The Transformers franchise is opening up in a huge way- it was recently announced that Paramount would be expanding Transformers into a multi-sequel film universe a la the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That's huge for the franchise. And more importantly, it could mean that the two lead actors who've headlined the Transformers films- Mark Walhberg in the most recent Age of Extinction, and Shia LaBeouf in the first three films- wouldn't have to compete for a lead role.
With multiple Transformers films now on the horizon, we may be seeing two parallel films released within the next few years, one with Mark Wahlberg and one with Shia LaBeouf. It's more likely than you might think, considering that Mark Wahlberg was rumored to stay with the franchise for future sequels, even though Michael Bay has confirmed he won't be directing Transformers 5. Meanwhile, recent rumors point to Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox rejoining the franchise, after sitting out the last film (and the third film too for Megan Fox, who was replaced in Transformers: Dark of the Moon by Rosie Huntington-Whitely).
However, if this whole "expanded universe" thing doesn't pan out (and it's possible, considering the same thing happened to Sony's Spider-Man expanded universe, and the current popularity of this trend is not high), we may see a battle brew between our two potential Transformers 5 leads. Considering how lucrative the franchise has been lately (the most recent film, Transformers: Age of Extinction, cleared more than a billion dollars at the international box office- clearly audiences are still huge fans of Optimus Prime and his buddies) the franchise will continue for at least a few more sequels.
Of course, there's another recent rumor involving everyone's favorite robots in disguise- that Paramount might pull a Hail Mary and make a crossover film with the Transformers and the G.I. Joe franchise. If that's the case, LaBeouf and Mark Wahlberg might have a third actor vying for the Transformers hero role- Channing Tatum.
Who do you think will get the role?
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