After Director Michael Bay formally said goodbye to the Transformers movie series following the below-expectations box-office showing of “Transformers: Age of Extinction” in June 2014, lead star Mark Wahlberg also said his adieu to the franchise.
There were ensuing reports that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Bruce Willis will be coming in to the fifth installment of the Transformers franchise in what was touted to be a possible crossover of the movie with “G.I. Joe.”
Subsequently, reports of possible new directors for “Transformers 5” came out until finally Jonathan Liebesman got the job. Liebesman was also fresh from a less-than-expected performance at the tills (read: disappointing) of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” shown last year which he helmed.
In effect, “Transformers 5,” after a dismal performance in the box office, will be anchoring in part its box-office hopes on a director, who himself just came from a box-office disappointment.
According to the Christian Post, Liebesman was the one picked by the producers at Hasbro Studios for “Transformers 5” because he is a protege of Michael Bay and they want to leave the former director’s imprint in the movie perhaps because it has also become the hallmark of a “Transformers” movie.
Sources at the production company said the producers wanted to get someone whose work should have the resemblance to the work of Michael Bay. Thus, Jonathan Liebesman was picked.
Now, it remains unclear how the producers intend to turn things around for the movie franchise if they shall be sticking to a formula that has already failed them during the fourth movie last year.
But observers believe that if “Transformers 5” will stick to the same strategy that it employed in “Transformers: Age of Extinction” and with the same directing style, then the movie is likely headed for another box-office disappointment.
Possibly returning
There are new reports indicating that Mark Wahlberg seemed to have had a change of heart and has in fact, agreed to reprise his role as Cade Yeager for “Transformers 5.”
In “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” Yeager was a single father dealing with a maturing daughter while continuing to struggle as an inventor. He helped Optimus Prime to get back up again after the Autobots started hiding after they were outlawed by governments.
There are also reports that Megan Fox, who starred in the first two “Transformer” movies opposite Shia LaBeouf will also be returning to the franchise possibly in a cameo role. The rumors about her return began flying when Fox said in a recent interview that she would love to reprise his role assembling an Autobot motorcycle in a bike shop or something to that effect if she was asked to do so.
But all these casting speculations are still rumors until Hasbro Studios make the official confirmation.
“Transformers 5” is expected to hit the theaters in the summer of 2016.