet. This is just the direction that they wish to go in at this stage of the game but plans could change. Speaking as someone who couldn't stomach Transformers and then just heard it got incredibly worse from there, I very much welcome the change. Bay directing Statham in a Transformers movie actually sounds like something I might just see... but what about you? Meanwhile Hasbro are still trying to crack film versions of their properties Micronauts (which J.J. Abrams was once looking at), Risk, Stretch Armstrong (which to me easily has the best film potential of the lot), Clue (or Cluedo as we call it), Candy Land and Monopoly (which Ridley Scott was bizarrely once looking at). Apparently there is some studio interest in Ouija after Universal put it in turnaround this year but I will be amazed if anyone buys it when they a studio can make their own film with the same premise and just call it something else (think Jumanji). Universal has Battleship opening next summer and Hasbro say it's that kind of relationship they will want to keep with studio's and they have no interest in going the Marvel route of self-financing the films themselves (which seems to be wise... there's no Avengers cross-over movie they can build to with these). Previously; Hasbro event reveals OUIJA, G.I. JOE 2, MICRONAUTS & moreTRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON ReviewTRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN Review