Five high-profile writers have reportedly been added to the Transformers franchise writers’ room, according to Deadline, including The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. The co-creator of the popular zombie comic book and television series is joined by Iron Man writing team Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, Fringe and Lost writer Jeff Pinkner, and X-Men: The Last Stand and The Avengers writer Zak Penn.
Organized by Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind writer Akiva Goldsman (who also penned the screenplays for I Am Legend and I, Robot, among other films), the writing team for the Transformers franchise will work with franchise director/producer Michael Bay, as well as producers Steven Spielberg and Lorenzo di Bonaventura, to expand the cinematic presence of Hasbro’s iconic robots in disguise.
Four films have been released so far in the live-action Transformers franchise, with last year’s Transformers: Age of Extinction earning over $1 billion worldwide to make it the top-grossing film of 2014. The series has earned more than $3.7 billion since its first live-action film arrived in theaters back in 2007.
There’s been no indication yet as to where the series will head in its fifth installment, but Age of Extinction star Mark Wahlberg previously indicated that he’s contracted to appear in multiple films. Bay is expected to direct the next film, which will likely hit theaters in 2017 and have production shift into high gear after Bay finishes working on his upcoming film 13 Hours, which explores the 2012 attacks on U.S. diplomatic compounds in Benghazi, Libya.
