Transformers 5 News: Why Robert Kirkman and Michael Bay are Leaving the Franchise
It was reported that Michael Bay, director, and Robert Kirkman, writer, for Paramount's latest installment of the "Transformers" franchise, "Transformers five," were exiting the production. Bay decided though that he will continue to helm the upcoming film while Robert Kirkman will no longer be part of the latest on the franchise.
The director said on Rolling Stone, "I'm doing Transformers ... 5, is it?" And he continues, apparently losing track, "I've taken on a lot of work. J.J. [Abrams] told me, 'You're the only guy that could do this.' But it's time to move on …"
Some speculation had earlier come out that Bay would not be back to take his rightful place at the director's chair because he was said to be working on his "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi." He felt a "younger" director would give a "new dimension" to the franchise. But, later on, it was confirmed that he would come back to do "Transformers five" as his last "Transformers" movie.
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"Transformers, I still have a great time. It's fun to do a movie that 100 million people will see. But this is the last one. I have to pass the reins to someone else."
On another note, Robert Kirkman stayed only a day in the writers' room but decided not to pursue his stint with "Transformers five." The writers' room was in the hands of Akiva Goldsman who oversaw the scripting for the Transformers franchise for 10 years' worth of installments. Besides Kirkman, the group was made up of Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, who penned "Punisher: War Zone," Zak Penn of "The Incredible Hulk," and Jeff Pinkner, of "Lost."
Kirkman is popularly known for his work as the scriptwriter for "The Walking Dead." Unfortunately, on the very first day of the project, he had to leave for surgery.
Kirkman tells Collider, "I have to say, I was only in that room for a day before I found out that I was having my throat surgery that kept me out of Comic Con. I have heard from the people that are in that room there are a lot of amazing 'Transformers' things coming, and I'm very happy as a fan to see what comes from that."
The fifth film in the series will be filmed starting May 2016 and expected to release on June 23, 2017.
