Last Wednesday, Michael Bay, the infamous director, revealed the exciting news that Transformers 4 will see the beginning of a new Transformers Trilogy. He also announced that Jack Reynor (What Richard Did, Dollhouse) will star in the lead role, alongside Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter, Ted).
Referring to Reynor, Bay described him as something of a success story: “… he is an Irish kid that came to America with 30 bucks in his pocket. Pretty ballsy. Seriously, who does that?… This kid is the real deal”. Obviously, Bay thinks rather highly of this young actor, and believes that he will provide a convincing role in the new trilogy. Of course, his remarks reveal something of the concept of the American dream, where anyone can achieve fame, fortune and success in this free country if they have the ambition, drive and talent to do so. Linking Reynor with this long-held ideal is rather flattering, suggesting that Bay thinks highly of Reynor’s acting abilities, but it also implies that Reynor must now live up to these expectations if he is truly to be regarded as the next big thing in American cinema.
The new film will, according to Bay, occur four years after the events of Transformers: Dark of the Moon and, because of the new trilogy, the new film will feel very different in comparison with its predecessors – tantalising details for hardcore Transformers fans. Bay has not yet confirmed the rest of the cast, although rumours have suggested that Nicola Peltz (The Last Airbender, Deck the Halls) will play the female lead as Reynor’s love interest and Wahlberg’s daughter.
According to other information, Transformers 4 will be released in the United Kingdom on 27 June 2014. Many may question the validity of a new trilogy, given the success of the previous films and the fact that, perhaps, these films have dragged on for too long and have, subsequently, alienated some audiences. However, given the phenomenal success of the Transformers films, Bay’s decision to direct a new trilogy can be applauded, particularly since these intense and exciting action films are likely to keep enthusiastic audiences returning to cinemas across the world.
Arguably, this new trilogy would generate both more publicity and excitement were the leading roles to be given to more famous actors. Of course, this doesn’t suggest that lesser known actors shouldn’t be given lucrative roles in order to gradually develop their career, but the films might, in the long term, achieve more success globally if they had high-profile stars. I would suggest, in view of this, that Bay was impressed by Reynor’s talent and Wahlberg’s credentials, despite the fact that neither are perhaps the best-known actors in global cinema today. Nonetheless, news of a new trilogy looks like an exciting prospect which many people are likely to embrace wholeheartedly.
Conor Byrne
exeposedev 