Irrelevant of what critics or moviegoers thought of Transformers: Age of Extinction, when a film pulls in a billion dollars at the global box office, the possibility of a sequel is almost a by-gone conclusion. The franchise is, without doubt, one of Paramount’s biggest cash cows — warts and all — so news of a Transformers 5 should come as no surprise to anyone, really.
But the status of the fifth iteration in the financial juggernaut was thrown into question during the production of Age of Extinction when director Michael Bay claimed he wouldn’t return to helm the next installment. Whether Bay stays true to this or not remains to be seen, but one key member of the team who will be returning for Transformers 5 is Mark Wahlberg, who stated that he is committed to doing “a couple more.”
“Yeah, I committed to doing a couple more,” says Wahlberg to MTV when asked about his future in the long-running franchise. “I can’t speak for Mr. Bay, but something tells me we’ll be on set soon.”
Currently, Paramount has slated for a tentative 2016 release which means that, should Bay choose to step down as director, the studio will have to find a replacement sooner rather than later. Mind you, shortly after the filmmaker made the comment, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura claimed that he “didn’t see it happening.” Coupled that with the fact that Mark Wahlberg believes filming will begin soon and it could well be that both he and Bay will be on the set of Transformers 5 blowing things to kingdom come before long.
Tell us, what do you think? Does Wahlberg’s commitment translate as good news for fans of the franchise? Do you believe Michael Bay should pass on Transformers 5 and allow the studio to push the series in another direction? Give us your thoughts below.