Michael Bay is finally coming back to Transformers seven years after he last made a movie in Paramount’s live-action franchise. The series continued on without him behind the helm, with two live-action films and one animated movie being made, although he was more involved as a producer on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

After that film continued the franchise’s downward spiral at the box office, it’s no surprise that reports have now revealed that Michael Bay is developing a new Transformers movie. If the film makes it through Paramount’s development cycle, there is a good chance that he will direct it.

The return of the director who launched the wildly successful franchise makes sense for all involved. Yet, it also comes at a time when the Transformers franchise is in a state of disarray. That’s not only due to the box office, but also a result of the series’ canon and continuity becoming increasingly confusing over the years.

Bay is not free of this criticism either, as the inconsistencies and plot holes go back to how he managed the universe throughout the five films he directed. That problem has only grown without him, which puts the franchise in an odd space as it brings back a familiar voice.

The Transformers Franchise Needs A Full Reset

Can Anyone Make Sense Of It?

The Transformers movies never tried to be a carefully planned out cinematic universe with an overarching story, as Bay’s philosophy always meant the films played fast and loose with continuity. By the time Transformers: The Last Knight came out, the full history of the Autobots and Decepticons became too confusing to follow.

That’s part of the reason Paramount looked to soft-reboot the franchise without Bay. Bumblebee and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts are not prequels to Bay’s movies, but that delineation was not immediately clear at first. But the G1 accurate designs and unwillingness to completely lose some of the “Bayisms” meant that there was still some sense that all the movies are connected.

Now that Michael Bay is coming back, how his movie slots into the franchise becomes a major question. Will it pick up after The Last Knight and continue his continuity, possibly moving the franchise further down Bay’s 14 Transformers movie plan? Will it build off Rise of the Beasts and be a 2000s-set prequel? Will it be the G.I. Joe crossover, or could it be something else entirely?

There are too many different options on the table, so Paramount and Bay would be smart to eliminate any chance for confusion and offer audiences a fresh start. Michael Bay’s Transformers movie could completely reset the IP. Just as he did in 2007, the director can launch a new era for the Autobots on the big screen.

Michael Bay’s Transformers Movie Will Be Better Off With A Clean Slate

It Frees Him Up Completely

ᴀssuming that Michael Bay’s in-development film is the next one to come from Paramount, it will be the eighth live-action Transformers movie made in roughly two decades. There have been hits, but also plenty of misses. And that creates a lot of baggage with the franchise, as well as what audiences could perceive as “homework” to understand the next chapter.

It would be a better decision to free Transformers from this by letting the franchise completely reboot. Audiences haven’t responded to anything the franchise has done recently, so there is no clear direction the studio or Bay should feel pressured to follow. What this movie needs to be, above all else, is a Transformers movie everyone can see.

It makes more sense to let Bay have another crack at starting the franchise and relaunching Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, and others for a new audience. Disregarding previous storylines, characters, continuity, etc. may upset some, but it’s what is best for the franchise’s longevity.

After all, if Michael Bay’s return to Transformers can’t help put ʙuттs in theater seats and his movie fails at the box office too, then this could be the last one we see in this series for a long time.

Michael Bay’s Return Makes A Transformers Franchise Reset Complicated

The Bayverse Could Continue Now

While I’m arguing for a complete reset under Michael Bay’s leadership, his return also makes that a lot more complicated for Transformers to pull off.

One of the immediate reactions to come from his potential return was calls for Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky to return (even though he canonically died after Dark of the Moon). Calls for Megan Fox’s Mikaela Banes, Josh Duhamel’s Captain Lennox, John Turturro’s Seymour Simmons, Tyrese Gibson’s Robert Epps, or Mark Wahlberg’s Cade Yeager to return may also come.

There will certainly be a temptation by Bay and Paramount to have this new Transformers movie bring back elements of the movies that were most successful. Having Bay’s action filmmaking and name behind it is one way to do that. Bringing back characters audiences know and grew up with is another.

It’s far too early to know what direction Michael Bay will take Transformers again. He could look to build on The Last Knight and do his version of Unicron. Maybe after seeing the Maximals in action, he’ll want to do his own version of them. I’d even be intrigued by him handling the G.I. Joe crossover idea, although that wouldn’t reset the franchise.

There’s even a world where he continues his continuity while introducing new human characters. This would allow him to re-establish his era of Transformers as the definitive section of the franchise while not having to be overly connected to what came before. But, that would also still somewhat limit the direction the film can take.

If Michael Bay is going to come back to Transformers, he needs to do it his way and without any concerns of canon or connectivity to past or future films. His new film being a clean slate for the IP and audiences should be the way to go.