Bay
With summer blockbusters bombing plenty this year, one of the prime box office successes from last year Transformers: Dark of the Moon certainly seems like a distant memory. Though we still have two years until the next installment in the robot franchise, the sequel is deep in the works behind closed doors with work really set to expand in the next year. However, with plenty of details unknown and the story venturing away from the original trilogy, it’s clear that we will see a reprisal of action. But, if director Michael Bay has anything to say about it, the film will be a direct continuation if anything.
Speaking with Hero Complex, Michael Bay discussed just what was in store for Transformers 4 without getting into specific plot details. But, one of the tidbits that irks him the most? Calling the upcoming sequel a reboot:
“It’s not a reboot, that’s maybe the wrong word. I don’t want to say reboot because then people will think we’re doing a Spider-Manand starting from the beginning. We’re not. We’re taking the story that you’ve seen — the story we’ve told in three movies already — and we’re taking it in a new direction. But we’re leaving those three as the history. It all still counts. I met with the writer before I went off to do Pain and Gain and we talked about a bunch of ideas. We let that simmer for a bit. He’s been thinking about stuff and now we’re getting back together next week to see what we’ve got and to see if it gels.”
As to exactly what writer Ehren Kruger has been thinking about, we’re not completely sure. However, when asked if the film would venture into outer space instead of solely taking place on Earth, Bay responded, “I think so, yeah, a little. That feels like the way to go, doesn’t it? I want to go a little off but I don’t want to go too sci-fi. I still want to keep it grounded.That’s what works in these movies, that’s what makes it accessible.”
And though we have that new landscape to look forward to, it seems the over $1 billion gross of Transformers: Dark of the Moon still doesn’t mean too much in terms of budget. Due to the possibility of space, Bay was asked whether this would mean more money for the fourth film. “It’s going to be less, actually. Our mandate is to cut about $30 million.” This would put the next movie in the franchise around $165 million to work off of, if the rumored budget is in fact true. So, despite a cut, that’s still a pretty penny.
Currently, the plan is for the film to begin rolling sometime next year to meet a release date of June 27th 2014. But, as for who will be taking the human lead roles in the film has yet to be determined. It’s said that the Autobots and Decepticons will be more of a focus this time around, and Bay’s mentality is that this will be his last film in order to set up the rest of a new trilogy for “the next guy”. It’s been said that the robots will in fact be getting redesigns, but how exactly this happens within the construct of the film remains to be seen. Bay recently wrapped his action/dark comedy Pain & Gain with Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson, which was made for a relatively low $20 million and will hit theaters next year.
