Latest news with #BotCon
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Transformers One gets disappointing update from director Josh Cooley
Transformers One director Josh Cooley has said a sequel isn't happening. The 46-year-old filmmaker had helmed the 2024 flick for Paramount Animation, though Cooley has now said the studio is "not interested" in making a follow-up to Transformers One. Speaking on a panel at the Transformers convention BotCon, the director said: 'I wish I had something to announce, but I do not. What I've been told is that Paramount Animation is not interested in making a sequel. 'That's what I was told. I wish we could. I have ideas, too. So it would have been cool. We'll see what happens. You never know.' Transformers One - which stars Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Brian Tyree Henry and Jon Hamm - explores the origins of Optimus Prime and Megatron as allies on Cybertron before a rift turned them into enemies. As war brews, their choices shape the fate of their world - and the future of all Transformers. When Transformers One released in September, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura teased the film could be the start of a trilogy. When Collider asked di Bonaventura and Cooley if a trilogy was possible, the producer said: 'I don't think anything's changed for us. 'The truth of the matter is you never get to the second movie unless everybody shows up at the box office. We both said to ourselves, 'This is way too hard to make one good movie to start thinking a lot about the second movie.'' While the picture was received well by critics, Transformers One had a disappointing performance at the box office. On a production budget of roughly $75 million, Transformers One pulled in $129.4 million, making it one of the lowest-grossing movies in the franchise. Di Bonaventura – who has been attached to the Transformers series since 1986's The Transformers: The Movie – teased Transformers One had several plot threads about Optimus Prime (Hemsworth) and Megatron (Henry) that could easily be picked up in a future film. He said: 'Along the way, there were ideas that we were like, 'Well, that can't fit in here. Let's hold onto that. Let's not forget that idea.' Although I'm sure we've forgotten some of them.' Cooley agreed and added they were definitely playing with the idea of making sequels to Transformers One, but emphasised that he and di Bonaventura were going to wait to 'see what happens' with the movie. He said: 'I can't help but ... Yes, we were thinking of this one story for this moment, for this movie, but it's about towards the last year of a film where I can't help but go like, 'Well, how would this [to] naturally progress?' 'So we've got some ideas, we talked about a few things, and we'll see what happens.'
Geek Tyrant
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
TRANSFORMERS ONE Director Confirms Sequel Plans Are Dead at Paramount — GeekTyrant
Despite mostly positive reviews and a strong voice cast, Paramount Pictures isn't moving forward with a sequel to Transformers One . The animated reboot was originally planned as the launchpad for a trilogy, but it has officially hit a dead end, and director Josh Cooley confirmed the news during a panel at Bot Con '25 in Wayne, Indiana. 'I was excited for where we were going next,' Cooley admitted. 'But as of now, there are no plans to continue. Paramount isn't moving forward with the sequel.' That's a tough pill to swallow, especially for fans who embraced the movie's fresh approach to Transformers lore. It's even more frustrating when you consider how much groundwork was laid for future installments. The film explored the early friendship (and eventual fallout) between Orion Pax and D-16—better known as Optimus Prime and Megatron and it built an emotional foundation for the war between Autobots and Decepticons. Transformers One brought some serious talent to the table, with Chris Hemsworth voicing Optimus, Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron, Scarlett Johansson as Elita-1, and Keegan-Michael Key as B-127. The supporting cast included Steve Buscemi (Starscream), Laurence Fishburne (Alpha Trion), and Jon Hamm (Sentinel Prime). Critics and fans were largely on board, earning the movie a solid 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.3 average rating. But that wasn't enough to make up for a sluggish box office haul of just $129.4 million worldwide against a reported $75 million budget. Not disastrous, but not the return Paramount or Hasbro were hoping for. The fallout has been quick. Hasbro recently announced it would no longer co-finance theatrical films based on its brands, which is a move that all but slams the brakes on any future Transformers feature films, animated or otherwise. This decision reflects broader struggles at Paramount to figure out what Transformers is supposed to be in a post-Michael Bay era. The franchise was once a license to print money, especially from 2007 to 2014, but it's been sputtering ever since The Last Knight in 2017. It's disappointing news for fans who hoped this film would be the creative reboot the series needed. But sometimes, doing making a good first movie just isn't enough to get a sequel.
