Spielberg to Steer Next ‘Transformers’ as Michael Bay Eyes Return

Steven Spielberg is taking a hands-on role in the next live-action “Transformers” movie, and Michael Bay, who directed the first five films, is in early talks to return behind the camera. Deadline reported in an exclusive on Tuesday that Paramount has appointed Spielberg to focus on all creative aspects of the film alongside longtime producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, and The Hollywood Reporter also reported the plans.

The project would be the eighth live-action installment in the franchise, according to both outlets. Spielberg, who will also serve as an executive producer, held a similar creative role on the first two films, which helped launch a series that has earned more than $5.4 billion at the global box office, Deadline and THR reported. Mark Vahradian, Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto and Hasbro will also produce.

Plot details are being kept quiet. The film is being developed from a script by Jason Fuchs that is set in the modern day, and because the project is in early development there are no cast details yet, Deadline reported. THR said it is understood that Shia LaBeouf, who played Sam Witwicky in the original film and its early sequels, will not return.

Bay directed “Transformers” (2007), “Revenge of the Fallen” (2009), “Dark of the Moon” (2011), “Age of Extinction” (2014) and “The Last Knight” (2017), THR noted, and Spielberg identified Bay as his choice to direct the first film, according to Deadline. Travis Knight directed the 1980s-set prequel “Bumblebee” in 2018. Deadline wrote that the two most recent films, “Bumblebee” and “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” while not complete misses, did not live up to the standards set by earlier installments.

According to Deadline, reviving the franchise became a priority for Paramount Pictures co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg. One of their first meetings after Skydance’s merger with Paramount in August 2025 was with Spielberg, and Transformers was among the topics, the outlet reported. That courtship continued for about a year before Spielberg agreed to the expanded role after reading Fuchs’ latest script.

Bay was the studio’s first call for the director’s chair. Deadline reported that he had been open to coming back over the years and was on board after reading the script and meeting with Spielberg earlier this week, though both outlets describe him as being in talks rather than formally attached. Deadline credited Page Six with first reporting Bay’s possible return.

The news arrives as the studio’s parent company, now called Skydance, begins operating after completing its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, THR noted. Deadline added that Transformers is one of several properties gaining momentum on the Paramount lot, pointing to its recent report that Brad Pitt is set to return for a “World War Z” sequel with Edward Berger directing. For more film news, visit our Hollywood page.

Verification: Spielberg’s role, Bay’s talks, the producers and the script details come from Deadline (Justin Kroll, Oct. 6) and The Hollywood Reporter (Etan Vlessing, Oct. 6). The background on the Greenstein and Goldberg meetings is from Deadline, and the filmography and LaBeouf details are from THR.