The robots in disguise are coming back to the big screen in summer 2022. Paramount Pictures has set a release date for a new Transformers movie, technically Transformers 7, which is one of several that the studio has in development right now. The question now becomes, what movie is it that we’re going to see when the franchise makes its return in a couple of years?
According to a new report, this mystery Transformers movie is set to hit theaters on June 24, 2022. For now, that is virtually all that is known, though it has been noted that this is for a live-action project. That means the recently announced animated prequel movie from Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley can be ruled out, but there are at least two other projects that we know about that could fit the bill. As was reported in January, two new live-action movies are in development currently, one of which will take place in the Bumblebee universe, while the other is said to be a Beast Wars adaptation.
Joby Harold, whose previous credits include King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Zack Snyder’s upcoming zombie movie Army of the Dead is handling the movie set in the Bumblebee universe. It’s not yet been made clear if this will be a sequel to 2018’s spin-off/prequel Bumblebee, or something else entirely. Director Travis Knight’s revamp of the franchise was very well received critically and did well enough commercially that Paramount sees fit to continue down that path for future installments. It helped restore faith in the series after Michael Bay’s The Last Knight earned more than $500 million less than its predecessor, 2014’s Age of Extinction, in addition to being largely panned by critics.
James Vanderbilt, meanwhile, is handling Beast Wars. Details are scarce, but the property was launched by Hasbro in the 90s as a spin-off of the main Transformers franchise. It spawned a popular animated series that focuses on the Maximals and Predacons, descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons. The show was said to take place in the future, but it is ultimately revealed that the show actually took place in the distant past on prehistoric Earth. The characters have names such as Optimus Primal, Cheetor and Rhinox. Some of Vanderbilt’s previous credits include The Amazing Spider-Man, Zodiac and White House Down.
Either of these movies could fit the bill for that new 2022 date. Or it could end up being something else entirely. Either way, it’s obvious Paramount is still highly committed to this franchise. To date, across six live-action movies, the series has earned $4.84 billion at the global box office. The first five entries were directed by Michael Bay. After the failure of The Last Knight, the studio decided to take things in a different direction. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details on the project are made available. This news comes to us via Deadline.
