Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox left after three films. And now it seems like it’s possible the latest Transformers star, Mark Wahlberg, won’t even make it that far.
Mark Wahlberg in Transformers: The Last Knight. Image: Paramount
Wahlberg, who came onto the Transformers franchise with 2014’s Age of Extinction, has suggested in two interviews that the fifth film in the series, The Last Knight, will be his second and last. Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, the actor said the new film is “the last one” for him and that he looks forward to “[getting] my life back”.
That seems pretty definitive but, speaking to Collider, the actor was a little less certain.
I am [contracted for more] but look, I signed on to make these movies with Michael. After Pain and Gain I was like, “Whatever you want to do. Anytime anywhere just let me know.” So we’ll see. But usually I’m going with Bay.
Wahlberg is referring to the fact that his director Michael Bay has (once again) stated The Last Knight will be his final Transformers movie. However, it’s something he’s said before multiple times, and with many more Transformers movie in the works, I wouldn’t bet on Bay or Wahlberg never returning.
We’ve reached out to Paramount for comment on Wahlberg’s status but haven’t heard back as of writing.
All of this leads to a bigger question, though. Do the human characters matter in this franchise? The pattern will seemingly continue with the next film, the Bumblebee spin-off, starring Haliee Steinfeld. Her casting once again suggests the movie will focus less on the robots and more on the humans. And yes, that’s always been the case and it’s always worked on for the bottom line. So maybe it doesn’t matter if 80 per cent of the movie features Shia LaBeouf, Mark Wahlberg or Daffy Duck. As long as there are some giant robots, the cash will keep rolling in.
[Digital Spy and Collider]