A supposed trailer for Transformers: Rise of Unicron has appeared online, making fans wonder if another live-action flick is in the works.
In 2007, director Michael Bay and Paramount spotlighted the world’s favorite robots in disguise with the first live-action Transformers film. The movie launched a franchise that began strongly but gradually fell victim to diminishing returns.
Is a New Shia LaBeouf Transformers Movie in the Works?
Multiple Facebook accounts shared synopses and images from aTransformers motion picture dubbed Transformers: Rise of Unicron.
Additionally, several trailers for the alleged movie appeared on YouTube. Notably, each piece of marketing material for Rise of Unicron advertises Shia LaBeouf as the star, reprising his character Sam Witwicky.
Paramount is not developing a sequel to Michael Bay's Transformers franchise. Transformers: Rise of Unicron is akin to Tonka’s infamous GoBots property: A pale imitation and fake designed to trick consumers into believing it is real.
The Transformers film series underwent a soft reboot beginning with 2018’s Bumblebee. This film and Rise of the Beasts from 2023 disregarded previous continuity from the Bay-helmed installments.
Moreover, the studio would likely not touch Shia LaBeouf with a 10-foot pole. The actor landed himself in a spot of trouble after multiple accusations of assault and abuse were leveled against him. LaBeouf is currently awaiting trial. His Sam Witwicky character was also confirmed as dead in The Last Knight.
Rise of Unicron is not the internet’s first attempt to fool unsuspecting users into thinking another LaBeouf and Megan Fox-led Transformers movie is being made. An equally phony Transformers: Rise of the Titans trailer peaked in June 2024.
The Future of Transformers at the Cinema
Those involved in continuing the Transformers IP on the big screen have expressed interest despite its two most recent movies, Rise of the Beasts and the animated Transformers One, functioning as high-profile flops.
The next slated Transformers flick will reportedly become a crossover with another Hasbro-owned brand, G.I. Joe (via IGN), which has had its share of box office-related turmoil. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins sunk like a lead balloon in 2021 and was one of the pandemic era’s most notorious underperformers.
Paramount sees value in matching Joe with the more popular Transformers characters, likely hoping it will strike gold for both franchises. However, the studio has traditionally stopped short of taking the time and care to nourish either one creatively.
According to Variety, the voice actor behind Transformers One’s Optimus Prime, Chris Hemsworth, is said to star in the crossover movie (presumably as an unrelated human character and not the heroic leader of the Autobots).
It should be noted that the Transformers/G.I. Joe sequel does not have an exact release window, and no one involved has provided a significant update on its progress since mid-2024.
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura spoke to Collider in September 2024 about moving ahead with Transformers but was decidedly surface-level in his wording and did not offer much substance. He also cautioned that the next project was "still in the development phase:"
"The next live-action movie will be a crossover. Where it will be particularly affected is the fact that we now know what these robots are capable of emotionally in a way. So we're going to have to figure out how to create that room, that we can afford that, and create a story that you can take more advantage of that. So one of the things that I'm particularly interested in doing, and we're still in the development phase, so nothing is by any means written in stone, but I think we need to do more now from the robot point of view in the live-action because that's the only way you're really going to get inside them."
After the lack of revenue generated by the last two Transformers movies, it’s probable that Paramount isn’t champing at the bit to pour more money into additional projects when it hasn’t received a solid return on investment as of late.
The studio may wind up returning to the drawing board to develop a better path for the cinematic future of the eternal battle between the Autobots and Decepticons. However, this remains to be seen.
Nearly all the live-action Transformers films are streaming on Paramount+ except for the 2007 original.
