Michael Bay’s influence on the Transformers franchise is undeniable. Since the series’ debut with the 2007 film, Transformers, Bay’s involvement has sparked both praise and dispute among critics and fans. The 2017 film Transformers: The Last Knight, marked the end of his directorial contributions to the franchise.
Subsequently, filmmakers like Travis Knight and Steven Caple Jr. have carried the torch forward with movies like Bumblebee and the 2023 film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Despite not directing the latter, Bay’s influence loomed large, as revealed by Caple Jr., who acknowledged his guidance and insight in shaping the 2023 film.
Steven Caple Jr. Highlighted Michael Bay’s Contribution to Rise of the Beasts
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, filmmaker Steven Caple Jr. reflected on seeking advice from Michael Bay and Travis Knight for the 2023 film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. He acknowledged the value of seeking guidance from those with prior experience.
“You want to make sure you’re in your creative bubble when trying to design this world and build out the franchise,” he said before adding, “You call the ones who have done it before you.” And he reached out to Michael Bay for advice, particularly on handling visual effects. “He gave hints and tips on how to accomplish certain things,” the Creed II director shared.
He shared that visual effects were something he did not have a lot of experience with and wanted to get some advice from Bay, who was working on the 2022 action thriller Ambulance at the time. And he learned a lot by working with the visual effects supervisor and the Bad Boys director.
“A lot of it was like, ‘How do I deal with visual effects?’—So it was a huge learning curve, and it was like going through school again, if you will—I was learning a lot from the visual effects supervisor and calls with Michael Bay.”
He also appreciated the filmmaker’s willingness to offer support and guidance, who was also one of the producers of the film, despite being busy with his own project.
Why did Michael Bay Depart From the Transformers Franchise?
Michael Bay released his first Transformers film in 2007 followed by four more films within the next decade. However, the filmmaker never intended to make five movies, as Steven Spielberg had advised him to only make a trilogy.
While the films were not received very well by the critics, they did pretty great at the box office, making it a multi-billion-dollar franchise. However, Bay eventually stepped back from directing the franchise after the fifth installment, opting to focus on producing instead.
In an interview with Unilad UK, he shared why he stopped making more films in the franchise. “I made too many of them,” he said. The Ambulance director shared that Spielberg had advised him to “stop at three.”
However, after the success of the third installment, Dark of the Moon which made over $1 billion at the box office, the studio insisted he make a fourth film. “And then I said I’m gonna stop here. And they begged me again. I should have stopped. [But] they were fun to do,” he shared.
He finally left the director’s chair after The Last Knight, prompting Travis Knight and then Steven Caple Jr. to take on the role for Bumblebee and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, respectively. And a new filmmaker Josh Cooley has helmed the next film in the franchise, Transformers One.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is available to stream on Paramount+.
Transformers One is set to release on September 13, 2024.
