Carl Roberts 
Zodiac and Army of the Dead writers penning new Transformers movies for Paramount Pictures
Ok, here’s the thing. I adored the original seasons of ‘Transformers‘. It didn’t matter to me that they were cartoons designed to sell toys. There was nothing better than sitting down in front of the T.V with my younger brother, Phil and watching the exploits of these rampaging factions of transforming robots. It was such an easy way to relax and spend some quality bonding time with my brother. Not that we really needed it but you get my drift. I can still remember the devastation he went through seeing Optimus Prime die in ‘Transformers: The Movie‘. That was a strange one too. You see, the United States got a slightly different version than we in the UK did. Ok, they removed a curse word from our version but also for some strange reason, added a voiceover track which informed the audience at the end that Optimus Prime would return. Every version I’ve seen since then has omitted this voiceover. Weird! My brother collected the toys and I bought him VHS tapes of the series and episodes for Christmas and birthdays. And then Michael Bay came calling. Although we enjoyed the first Transformers live-action movie, Phil would come out of it and rip it to pieces. He, like other Transformers enthusiasts around the globe, HATED what the writers had done to their favourite characters and how they had destroyed the storylines that had been created over the years.
More sequels followed, each to a varying standard of quality. I personally enjoyed ‘Dark Side Of The Moon‘ but again, Phil ripped it to shreds. When I saw ‘The Last Knight‘, I was appalled. How could such a beloved franchise be reduced to such a steaming pile of s**t?. Two years ago, they released ‘Bumblebee‘ at the movies. Although it didn’t exactly destroy the box office, it was the most critically successful film in the series. I personally loved it. It was everything that I could have hoped for. Even the presence of John Cena couldn’t ruin it. And the opening twenty minutes were worth the price of admission on its own. Ever since then, its been really quiet on the movie front concerning the property and the franchise.
That has all changed now with the announcement of not one but TWO new ‘Transformers‘ movies that are incoming to multiplexes shortly. Paramount has wisely decided to rebuild the fanbase of the movies by abandoning Bay and his writers. Instead, they have gone for James Vanderbilt, best known for his writing of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and ‘Zodiac‘ and Joby Harold who wrote ‘King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword’ and the upcoming Zack Snyder project ‘Army Of The Dead‘. Both have been tasked with writing the screenplays for differing ‘Transformers‘ projects. Although it is far too soon to know exactly who or what these competing movies will be about, Variety has reported that both projects will ‘present an opportunity to build out multiple storylines within the franchise’. The casts for these two films are expected to be brand new and not feature any of the cast from the other movies.
Now, I’m not sure on this but possibly one of the films could be a follow-up to ‘Bumblebee‘, however unlikely it seems. But years ago, it was discussed that standalone films featuring the main Transformers would be incoming. Could it be that we finally get an Optimus Prime based movie? That would be something! Peter Cullen is on hand to provide the most loved and most famous member of the Autobots and it would be great to have the big guy back on the screen once again, taking on all comers and showing how he became the leader of the Autobots. Or they could go for a Decepticon based movie instead.
The franchise has provided a massive sandbox to play around in and so it’s up to the studio and the writers to knuckle down and bring the world a Transformers movie or in this case, two, that will blow the world away. The fans have been patient and forgiving long enough. Give them the Transformers movies and the joy they fully deserve.
The Future of the Force. The future of pop culture writing.
Carl Roberts is a Senior Staff Writer and Books and Literature Correspondent for Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter @CarlRoberts2 where he uses the force frequently!
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Source: THR
Carl Roberts is the News Editor for The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!
