The Transformers franchise has made an impressive mark on Hollywood in the past, collectively making $4.8 billion at the worldwide box office over more than a decade. But the past few installments have not sized up to the gargantuan earnings Transformers built its reputation on. The franchise is now officially set to make its return. Paramount and Hasbro have just scheduled another live-action Transformers movie, which will hit theaters on June 24, 2022.
Back in January, it was announced that the studio had two live-action Transformers scripts in the works simultaneously. Writer of Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man and Netflix hit Murder Mystery James Vanderbilt is working on the Transformers spinoff Beast Wars, which centers on robots who transform into robotic animals.
The other script, which is set in the Bumblebee universe, will be penned by Army of the Dead’s Joby Harold. Although Paramount has officially set a summer 2022 Transformers date, it’s unclear as to which of the scripts the date is for, per a Deadline report.
Either way, it doesn’t look like a direct Bumblebee sequel is taking the June 2022 slot, though cast members like John Cena showed interest in returning for Bumblebee 2. The film scored a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score, the highest critical score for the franchise by a long shot. However, the 2018 Travis Knight-dired film hit a commercial low of $465 million worldwide.
When the scripts began development in early 2020, sources cited opportunities for them to “build out multiple storylines within the franchise” with these Transformers ideas. It’s too early to tell if both scripts will ultimately hit the big screen or if the studio will move forward with only one of the two.
There is also an animated Transformers prequel film in the works from Ant-Man and the Wasp writers Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari and Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley. That film will center on the origins of the planet Cybertron and the long-term conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons. This also includes a closer look at the relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron.
Directors have not been set for the live-action projects, but don’t count on Michael Bay returning to the helm. After directing five Transformers films, Bay has made it “really clear” to one producer that he will not continue with the franchise. He is, however, reportedly reuniting with Transformers writer Ehren Kruger for his next movie, Black 5, following his work on Netflix’s explosive action flick 6 Underground.
As the current summer 2022 release schedule stands, this live-action Transformers film will come three weeks after Warner Bros.' The Flash, one week after a planned Pixar film coming on June 17, 2022 and a couple weeks before Brie Larson’s second Captain Marvel film, which is set for July 8, 2022. To take a closer look, check out our guide to 2020’s release schedule here.
