Though his work usually brings on a myriad of eye rolls and groans from fans and critics alike, it’s hard to argue that Michael Bay doesn’t produce results. Sure, maybe we can’t understand it, but earlier this summer, ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ made over $1 billion in global box office revenue despite it’s 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Another classic franchise that he produced, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’, chalked up a #1 spot for it’s opening weekend and already received a greenlight for a sequel. But now the filmmaker is talking about moving on to other endeavors and passing the baton for ‘Transformers 5.’
In an interview with USA Today, Bay revealed that he plans on letting someone else step into the director role for the inevitable big screen follow-up for the Robots in Disguise in favor of pursuing other avenues such as board game turned horror movie ‘Ouija’, sci-fi thriller ‘Project Almanac’, and a documentary about elephant poaching that has turned into a passion project for him. So with plans to spread his wings a little bit, he had this to say about his slate of films in the future:
“There’s kind of a new chapter, a new direction in movies I want to make. I have a lot of stories to tell. And it’s about flexing new muscles.”
This isn’t the first time that Bay shared that he was ready to move on from ‘Transformers’. He said the same thing back in 2012 while promoting ‘Transformers: The Ride’. However, due to the amount of money that he’s making from these films, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to stick around for one more installment, at least as a co-director. And even if he did step away from the director’s chair completely, he’d likely stick around as a producer, so we wouldn’t be completely rid of him yet.
What do you think about Michael Bay moving on from ‘Transformers’ after the most recent installment of the series? Do you think that he’ll stick around for the money? Or could you see him finally pursuing some passion projects? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
