http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=35189
The president of Hasbro, Brian Goldner, was present at the UBS Best of Americas 2012 Conference. In the conference, Goldner talked about his future plans for Hasbro, most specifically "Transformers 4" and "Stretch Armstrong." Goldner plans to release new robot characters for Transformers 4. He claims that "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" faired rather well in the box office. However, because all characters from the first three films were kept constant, the toy sales decreased. Goldner also states that "Stretch Armstrong" has a movie in its future and a TV series that is intended to be released in 2014. "Transformers 4" is also intended to be released in 2014, but a specific date, or even month, has yet to be announced.
I was a huge fan of the "Transformers" series when the first two movies came out. However, when I watched "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," I was sorely disappointed. So when I saw that a fourth installation to the series was being made, I was rather shocked. I would think that Hasbro would stop at the third movie, considering not that many people actually liked it. In fact, before I watched the movie, I asked other people if it was any good. They all said no.
As a student, this situation has given light to my understanding. There has to be a point when I need to learn when to stop. I have this terrible habit. For example, whenever I draw something and it looks good enough, I just cannot help from still working on it. Most often than not, the drawing looked a lot better before I kept messing with it. The thing is, the "Transformers" series should have just ended at the third movie. Adding a fourth installation just ruins the reputation it's already made. As a future filmmaker, it impacts me like a student. When I make movies, I should just stop when it feels right. I should not continue to add onto a series simply because I want to make more money out of it. As a consumer, this impacts me because I was pretty much absolutely sure that the "Transformers" series was done and over with. However, I have been proved wrong. I was shocked to find out that Hasbro still intends to continue on a series that was already good enough in itself.
This raises a few questions out of the industry. Even when a movie series is expected to be over, will the company continue to add onto it simply to make money? Is that all the industry is about now? Money? I always thought that there is more to the industry than just money. I thought that most people go into the industry because it is their passion. Filmmakers should treat their movies as their masterpiece. They should not do anything -- such as add an unnecessary sequel -- to ruin their masterpiece.
