Another misinformation campaign? We hope not, but the pattern seems to go the same. Last week, several rumors were circulating that claimed Paramount Pictures was interested in shooting two new Transformers films back-to-back.
Supposedly, Shia LaBeouf wasn’t going to return in the lead for the sequels, and the top name in the running to replace him was said to be Jason Statham, real-life beau of Transformers: Dark of the Moon leading lady Rosie Huntington-White.
And the rumors claimed that Michael Bay would be taking a position as producer this time around, handing off directing duties to someone new.
Well, turns out the rumors weren’t quite true. As in, pretty much all of it wasn’t true. Read on…
Michael Bay responded to the rumors on the discussion boards of his site, saying “I am currently not talking to Paramount on T4 and T5 despite reports.”
Mr. Bay went on to explain he has a lot of options right now, and is most interested in the true crime thriller Pain and Gain. He confirmed his has also been working on the Transformers trilogy set, which by the way should release sometime in the not-too-distant future.
Meanwhile, Jason Statham likewise denied the rumors, saying “You know, I don’t know how those things start. You read them. Someone told me about it.”
Then came the coup de grâce Monday, when Rosie Huntington-White told the L.A. Times she thinks Shia LaBeouf might be come back to the franchise after all.
Shia LaBeouf, Michal Bay, and Rosie Huntington-White, image by Getty Images via @daylife
“I think so,” she said when asked directly if her costar might be talked into returning. “He’ll kill me for saying that.”
In other words, there’s no guarantee who will come back, who won’t, or what sort of sequel may or may not be in the works at this point.
By the way, if you’re a fan of the Transformers franchise, check out my blog posts about Legend3D and their fantastic work on Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Michael Bay’s above-and-beyond work to make sure your 3D viewing experience set a new standard for 3D films!
-forbes
