Michael Bay is in talks to direct the eighth film in the “Transformers“ series, reports Page Six. According to the media outlet, talks are in the final stages, and one of the last points of contention is whether the director will receive the right to the final cut of the production.
The project is being prepared for David Ellison's new studio Skydance. No actors or premiere date have been announced yet, and the deal with Bay has not been officially confirmed.
TheWrap presents the negotiations as an early stage and reports that Steven Spielberg will participate as an executive producer with creative oversight over the development of the series. Thus, the two publications differ in their assessment of the progress of negotiations with Bay, but both indicate that he is being considered as a possible director of the next film.
Return after five films
Bay directed the first five “Transformers“ films between 2007 and 2017. The productions brought in a total of $ 4.38 billion at the global box office before the director withdrew from the franchise.
After him, Travis Knight stood behind “Bumblebee“ in 2018, and Stephen Caple Jr. directed “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts“ in 2023. The last film grossed $441,656,550 at the global box office.
According to Page Six, Bay approached Paramount with an idea for a new story in the series back in 2025. At the time, he acted through his representatives at Range Media Partners.
„This is the last one“
In an interview with Rolling Stone before working on „Transformers: The Last Knight“ Bay stated that he planned to step away from the series.
„It's fun to make a movie that will be seen by 100 million people, but this is the last one. "I have to pass the baton to someone else," the director says.However, he is now discussing the possibility of returning to the series almost a decade after his last film in it. Bay is also known for his work on "Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor" and "Bad Boys."
The eighth "Transformers" film does not yet have an official cast or release date. Bay's last feature film is "Ambulance" in 2022, and in 2025 he will direct the documentary "We Are Storror."