All Upcoming Transformers Movies Explained

Paramount has big plans for the future of Hasbro’s popular toy line, with the upcoming Transformers movies starting something big. The studio is developing multiple Transformers movies that will release in the next several years. Michael Bay helped launch the Transformers franchise in 2007 with Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox in the lead human roles. Although Fox left after just two films, LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky remained the focus for the first trilogy. Under this era of the Transformers movies, the series achieved peak popularity, as Transformers: Dark of the Moon made more than $1.1 billion at the box office worldwide (via Box Office Mojo).

The Transformers movies entered a new era without LaBeouf with Transformers: Age of Extinction, as Mark Wahlberg became the face of the franchise. He returned to star in the fifth film, Transformers: The Last Knight, which proved to be the end of Michael Bay’s time with the franchise. 2018 saw Bumblebee hit theaters with Hailee Steinfeld in the lead. The movie was a moderate financial hit but received strong critical reviews. With Transformers: Rise of the Beasts arriving in 2023, it was only the first of many upcoming Transformers movies to come.

Transformers 8

Paramount already confirmed that Transformers 8 is in the works as part of a new trilogy that Transformers: Rise of the Beasts kicked off. Details on the eighth movie are incredibly scarce at the moment though. It is not confirmed if Steven Caple Jr. will return to direct the film or if Ramos and Fishback’s characters will return. However, both of those options seem likely given the early confirmation on the studio’s part that Transformers 8 is happening. Fans should expect it will continue building on the story established in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Transformers 8 does not have a release date yet, but the early announcement could mean it is ready for release by 2025 or 2026.

Transformers 9

In addition to Paramount’s plans for an eighth film, Transformers 9 is also in development to wrap up the new trilogy commenced by Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Like its immediate predecessor, there are no further details on what the upcoming Transformers movies are about or who will be involved. It should be expected the movie will expand the Beast Wars universe in some fashion. This could include the threat Unicron possesses after his story was left open in Rise of the Beasts. Paramount has not announced a Transformers 9 release date, but it likely won’t arrive until 2028 or 2029 unless it is filmed back-to-back with Transformers 8.

Transformers One

Not to be confused with 1986’s Transformers: The Movie, Paramount also has an animated Transformers movie in development. The film is directed by Toy Story 4‘s Josh Cooley and has been in development for several years. Of the upcoming Transformers movies, this one goes back to the basic Autobots vs Deceptions battles. Specifically, Transformers One will tell the origin stories of both Optimus Prime and Megatron and show them as younger bots, the movie exploring their relationship. Chris Hemsworth voices Optimus Prime and Brian Tyree Henry voices Megatron. Paramount confirmed Transformers One will arrive in theaters on September 12, 2024.

Bumblebee 2

Paramount was also at one point developing Bumblebee 2. The sequel to 2018’s movie was reportedly in the works shortly after its release and positive reception. No writer was ever revealed for the project, although it was believed that Joby Harold’s Transformers script was a Bumblebee sequel. This turned out to be Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which makes it unclear if a proper follow-up is still in the cards. A proper sequel featuring Hailee Steinfeld’s Charlie seems unlikely based on what happened at the end of the last movie, which involved Bumblebee‘s canon-disrupting ending.

Will Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Last Knight Sequel Happen?

There was also a lingering question about the possibility of Transformers: The Last Knight getting a sequel. Michael Bay and Paramount had plans to make sixth and seventh installments of the franchise to build off the movie’s events. It was shortly after Transformers: The Last Knight‘s release that plans changed. The result has been the Bay era of movies taking a backseat. However, Paramount could revisit the idea of continuing the Transformers franchise in the present day at a later point, even if that means pushing forward without Michael Bay’s involvement. However, with Unicron an important part of Beast Wars, Michael Bay’s movies likely won’t happen.

The New Transformers Movies Will Start Over With A Fresh Lead

Despite there being new Transformers movies on the cards, none of them will feature a Shia LaBeouf return, and Mark Wahlberg’s also reportedly done with the Transformers franchise, leaving the door open for a full reset. Labeouf led the first trilogy of Transformers movies as Sam Witwicky, and for audience members who stopped following the franchise after the initial three entries, it might seem bizarre that he’s not featured. The initial decision not to return came from Labeouf, who felt that Sam’s story was complete and had run its course. This didn’t sit massively well with fans though.

Many found it jarring that he’d suddenly vanished from all involvement with Optimus and the Autobots – especially when it was implied he’d died off-screen, judging from a comment made during Transformers: The Last Knight that suggested Vivian Wembley was the last surviving member of the Witwicky/Wembley bloodline (The Witwiccans). Wahlberg is also through with his portrayal of Cade Yeager, with reports as far back as 2017 confirming at a charity screening of Transformers: The Last Knight that it was his final offering (via boston.com).

The idea of non-Michael-Bay Transformers movies didn’t appeal to him, as he says he’d signed on for the collaborative aspect, so the upcoming Rise of the Beasts couldn’t incentivize him enough to return. That being said, neither lead was ever really going to upstage the giant, clattering Autobots and Decepticons, so it’d be an opportune time for the Transformers movies to invest some creative energy into its leads and provide a robust human element to counterbalance the presence of the Bots, which Rise of the Beasts did with Anthony Ramos’ character Noah.