Given the success of the first three Transformers movies – variable quality notwithstanding – it won’t surprise you to learn that Paramount wants to keep this particular robotic cash cow producing its sweet dollar milk. There has been talk before of the fourth entry, Age Of Extinction, setting up more movies and Michael Bay went on the record with Entertainment Weekly to confirm that plan.
“It’s kind of like a new Transformers,” Bay tells the magazine. “We had three, the first trilogy, and this is going to be the next one. I’m not necessarily sure that I’m doing the others, but that’s what it’s meant for.”
Set a few years after the events in Dark Of The Moon, Extinction finds the world a very different place. Humanity, sick of the destruction caused by the various robot battles, have essentially outlawed Transformers, prompting Optimus Prime and the rest to either leave or go into hiding. But when government attempts to reverse engineer their own take on Cyberton’s technology leads to the arrival of some very nasty threats, our robo-heroes, working with some new humans including Mark Wahlberg’s inventor Cade and his daughter Tessa, played by Nicola Peltz, must spring back into action.
While we know the Dinobots are very much a part of this one, Bay is trying to keep their plot mostly under wraps. “I like to keep things very much in the dark. But yes, you’ll understand why they’re there when you see the movie. If you think I’m supposed to give away a lot of story points? No way! Keep it secret.”
One thing he was willing to talk about is the gun-faced Transformer we met in the trailer. Turns out he’s not – unless he’s working under an alias and/or Bay is telling one of his famous porkies – a previously well-known character.
“Lockdown is an interesting character. He travels the galaxy, he works for somebody else,” says Bay. “And he’s here for one person, one alien, and then he’s out of here. So he doesn’t really want to take sides. The cause and balance of the galaxy is kind of messed up when different species play with different species. And that opens up a whole other gigantic world for Transformers.”
Apparently we should keep an eye out during shots inside of Lockdown’s ship for Easter eggs about future films and characters. So have both eyes open when the movie arrives on July 10.