Now that it has been confirmed that Michael Bay is directing another Transformers movie, several actors could return to the franchise. After Transformers experienced a lot of success in animation in the ’80s and ’90s, Bay brought the franchise to live-action in 2007. The filmmaker directed the first five live-action Transformers movies, most of which were significant commercial successes.

Despite the financial wins, they were never received well by critics. Because of this, it seemed to make sense for the franchise to head in a new direction after 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight. However, the franchise hasn’t experienced the same kind of success since his departure, which set the stage for Bay’s Transformers return.

The confirmation that Bay will direct another Transformers movie has excited a lot of fans. Even though they all have their flaws, many fans are nostalgic about Bay’s run of films, and his next installment could make or break the franchise. The director could even tap into this nostalgia, leading to the return of several stars.

Josh Duhamel

Duhamel played William Lennox, a prominent supporting character in Bay’s first three movies, as well as Transformers: The Last Knight. Lennox represented the military side of the series, which has always been a divisive aspect of Bay’s films. While some fans may not want a strong military presence in his next movie, many would welcome the return of Duhamel.

Duhamel is incredibly charming in the Transformers films, which made him fun to watch as he rose up the ranks of the military throughout the series. However, after aligning himself with the Autobots in The Last Knight, there’s a chance that Lennox will face some repercussions and potentially get demoted.

This is a storyline that could be explored in Bay’s next Transformers movie if Duhamel does return. Perhaps Lennox will even leave the military because of his personal beliefs about the Autobots. Duhamel clearly had fun filming the movies, and he recently claimed that he would love to return for Bay’s next Transformers film, so it would be great to have him back.

Tyrese Gibson

If Duhamel returns, then it would also make sense for Bay to bring back Tyrese Gibson, who played Robert Epps in the first three movies. Epps is a member of the United States Air Force and serves under the command of William Lennox. Just like his commanding officer, Epps also aligns himself with the Autobots and proves that he is a competent soldier.

Epps is also one of the funniest characters in the Transformers movies, so bringing back Gibson could add a lot of humor to Bay’s next film. The actor has remained in the spotlight since his last Transformers appearance thanks to the Fast & Furious franchise, so hopefully Gibson and Bay have maintained a good relationship.

John Turturro

Turturro plays Seymour Simmons in Bay’s first three movies and Transformers: The Last Knight. When he is first introduced, Simmons is a government agent who is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ-set on protecting humanity from the Transformers. He is initially an antagonist in the series, but eventually has a change of heart and aligns himself with the Autobots and the other protagonists.

In all of his appearances, Turturro delivers an eccentric performance as Simmons, which makes him a lot of fun to watch. Later on in the series, Simmons fully embraces the aliens from Cybertron, and even lives with several Autobots in Cuba. It would be great to see Turturro return as an ally once again in Bay’s next Transformers movie.

Mark Wahlberg

Shia LaBeouf departed the series after the third movie, which led to Wahlberg taking over as the lead. Since he only appeared in Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Last Knight, some fans might not consider him an original Transformers actor, but it can’t be denied that he is a very important character in Bay’s series.

Wahlberg plays Cade Yeager, a mechanic and inventor. He becomes an important ally for Optimus Prime and the other Autobots, and plays a pivotal role in saving Earth in The Last Knight. Not all fans like Cade Yeager, especially since he served as the main character in the two lowest-rated Transformers films, but he still deserves to return in Bay’s next movie, perhaps to redeem his previous appearances.

Isabela Merced

Merced plays Izabella in Transformers: The Last Knight. At the beginning of the movie, it is established that both her parents died when the Decepticons attacked Chicago, which took place in Bay’s third movie, Dark of the Moon. This leaves Izabella all alone in the world, but she forms a close bond with and is eventually adopted by Cade Yeager in The Last Knight.

Therefore, if Wahlberg returns, then it makes perfect sense for Merced to reprise her role as well. Since starring in The Last Knight, she has become one of the most accomplished young actors in Hollywood. She has starred in Alien: Romulus, The Last of Us, and recently played Hawkgirl in Superman, so it would be great to see her in Bay’s next Transformers movie.

Megan Fox

Fox played Mikaela Banes, a major character in the first two Transformers movies. After striking up a romantic connection with LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky, Mikaela finds herself in the middle of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. However, some behind-the-scenes drama resulted in Fox not returning for Bay’s third Transformers movie.

Fox and Bay didn’t always get along. In fact, in a 2009 interview with Wonderland, Fox claimed that Bay “wants to be like Hitler on his sets“ and described him as “a nightmare to work for.” This comment was not received well by Bay and producer Steven Spielberg. While some reports claim that Fox was fired, her team stated that she decided to leave the project.

Because of this feud, it might be unlikely that Fox returns for Bay’s next Transformers movie. However, it’s worth mentioning that she had nicer things to say about him after filming the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, which Bay produced. In an interview with E! Online, she said:

I’ve always loved Michael. We’ve had our battles in the past but even when I’ve been really outspoken about difficulties we’ve had, I’ve always followed up by saying that I have a particular affinity to him. He can be very vulnerable, and he’s very likeable and loveable. I’ve always been very vocal about that as well. But, sometimes we clash because we both have very willful, powerful personalities.

There’s a chance that she and Bay have resolved their differences. This means that she could indeed make an appearance in his next Transformers movie, and her character could potentially even reunite with Sam.

Shia LaBeouf

LaBeouf played Sam Witwicky, the protagonist of Bay’s first three Transformers movies. However, he decided not to return for the fourth film so that he could pursue other artistic endeavors. Since his departure, the actor has actually shown great disdain for the Transformers movies, and even called them “irrelevant” in a 2018 interview with Esquire.

This suggests that he would not be interested in returning for Bay’s next Transformers movie. Additionally, The Last Knight creates another complication for Sam’s return, since the film heavily implies that he died sometime after Dark of the Moon. In The Last Knight, Edmund Burton explains that Vivian Wembley is the last surviving “Witwiccan,” which seemingly confirms that Sam is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.

Despite this, LaBeouf is the actor that fans most want to see return to Transformers. Since he led the cast of the first three films, his inclusion would make the movie incredibly nostalgic. However, he’s also become a very controversial actor in recent years due to allegations of ᴀssault and questionable behavior, so even if Bay wants him back, Paramount might not be willing to cast him.