Shia LaBeouf is one of the most renowned personalities in today’s day and age, and a credible amount of this success goes to none other than the Transformers franchise.
Though the actor cum performance artist cum director did start his acting career somewhere in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, it was indeed the science-fiction action franchise that truly boosted his career to extraordinary heights.
Yet, after starring in a mere three installments of the film series, LaBeouf called it quits, paving the way for others — or, shall we say, ‘Mark Wahlberg’ — to join the $5.2 billion franchise in his character Sam Witwicky’s stead in a soft reboot.
Although fans were heartbroken to see Shia LaBeouf exit the saga just like that, the actor had a just and fair reason behind his decision that even fans would find hard to counterargue.
Also Read: “I didn’t deserve to have nobody”: Mia Goth “Saved” Her Husband Shia LaBeouf’s Life
Shia LaBeouf’s Transformers Exit Was More Than Good For His Character
When Shia LaBeouf first appeared in Transformers (i.e. the first-ever installment from the saga) in 2007 as Sam Witwicky, a geeky kid who gets drawn into the world of Autobots and the Decepticons against his desires, both the character and the story earned a massive ‘Yes!’ from the audiences.
This continued for the next two installments as well, i.e. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011); both of which were tremendously acclaimed, yet again, by general audiences despite being critically underrated by the brutal-est of critics.
However, the fourth installment after that saw Witwicky disappearing without a trace, only to never appear in any of the other movies that followed. And surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, this decision to leave was of none other than LaBeouf’s.
During the Moscow premiere of Dark of the Moon back in 2011, the Fury star was asked by MTV News if he would, or would not, return to the franchise. His response? “I just don’t think right now there’s anywhere to take Sam,” he said.
Apparently, even though he “loved” working with filmmaker Michael Bay for the franchise, considering how he joined it when he was a mere 17-year-old teenager, he didn’t quite see a future for Sam Witwicky in the franchise as he didn’t believe there was “anywhere to take it with Sam.”
And, as much as most would hate to admit it, LaBeouf was more than just right. Sam Witwicky had seemingly run his course more than enough and needed an exit before fans started getting despaired of him, just like what has happened with multiple other characters in multiple franchises.
Thus was the way paved for a soft reboot of the franchise which brought about Mark Wahlberg as Cade Yeager, yet another struggling inventor who gets pulled into the intergalactic battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons.
Also Read: Who is Shia LaBeouf’s Wife Mia Goth – Why Did the Couple Want Divorce?
Will Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky Ever Return To The Transformers Franchise?
The simple answer to this question is, ‘No, Shia LaBeouf will most probably never reprise his role as Sam Witwicky for the Transformers franchise.’ And the reasons behind us drawing this conclusion are one too many, including one from the movies as well.
First of all, the Holes star himself made it evident he would not return, even for a cameo, as the films felt “irrelevant” to him. As he shared during an interview with Esquire, he felt the saga to be “the antithesis of your purpose on this planet.”
Then there was the fifth installment from the franchise, i.e. Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), which brought about the theory that Vivian Wembley (Laura Haddock) was the last remaining “Witwiccan” or member of the Witwicky family.
Further adding backup to this was the film showing members of the Witwiccan Order, which included the image of Sam Witwicky as well, in the same family tree as the character.
To put it simply, this indirectly concluded that LaBeouf’s character had passed away somewhere between the third and the fifth installments of the saga, i.e. between Dark of the Moon and The Last Knight. This was how they decided to give closure to this character.
Thus, it’s inevitable how all of these facts and statements point at one thing and one thing only: that Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky will most certainly never return to the franchise unless some miracle appears compelling him to return.
