Building a shared cinematic universe around the TRANSFORMERS may seem like a bit of a no-brainer, but it took Paramount Pictures four movies to jump on board that particular ship. With a writer's room dedicated to bulking up the TRANSFORMERS franchise to include spin-offs and prequels as well as more sequels, the ongoing battles between the Autobots and the Decepticons certainly won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who has been with the TRANSFORMERS franchise since the very first Michael Bay film, sat down for a lengthy interview with Collider and discussed how they're building up the series, how the spin-offs will be introduced and what to expect from TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT.
On how having a TRANSFORMERS writer's room changed the way they're approaching the mythology:
I think what it’s changed, as we were talking about the mythology before–I think what it’s changed is the complexity of the mythology. That’s probably it. Michael has spoken out about number two not being his favorite movie, and in that one we got a little trapped, going from idea to idea. I think having the time to actually look at the mythology and really build it–I think this probably has a little more–not a little more, it has an idea base that is so linked to the mythology that I think it gives it a weight that’s different.
On if the main mythology movies will be planting the seeds for the spin-offs:
Sometimes is the answer. It’s not always, because I think then it feels like you’re really trying to widget it all together, and it becomes a little too neat. But I think–I don’t think, I know–some of the things will have a very direct relationship. You’ll see some things in here that are laying a pipe. You won’t necessarily know that it’s laying a pipe for another movie, but it’s there. So there’s probably, in a really meaningful way, two or three things in this movie that really have a meaningful aspect in terms of it, and then there’s a bunch of little things. But we’re not making this movie to set up the other movies. That’s what I’m trying to say. If you get too carried away with that, you stop thinking about this movie.
On whether TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT really will be Michael Bay's final time sitting in the director's chair for the series:
I’m going to see what happens. We’ve heard it’s his last one for about two or three movies, so, you know, we hope he keeps going. It’s his choice. These movies are really, really exhausting, big, huge–as you can see, it’s crazy, right? So I get, from his point of view, how exhausting it is, and how all-consuming it is, and so I get, while he’s in the middle of it, he can’t imagine doing another one. But it seems like, over time, things change along the way. So we’ll see what happens. We certainly have never talked about anybody else directing the next one, I’ll say it that way.
On if you need to see the previous four movies to properly enjoy TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT:
No, no. That’s another conscious thing. The opening of the film will introduce the sort of exploration of the mythology that we’re going to do. Therefore, it’s not necessary to have seen the films before, because it’s going to establish the–let’s call it the mystery of the movie, and the direction the movie is going to go in.
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT is set for a June 23, 2017 release.