Late last week we got further confirmation that Michael Bay would be leaving the TRANSFORMERS series after the current film, THE LAST KNIGHT. As the series approaches the new path it's setting itself on (with 14 new movies planned) we now have confirmation that another star of the franchise, Mark Wahlberg, also plans to leave behind the world of robots after this latest entry.
While promoting the movie on The Graham Norton Show, Wahlberg said in a blunt statement that this new movie would be the last time he fights giant evil robots on-screen, if only so he can get back to a normal routine:
It's the last one so I get my life back!
Wahlberg picked up the mantle of the series’ main human hero after Shia LeBeouf was done with the movies after the third film. THE LAST KNIGHT acts as Wahlberg’s second outing, with the first, AGE OF EXTINCTION, marking his biggest hit yet with a $1.1 billion global take, a total the new movie could come close to. As for getting his life back, that must mean getting to do any movie but TRANSFORMERS, as the actor has several movies coming down the pipe, including MILE 22 with Peter Berg, DADDY’S HOME 2 with Will Ferrell, and ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD from Ridley Scott. What can I say; his life is better than yours.
Wahlberg has proven himself a great leading man over the years, but I can’t say I’ll miss him in the TRANSFORMERS movies. The stars of the show there have always been the bots, and I can’t say the humans (or even said robots) have left much of a mark on me as a viewer. But there’s no doubting his star presence, and the series’ producers will have to dig around to find another major player to give the movies that human element. But, I mean, do we really need humans around when there are giant robot dinosaurs making things awesome?
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT arrives June 21.