Transformers (2007) was an undeniable cultural moment. While the robots in disguise were already pretty much established amongst those exposed to the Gen 1 cartoons of the '80s, director Michael Bay revitalized the brand to a whole new audience. An immense number of animated spin-offs, numerous sequels (which we will soon get into), games, comics, and countless pieces of merchandise were all directly correlated to the release of Transformers.
But as Paramount began to churn out sequels, they subsequently became more bombastic and sometimes even borderline cringe-worthy. Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) proved to be the nail in the metallic coffin for the franchise. Panned by audiences and critics alike, The Last Knight did not perform as financially well as its predecessors, and Paramount (with Michael Bay) decided to end the continuity explored in the timeline.
That is, until last week.
In a series of tweets, Paramount announced that the next installment, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, would signal the beginning of a new trilogy set before Bay's timeline and after 2018's Bumblebee. But the story of the war between Decepticons and Autobots has been told numerous times, and so many characters have been brought to the live-action series. So, where can the franchise go from here?
The Megatron in the Room
The story of Megatron has been botched and butchered in Bay's Transformers series. Having been reincarnated countless times, his most confusing return was during The Last Knight when he somehow received a new body -- after his Galvatron body escaped the battle of Hong Kong. The movie never really goes into detail about how Megatron received his new paint job-it's eluded that Quintessa has something to do with his return, but that is up for conjecture. Should the prequel trilogy focus on a younger Megatron?
But eagle-eyed fans will note that his body was on ice as he crashed into the Arctic upon entry in the 2007 film, so there is effectively no way to bring him back. Michael Bay has truly cornered this character against the wall, and a Transformers movie without the iconic Megatron would feel subpar. With Megatron, Galvatron, and to some extent, Unicron out of the picture, what other iconic villains can Paramount bring into the foray?
Enter, the Beasts
Paramount has confirmed that next year's movie will be titled Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. In addition, the studio confirmed that along with Autobots and Decepticons, the film will feature Maximals, Terrorcons, and Predacons. That's a lot of robots in disguise for one movie, but it does leave the door open for a different villain to be set up as the main antagonist in this new trilogy.
Scourge has been billed as the big baddie this time around. Who exactly is Scourge in Transformers lore? Long story short, he was created by Unicron and is a Decepticon who has his own army of huntsmen. No doubt they all belong to the Predacon faction of Transformers-direct descendants of Decepticons. The introduction of Scourge leaves the path wide open for more obscure villains like Cyclonus to enter the mainstream. Going down the Beast Wars route is a smart move by Paramount as it allows for a big visual spectacle and the creators to focus on characters and stories that have not been told before.
Bumble-dont?
Bumblebee is synonymous with the Transformers film franchise -- even getting his own film in 2017. His popularity had even led to increased sales of the Camaro when the character first debuted to mainstream audiences in 2007. Will Paramount keep using him to pull at our emotional heartstrings in this new trilogy? They've done this numerous times before. In The Last Knight, Bumblebee's voice snapped Nemesis Prime (a possessed version of Optimus) out of his rage, and his solo movie revolved around his connection with Hailee Steinfeld's character. Hopefully, Rise of The Beasts shifts the focus away from Bumblebee and sheds more light on more dynamic characters like Arcee and Mirage, Transformers who have immense popularity in the animated universe.
Have audiences grown tired of Transformers movies? Paramount sure doesn't think so. The announcement of more films was supposed to be the pinnacle of their rebranding initiative (although their stock did not do well after the fact). With the absence of Megatron and the overutilization of Optimus and Bumblebee, this new trilogy could fall in line with spin-off movies and perform like 2018's Bumblebee -- something that paramount is hoping doesn't happen.
That said, the adaptation of Beast Wars could mean that audiences are in for a visual treat, which the Transformers franchise has done relatively well. Hopefully, this new direction honors the legacy of Transformers and introduces the franchise to new audiences while leaving the mayhem of the Bayverse behind.