'Creed 2' Director To Helm New 'Transformers' Pic

EXCLUSIVE: Following a lengthy search, Paramount Pictures and Hasbro Studios have set Steven Caple Jr. to direct the new Transformers pic in the reinvented universe. Insiders add while negotiations have yet to begin, he is the top choice among studio execs and producers and a deal should close in the coming weeks. After meeting with several top execs including Paramount Motion Picture President Emma Watts, the studio saw Caple as the best fit for the franchise that the studio chose to revamp at the top of the year.

In January, the studio made the decision to give the entire franchise a revamp by having two simultaneous scripts that are in active development: one by James Vanderbilt and one by Joby Harold. Harold’s film eventually would be chosen as the next installment in the franchise, and once he had given his final touches on the script at the end of the summer, the studio began taking director pitches on the next film.

Transformers has been one of Paramount’s biggest draws since the franchise was launched in 2007, grossing more than $4 billion worldwide over five films. Following the release of 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight, director Michael Bay parted ways with the series to focus on new original material. After that, the studio decided to do a full revamp of the property, starting with a writers room that would develop multiple ways to pursue a new film, leading to 2018’s Bumblebee.

Caple is best known for directing the sequel to Creed 2 starring Michael B. Jordan. He is repped by WME and Untitled Entertainment.

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