While they were not his first movies, the Transformers series was the definitive franchise of Michael Bay’s career. The toy-based movies began in 2007 with Transformers and have collectively become a multi-billion-dollar franchise.

Recently, Puck reported that Bay would return to the Transformers franchise. According to the source, the filmmaker is developing a new Transformers film and wants to direct it this time. The script will be written by Jordan VanDina.

If this happens, this is big news for the action franchise. Bay helped launch the modern version of the franchise, which has now made over $4.3 billion. But despite the potential hope surrounding his return, I have my doubts about how this might go.

Michael Bay’s Transformers Movies Were Fun – Until They Weren’t

They Went Downhill Quickly

In the 2000s, Bay started on a positive note with Transformers. While these are not works of fine art, there is a reason why the movies have done so well at the box office, and that is because they are a lot of fun. This was the case with both Transformers and, at minimum, Revenge of the Fallen.

However, Bay’s later movies within the five live-action films start to get far more iffy. Dark of the Moon has redeemable qualities, but the same cannot be said about Age of Extinction. That movie managed just an 18% Tomatometer and was pretty thoroughly a mess.

Bay’s most recent film in the franchise was Transformers: The Last Knight, which is one of the biggest disappointments of the series. Despite its lofty $217 million budget, the film made $605 million worldwide, significantly less than some predecessors.

So, while the filmmaker started strong, his history with directing Transformers movies is far from flawless. This poses a risk for him directing another movie in the franchise, as it could end up being the franchise’s best or worst.

Transformers’ Movies Without Michael Bay Were Pretty Great

The Franchise Does Not NEED Bay

The last few years have also shown that Transformers does not need Bay to succeed. After the disappointment of The Last Knight, the franchise’s quality took a positive turn with Bumblebee. This movie subbed out Bay for Travis Knight in the director’s chair.

Bumblebee got the strongest reviews of any movie in the franchise, boasting a 91% Tomatometer. The installment also scaled the budget down and still made decent returns, making $467 million on an estimated $135 million budget.

Last year’s animated feature, Transformers One, also stepped out from Bay in a positive way. While it was not nearly the box office darling with just $129 million, the feature was universally regarded as a great prequel.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was not nearly as strong as the other two, but even that had enjoyable moments and a positive audience response. These films have really demonstrated the franchise’s great potential outside of Bay, and thus make me feel like the director’s return is less urgent.

Michael Bay Just Started Finding Success Away From Transformers, Too

And He Might Be Wise To Stay Away From The Franchise

While stepping away from Transformers movies, Bay himself has also reworked his artistic capacity. His immediate film after The Last Knight, 6 Underground, got mixed reviews, but he made up for this in 2022 when he released Ambulance.

Ambulance had everything that made the earlier Bay works great. It was a genuinely entertaining action film with moments of goofiness, but that, at its heart, kept the audience compelled and entertained.

Bay also recently directed We Are Storror, an action sports documentary about parkour athletes. While the movie has yet to get a wide release, the early reviews are great. As a documentary, the film also serves as a testament to his versatility.

After a negative Rotten Tomatoes streak with the last few Transformers movies, Bay is finally trending upward once again. As such, the director is finding more success outside the Transformers movies, potentially indicating that a return to the franchise is not best for his career.

Michael Bay & Transformers Are Better Being Together

So Their Return Makes Sense

While Transformers may not be the best franchise for Bay’s artistic integrity, it makes sense that their reunion is happening. After all, he brought the franchise to life in 2007 and made it the success it is today.

The first film made an impressive $709 million on an estimated $150 million budget, and the total only went up from there with Revenge of the Fallen, which made $836 million. Even with negative reviews, the third film, Dark of the Moon, managed to rake in over $1 billion.

There is also something unapologetically over-the-top about Bay’s filmmaking that fits well with Transformers. Even in movies like Armageddon or Pearl Harbor, I see the qualities of Transformers in broad strokes.

In this sense, Bay and Transformers are a logical pairing. If he leans into the kind of spectacle that makes these movies fun summer blockbusters, this next film could be a success.

Transformers Still Needs Non-Michael Bay Movies Too

They Should Not Ignore Their Upcoming Films

The Transformers franchise currently has other projects in development outside of Bay’s prospective film. This includes movies in the main franchise, a sequel to Transformers One, a Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover film, and a Bumblebee sequel, among others.

Some of these films are the sequels to the franchise’s best works. This includes both Bumblebee and Transformers One, whose story continuations could be great.

As Bay embarks on his project, it is important that the studios still commit to these other movies. After all, while he could produce a fun entry into the franchise, these films outside of him still have great potential. There needs to be space for both in the Transformers franchise.