transformers

Just a few weeks after Transformers: The Last Knight rolled into theaters, Paramount is getting that Bumblebee prequel on the fast track. Today we got the news of a rumored mysterious working title, an official title (complete with colon, like all of today’s young adult franchises), and an extremely soon production start date. Like, very soon. Like, within a couple of weeks from now.

If I had to pick the most egregious example of product placement ever, I would nominate the scene from Transformers: Age of Extinction, when the entire movie stops to examine the wreckage of a crash involving an alien spaceship and a Bud Light truck. The camera pans across a street littered with Bud Light bottles; then Mark Wahlberg picks one up, cracks it open, and takes a healthy swig. And while he’s shilling beer, there’s a second product placement in the background; just over his shoulder, very much in focus, is a giant Goodyear Tires sign.

Has any franchise ever been more successful and less beloved than Transformers? Even before this week’s release of Transformers: The Last Knight, the series had made almost $3.8 billion worldwide, despite an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 32 and three straight sequels that run the gamut from “kind of crummy” to “possibly the actual worst mega-budget blockbuster ever made.”

Actually, Optimus Prime Has Always Been a Total Jerk

Even if you’re not a huge fan of Star Wars movies, with all the trailer announcements we’ve seen in the last few days, odds are good you might still find something to enjoy during Rogue One. A few days ago, we shared a fun little rumor that the first teaser for Spider-Man: Homecoming would be appearing before the highly anticipated Star Wars standalone when it hits theaters this December. Not to be outdone, Michael Bay took to social media to share that his first trailer for Transformers: The Last Knight would also be included with the film.

The only constants in this world are death, taxes, and Megatron returning from the dead for another Transformers movie.

Like a communications major fresh out of the warm, snuggly womb of school and ready to hit the airwaves, Michael Bay was about to address a crowd at the 2014 CES (Consumer Electronics Show) when his trusty teleprompter decided not to cooperate.