Is Transformers One Getting a Sequel?

When animated origin story Transformers One wraps up, the rivalry between the Autobots and Decepticons is just getting started. Does this mean Transformers One is definitely getting a sequel?

Is a Transformers One Sequel Happening?

Paramount Pictures is yet to officially greenlight a Transformers One sequel. This doesn’t necessarily mean a follow-up film isn’t happening, though. Studio executives are presumably waiting to see how Transformers One performs at the box office – it hasn’t even been in theaters for a month yet – before making any decisions regarding the sub-franchise’s future.

Don’t take our word for it, either; producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura all but confirmed that Paramount is currently sizing up Transformers One‘s ticket sales in a recent Screen Rant interview. “[I]f we’re successful with this movie, we’re going to do a sequel,” Di Bonaventura said. That’s the good news; the bad news is that Transformers One isn’t exactly raking it in at the moment.

Related: Is Transformers One a Prequel?

As of this writing, Transformers One has earned $97.1 million globally. By contrast, reports peg the cartoon blockbuster’s production costs anywhere between $75-147 million. So, it’s the black, right? Wrong. For a film to break even, it doesn’t simply need to recoup its budget. Instead, it typically needs to double this figure, as this covers additional marketing expenses.

So, for Transformers, the golden number is somewhere between $150-294 million – and that’s just to avoid making a loss. Paramount will want to see some actual profit before it commits to additional Transformers One installments. That’ll require a fight back worthy of Optimus Prime, especially with a superficially similar animated outing, Universal Pictures’ The Wild Robot, snapping up Transformers One‘s IMAX screens!

What Is the Transformers One Sequel About (If It Happens)

Assuming Transformers One does score a sequel, what can you expect from it? In the Screen Rant interview referenced above, Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed that the Transformers One creative team plans on staying true to the first movie’s character-oriented approach. “[W]e already have, I think, the beginnings of a really interesting story for the second one, which is also character-based, the way the first [is],” he teased. This tracks with previous comments by Di Bonaventura which framed Transformers One as the first chapter in a trilogy of films built upon the Optimus Prime/Megatron relationship.

Related: Is Transformers One Canon to the Live-Action Timeline?

“We’re hoping that there is enough emotional construct to that [dynamic between Optimus and Megatron],” Di Bonaventura told Collider in April 2023. “That would lead to a trilogy of [Transformers One movies] because, personally, I think there’s a natural trilogy. I’m not always looking to do multiple movies, but there’s a natural trilogy around their relationship.”

Transformers One is in cinemas now.