Skip to main content

Michael Bay confirms he’ll direct Transformers 5 and reveals TMNT 2 villain

Transformers: Age Of Extinction
Image used with permission by copyright holder
No matter how you feel about the work of director Michael Bay, his box-office success is undeniable — and when it comes to the $4 billion Transformers franchise, it looks like he won’t be abdicating the director’s chair any time soon.

After hinting that 2014’s Transformers: Age of Extinction was the last installment of the series that he’d direct, Bay confirmed this week that he’d helm the still-untitled fifth film in the franchise, scheduled to hit theaters in 2017.

Recommended Videos

Bay made it official during an interview with Rolling Stone in which he not only announced that he’d direct that film, but also [SPOILER ALERT] revealed that a fan-favorite villain would be making his debut in the upcoming sequel to last year’s live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot.

“I’m doing Transformers … 5, is it?” said Bay. “J.J. [Abrams] told me, ‘You’re the only guy that could do this.’ But it’s time to move on. One more.”

The fifth film in the Transformers franchise will feature a script penned by Iron Man screenwriters Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, as well as Black Hawk Down writer Ken Nolan. Mark Wahlberg is expected to reprise his role from Transformers: Age of Extinction.

During the outlet’s interview with Bay, the director also took a video call from visual-effects studio Industrial Light & Magic, which showed him an early rendering of a “crash-landed alien spaceship, then a new dump-truck Transformer with a cloak.” The call also involved some discussion of Krang, a popular villain from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series that will be making the leap from the cartoon to the live-action movie universe in the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

“So we’ve eliminated the tentacles,” the ILM supervisor told Bay, concerning Krang. “Is it too monster-ish?”

“He could have some tentacles,” responded Bay, who serves as a producer on the franchise. “I just don’t want them coming out of the side. He looks like a stupid octopus.”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is scheduled to hit theaters June 3.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
3 underrated Amazon Prime Video movies you should watch this weekend (November 22-24)
The Lost City of Z

As we move toward the end of the year, there are more and more reasons to stay indoors and watch a great movie. Amazon Prime Video has one of the best libraries of movies worth exploring, but if you find yourself stuck when deciding what to actually watch, you're not alone.

A library as big as Amazon's can actually make deciding what to watch more difficult instead of easier. That's why we've rounded up three titles available on Prime Video that are the perfect way to spend the weekend.

Read more
3 great free movies to stream this weekend (November 22-24)
Two men sit and talk in Body of Lies.

Welcome to the week of Ridley Scott. The 86-year-old filmmaker's next movie is Gladiator II, the 29th feature film in his illustrious five-decade career. The sequel to the Oscar-winning Gladiator, Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal as Lucius, the former heir to the throne and son of Maximus (Russell Crowe) and Lucilla (Connie Nielsen). After Roman forces kill his wife and force him into slavery, Lucius trains to be a gladiator and sets his sights on exacting his vengeance against the Empire.

Gladiator II will definitely be an awesome theatrical experience. After seeing Gladiator II, why not revisit more projects in Scott's filmography? FAST services are hosting several of Scott's movies, including Gladiator, for free. Our suggestions include a traumatic war film, a groundbreaking road trip adventure, and an espionage thriller.

Read more
3 underrated Netflix movies you should watch this weekend (November 22-24)
netflix underrated movies watch november 22 24 2024 spy game 1

Are you ready to get Glicked this weekend? No, I didn't call you a dirty name, that's the actual moniker being used for the simultaneous release of Wicked and Gladiator II. I'm not going to see either this weekend as both are expected to make tons of cash and draw in a lot of crowds in theaters over the next few days.

I'm content to stay in this weekend and queue up a good movie (or three) on Netflix. Feel the same way? Well, here's a handy list of a few underrated movies that are worth your time. You can always watch Glicked later in the year ... or never, if that's more your vibe.

Read more