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Transformers: Pump Up The Jam Dark of the Moon earned $1.1 billion at the box office (the fourth-highest gross of all time, which is coincidentally also number four on my list of “why we can’t have nice things”), and Hasbro made $482 million in toy sales on the first movie, over $600 million on the second, and an undisclosed sum on the third. (The sum was not disclosed to me by a duck swimming in a pile of gold doubloons.) So it should be no surprise that Hasbro chief Brian Goldner says they are in “active discussions” with Paramount, Michael Bay, and Steven Spielberg about filming a fourth and fifth movie back-to-back to save money.
Shia LaBeouf has already said he doesn’t plan to return for any more movies, and he speculated Bay would also opt out of returning to make us shut up and eat our awesome. Meanwhile, Variety had some rumors of their own to report about LaBeouf’s possible replacement:
Though one name — Jason Statham — has been bandied about by sources close to the production, no offer has been made. While Bay will serve as an executive producer alongside Spielberg, sources close to the development said Bay is still interested in directing.
As is our custom, we reached out to LaBeouf for a comment: