Steven Spielberg 'returning' to Transformers
Steven Spielberg is reportedly returning to Transformers.
Paramount has enlisted the 79-year-old legendary filmmaker, who has served as an executive producer on all the live-action films in the franchise, to oversee "all creative aspects" of the upcoming untitled instalment, sources told Deadline.
The outlet also reports that Spielberg will work closely with longtime producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, 69, on the upcoming eighth movie, which is being developed from a script set in the modern day, penned by 40-year-old Jason Fuchs.
Michael Bay, 61, is also said to be in "early talks" to return as director, having been at the helm of the first five live-action Transformers movie.
It has been reported that no decisions have been made regarding the cast, though Shia LaBeouf, 40, is not expected to return as Sam Witwicky.
The new film will also mark the first instalment in the franchise not to feature Peter Cullen as the voice of Optimus Prime, following his death from cardiac arrest in August at the age of 85.
It has been over a year since Bay pulled out of directing Fast and Loose amid creative differences with lead star and producer Will Smith, 58, who he first worked with on his debut feature Bad Boys in 1995, just months before filming was due to begin in October 2025.
Bay wanted more emphasis on the action elements of the film, while King Richard star Smith was keen to lean into the comedic moments, according to Deadline.
The movie, now directed by John Swab, 38, will tell the story of a guy who wakes up in Tijuana with no memory.
He then slowly starts to remember certain things about his life, and comes to the conclusion he has been living a double-life - as an undercover CIA agent and a crime boss.
Smith is producing the project alongside Kelly McCormick, 49, and David Leitch, 50, for 87North.
Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, Chris Bremner and Eric Pearson, 41, have penned the script.
Despite Michael's departure from Fast and Loose, he still has a busy time ahead as he is in negotiations with Paramount about making a new Transformers film, and he is also working on OutRun, a video game adaptation which will star 29-year-old actress Sydney Sweeney.
The original OutRun game launched in 1986 and challenged players to dodge traffic and reach their destination before time runs out.
The game pioneered a new genre of driving games and spawned several other instalments, such as OutRunners in 1993 and OutRun Online Arcade in 2009.
He is also set to collaborate with Cynthia Erivo, 39, on Saturation Point, a movie adaptation of 54-year-old author Adrian Tchaikovsky’s 2024 sci-fi novel of the same name, for Universal Pictures.
