In a recent conversation with Collider, ‘Transformers’ director Michael Bay offered a number of interesting comments. In addition to dropping a few hints regarding the future of the franchise (in particular, the upcoming ‘Bumblebee’ spinoff), the conversation also included Bay’s thoughts on superhero movies in general. Specifically, when asked whether he would be interested in directing a movie in either Marvel or DC’s cinematic universe in the future, the director – who is currently hard at work on the fifth installment of the ‘Transformers’ franchise – had this to say:
“I wouldn’t want to. It’s not my thing. It’s just not my gig. I don’t ever wanna take someone like a third of something or a second of something. I gotta do my own thing, because the most fun is when a real director creates the world. You know, you talk to Ridley Scott, one of our favorite things to do is create the world. Steven Spielberg, create the world. That is what it’s about. If I were to do something I would have to redo it my way.”
Essentially, Bay’s issue seems the be the relative lack of creative control. This is understandable, as a certain degree of coordination and planning is required in order to craft a sustainable superhero universe. As much leeway as Marvel might give individual directors (‘The Avengers’, for example, is unmistakably a Joss Whedon film), they ultimately need to remain mindful of the studio’s larger plan for the series. By contrast, the DC films have attempted to take a more “director centric” approach, the results of which have thus far been decidedly mixed, and there have nonetheless been pervasive rumors of studio meddling.
Michael Bay’s next ‘Transformers’ film, ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’, is due in theaters on June 23, 2017 and stars Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Liam Garrigan, Laura Haddock, Stanley Tucci, Gil Birmingham, Isabel Moner, and Anthony Hopkins.
