'Transformers' Producer on Michael Bay's Involvement on 'Rise of the Beasts'

"This is sort of a cross-pollination of DNA now, right?"

Ever since the Transformers franchise made its debut in 2007, it has been practically impossible to dissociate it from director Michael Bay. After helming five installments in the film series, he acted as a producer in Bumblebee and now repeats the role in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. But we can't help but wonder: As a producer who's already held the reins of the franchise, to what extent does he get involved in the production – especially when it comes to directing tips?

In an interview with Collider, Transformers producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura spoke with Steve Weintraub about the former director's involvement in the new installment, and it turns out it is pretty significant. Di Bonaventura stated that Bay obviously "cares very much about it and is invested in our success," and admitted that you can't ignore that Bay's DNA is all over the franchise. But this is not necessarily a bad thing:

"What's interesting is, this is sort of a cross-pollination of DNA now, right? With [new director Steven Caple Jr.'s] DNA and Michael's, right? So the spectacle that Bay brought to this is something that we're carrying on, so in some ways, there's that too. [...] So Bay is really helpful in saying to Steven, ‘Look, this is my experience, this is where it went wrong, this is where it went right. This is how you're gonna feel, and this is how I envision it.’ Steven then takes it on and does what his version of it is."

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In an interview with Collider at the premiere of the film, Bay shared how he helped on the film as a producer, saying:

"I talked to the different teams, different effects teams, and the head animators, and lighters and whatnot, giving them tips, and they asked a lot of questions and through the process, I would have different meetings. So, it's a machine. It's a lot of people, you know, and it's a mathematical machine. You’ve got to keep the machine moving, you know?"

The mega-producer also added that Bay "watched cuts of the movie and gave great notes," which suggests that the former director is "definitely a part of all this." The change of directors is also beneficial to any long-running franchise, since new blood can bring a lot to the table and subvert what was established by previous filmmakers. Travis Knight managed to make Bumblebee one of the highest-rated entry in the Transformers universe, and newcomer Steven Caple Jr. can certainly bring a lot to the movie in terms of fist fights (he directed Creed II) and comedy timing (he helmed episodes of Grown-ish).

The cast of Transformers was also revamped with Rise of the Beasts. The human characters are now led by Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, while the Transformers themselves welcome the Maximals – robots that disguise themselves as animals instead of cars. The voice cast for these beasts includes Michelle Yeoh and Ron Pearlman, and they are joined by fellow voice actors Pete Davidson, Cristo Fernández, Peter Dinklage, John DiMaggio and Peter Cullen.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts premieres in theaters this Friday, June 9. You can check out our interview with him below:

Erick Massoto is a Brazilian writer who's always loved film and TV and is obsessed with making lists. Started writing reviews when he was a teenager, so he has heard that he "hates every movie" for a long time now.