New ‘Transformers’ Movie In The Works With ‘Charm City Kings’ Filmmaker Angel Manuel Soto Set To Direct
It’s time for more rock ‘em, sock ‘emTransformers.Because we’ll never be rid of those alien metallic monstrosities, Paramount Pictures has started developing a newTransformersmovie, which will be directed byAngel Manuel Soto, the filmmaker behind last year’s critically acclaimed teen dramaCharm City Kings.
The Hollywood Reporterbroke the news that Paramount Pictures made a blind script commitment to a newTransformersfeature film that will be penned byMarco Ramirez, the showrunner of Netflix’s Marvel seriesThe Defenders, while Angel Manuel Soto will direct.
Details are being kept under lock and key (or whatever type of security systems Transformers use, I don’t know), but the project is reportedly being “developed apart from the universe of the main line ofTransformersfilms that Paramount has been making since 2007,” per THR. The next installment in the mainTransformerssaga, which spans five Michael Bay movies plus Travis Knight’sBumblebeeprequel, is being directed byCreed IIfilmmaker Stephen Caple Jr.
So while it’s likely this newTransformersmovie will be a spin-off of some kind, it’s curious that it’s not considered a part of the largerTransformersseries, asBumblebeewas.Bumblebeewas already a pretty separate entity from Bay’s movies, much lighter and Amblin-inspired than the bro-y bombast of Bay. So how will Soto’s project be separate from the “universe of the main line ofTransformers” films? More importantly, will anyone care? I’m sure there’s a loose continuity maintained in theTransformersseries, but I honestly doubt anyone going into those movies will care all that much if something goes against canon.
With a Puerto Rican director and a Latino writer, it’s clear that Paramount is committed to give diverse creators a platform in its big franchises, though it may raise a few eyebrows that they’re involved a standalone project and not a “main line"Transformersfilm. But Soto at least has been getting all kinds of offers sinceCharm City Kingsproved to be a critical hit, recently boarding Warner Bros.’ Latino-ledBlue Beetlemovie.
This new standaloneTransformersproject is in early development, with no producers set. It’s expected thatTransformersmaestro Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who has acted as a producer on all the film projects, will be involved in some capacity. It’s also possible that this project might be developed for Paramount’s newly rebooted streaming service Paramount+.
