TheTransformersfranchise has released nine movies theatrically, combining both their live-action and animated films, but according to a new update,the best one of them all will not receive a sequel.The fulltimeline of the variousTransformersmovies is complex, and the property has had different focuses from project to project. While the series seemed to print money for a time, diminishing results in quality tempered audience interest, which led to decreased financial success. This resulted in their best film making very little money.
The future ofTransformersis not clear at this time.Transformers: Rise of the Beaststeased a crossover withG.I. Joe, andthe studio entered into conversations with Chris Hemsworth in May 2024 to have the actor star in the eventual film, but nothing concrete has resulted since. There are still loose plans for thefuture of theTransformersfranchise, although it looks like the next film in the series may be something new entirely. Because of this, and following a recent update from the film’s director, the bestTransformersmovie will not get the sequel it deserves.
Transformers One Got Me Really Excited To See A Sequel
The Animated Film Is The Best In The Transformers Franchise
Despite some lacklustertrailers forTransformers One, the film wound up being something truly special. The computer-animated film depicted the emotional friendship between the robots who would go on to become Optimus Prime and Megatron on the planet of Cybertron. This world wasglimpsed in films likeRise of the Beasts, but was never explored this thoughtfully and thoroughly.The film gave many audiences what they had wanted from the franchise, as well as a whole lot more.
More than anything,Transformers Onehad a great, emotional story at its core. With Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry providing great pathos to the toy-based characters of Orion Pax and D-16,the film did a great job making the Transformers the most human that they have ever been. The movie ended where most of the stories in the franchise begin, with Megatron established as an antagonist to the Autobots, reforming the High Guard into the Decepticons and declaring war against them. This set up an exciting future that the series could explore in further installments.
Transformers One’s Director Has Revealed Paramount Doesn’t Want To Make A Sequel
Josh Cooley Recently Revealed That Transformers Two Is Not Being Developed
Unfortunately, despiteTransformers Onefinding streaming success,it does not appear that Paramount is interested in making a sequel.Colliderreported on some recent comments from director Josh Cooley at BotCon, aTransformersconvention. The director spoke about the future of the series in no uncertain terms, expressing that, while he personally would like to pursue the series, and work on new installments, which he does have ideas for, Paramount is not interested in proceeding. He said:
I wish I had something to announce, but I do not. What I’ve been told is that Paramount Animation is not interested in making a sequel. That’s what I was told. I wish we could. I have ideas, too. So it would have been cool. We’ll see what happens. You never know.
This will be very disappointing for many who held onto hope that the animated film would be continued. The iterations of thecharacters inTransformers Oneadded some notable complexity to their toy and animated series roots, and virtually everyone who saw the film tended to adore it. The end of the movie set up a great future that could continue the franchise, allowing it to grow along the way. Even theRotten Tomatoesscore for the film, at 89% with critics and 97% with audiences,showed that there was clearly an auspicious path forward for more.
Why Transformers One Isn’t Getting A Sequel, Despite Setting Up One
The Film Has A Very Disappointing Run At The Box Office
Unfortunately,Transformers Onewas a significant box office failurefor Paramount,reaping a total global haul of only $129.4 million.With an estimated budget between $75-147 million, the film did not bring in a profit for the studio, and is by far the lowest-grossing in the entire series other than 1986’sThe Transformers: The Movie. The trailers for the film did not capture much of what actually worked in the project, and made the film look very juvenile, which turned off a number of viewers.
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In addition to this, thebox office for the Transformers franchisehas been on a consistent decline, suggesting that the brand will need time to build back faith with audiences.Even thoughTransformers Onewas beloved, few people watched it compared to evenRise of the Beasts,which was the lowest-grossing entry in the live-action films, earning $439.2 million worldwide.Transformers One’s total gross is only a fraction of this, and Paramount wants to make billion-dollar movies with the series like they used to, which has caused them to focus their efforts elsewhere.
Transformers One Not Getting A Sequel Ties Into The Franchise’s Larger Problems
The Future Of The Transformers Is Uncertain At Paramount
Not moving forward with a sequel toTransformers Oneis a mistake. Paramount needs to spend time on the quality of theirTransformersfranchises, and use those as an opportunity to build good, sustainable stories.Bumblebeeearned $464.7 million, making it a decent success for the studio. However, even more importantly, the film was warmly received. ABumblebee 2should have been the next film to happenat Paramount, who instead decided to pivot toRise of the Beasts.
With bothBumblebeeandTransformers One, the series was laying the groundwork for new, quality sub-franchises that had significant room for growth. After audiences who gave up on theTransformersfranchise found these movies on streaming, it reignited their potential faith in the series.By not directly following up on these stories, Paramount has failed to capitalize on that faith.It now seems that the future ofTransformersat the studio may be even more dire than expected, especially after they decided not to make aTransformers Onesequel with Josh Cooley.
For the sake of building off positive reception toward something sustainable, Paramount should be making sequels to bothBumblebeeandTransformers One.
There has been talk of doing aTransformers 8, as well as the teasedG.I. Joecrossover. However, little of substance has come out of these conversations.Transformersused to be one of the biggest franchises in the world and,while new installments are not going to reach those same heights, Paramount should be thinking longer termwith their various series.Bumblebee 2andTransformers Twoshould still be the next films that the franchise works on if they want to keep makingTransformersmovies for many years to come.
Paramount is a great studio, and they’ve made some of the best films and franchises of all time. Still, after thelow box office forMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and several issues with the Transformers brand,the studio may need to rethink their priorities. It makes sense why they wouldn’t want to follow up onTransformers One, but theTransformersfranchise is one that desperately needs high-quality product to rebuild faith in the brand. By not making a sequel, they are squandering the goodwillTransformers Onemay have earned.
