Rise of the Beasts [SPOILER] Crossover Even Work?
Audiences love nothing more than a thrilling cliffhanger or sneak peek at the end of a movie, and those who watched Transformers: Rise of the Beasts were treated to both. Those who stayed through the end credits were given a surprise hint at a possible crossover between Hasbro’s Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises. While some were skeptical, others cheered at the prospect of a Hollywood cash grab. However, the Transformers – G.I. Joe crossover film was not a contrived studio master plan like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead, it was inspired by a four-issue comic book series from 1987 called G.I. Joe and the Transformers, and was meant to advance the established movie franchise while properly representing the children’s toy.
Director Steven Caple, Jr. has shown dedication towards introducing characters from other Transformers stories and advancing the franchise. This raises the question of whether this crossover project will work or not. Hopefully, it will lead to an expansive cinematic universe rivaling the MCU. However, it could also fall flat and never see a second installment.
Many movie studios have tried to replicate the cinematic universe business model and have achieved various levels of box office success. The MCU and DCEU produced Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Zach Snyder’s Justice League. Meanwhile, Warner Brothers boast another popular universe in collaboration with Legendary Pictures titled MonsterVerse. Another successful expanded universe is New Line Cinema’s The Conjuring Universe.
If the Transformers-G.I. Joe crossover is successful, it will mainly depend on the previous success of the Transformers live-action franchise. With seven movies released to date, Transformers repeatedly reaches lofty box office numbers because it can easily translate to the international market regardless of its director, star actor, or basic storyline. Expanding the popular franchise into Hasbro’s other known properties will hopefully revitalize the Transformer’s universe with a breath of fresh air after desperately searching for a new identity sans Michael Bay.
However, it’s important to remember the few forgotten failures. Universal established a lesser-known Dark Universe which featured classic horror characters such as Frankenstein, Wolfman, Dracula, Van Helsing, The Mummy, Invisible Man, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Unfortunately, audiences saw through the empty attempts at world-building, and the financial failure of 2017’s The Mummy reboot ended the project before it could get off the ground.
Similarly, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter saw a questionable reboot with 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. While the new franchise received three installments, the trilogy was marred by headlines of J. K. Rowling’s controversial tweets and overshadowed by Johnny Depp’s very public court battle with Amber Heard.
If the Transformers – G.I. Joe crossover is misguided or mishandled, it runs the risk of turning off fans and ultimately failing at the box office. Hasbro has already produced three G.I. Joe-based films, but a Transformers crossover was never premeditated. The hope is that Caple, Paramount, and Hasbro can come to a creative agreement where team continuity and creative freedom can generate fan excitement and long-term box-office success. With the direction the franchise is headed right now, it’s safe to say they have all the building blocks to construct a whole new cinematic universe.
There’s nothing audiences enjoy more than a cliffhanger or sneak preview at the end of an already entertaining movie, and those who watched the recent Transformers: Rise of the Beasts received a bit of both. Audience members who stayed into the end credits were given a surprise treat: a hint at a potential crossover between Hasbro’s Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises. Many scoffed, and a few cheered, which mostly represents the spectrum of reactions one may have at Hollywood’s repeated attempts at seemingly easy cash grabs. The equation is simple: combine two popular existing properties and reap the benefits.
But the Transformers – G.I. Joe crossover film was not meant to be a contrived studio master plan as you would see in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) or the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Brian Davidsthe idea actually references “a four-issue comic book series from 1987 called G.I. Joe and the Transformers” and was meant to allow for main character Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) to “get a job and his brother’s healthcare taken care of.” Along with introducing characters from other Transformers stories, director Steven Caple, Jr has shown dedication towards advancing an established movie franchise while properly representing the children’s toy.
This leaves fans wondering whether this crossover project will work or not, and this has the potential of going one of two ways. Hopefully, the idea will lead to an expansive cinematic universe rivaling the MCU. However, it could also fall flat on its face and never see a second installment.
Best Case Scenario
In terms of memorable moments in recent blockbuster history, Robert Downey, Jr’s appearance as Tony Stark in the post-credit scene of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk marks one of the first attempts at building a comprehensive cinematic universe. Two B-movie crossover events in Alien vs Predator (2004) and Freddy vs. Jason (2003) provided a model that the MCU would eventually exploit.
Disney was already experimenting with the idea by creating Disney Channel crossover episodes for popular shows such as Hannah Montana, Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Wizards of Waverly Placeand That’s So Raven. Long story short, other studios became eager to keep up with the success of 2012’s The Avengers and the growth of the Disney industrial complex.
Many have come to replicate the cinematic universe business model and achieve various levels of box office success. The DC Extended Universe produced Wonder Woman (2017), Aquaman (2018), and Zach Snyder’s Justice League (2021) and has garnered a soft reboot from MCU-native James Gunn as he introduces the revived DC Universe with 2023’s Flash.
Warner Brothers boast another popular universe in collaboration with Legendary Pictures titled MonsterVerse, which features Godzilla and King Kong in a series of explosive monster films. Like the MCU and DCEU, the MonsterVerse has sustained consistent high performance at the box office, thus promising more sequels in the near future. Another successful expanded universe is New Line Cinema’s The Conjuring Universe which starts with 2013’s horror flick The Conjuring.
If the Transformers-G.I. Joe crossover was to work, it would mainly depend on the previous success of the Transformers live-action franchise. With seven movies released to date, Transformers repeatedly reaches lofty box office numbers because it can easily translate to the international market regardless of its director, star actor, or basic storyline. Expanding the popular franchise into Hasbro’s other known properties will hopefully revitalize the Transformer’s universe with a breath of fresh air after desperately searching for a new identity sans Michael Bay.
Worst Case Scenario
While Paramount and Hasbro are optimistically looking towards examples of success stories, it’s important to remember the few forgotten failures. Some come at the behest of penny-pinching studio leadership or misguided creators who are more obsessed with following a business model or pushing a political agenda rather than establishing unique creative opportunities for filmmakers or furthering the potential of a beloved universe.
Universal, in efforts to mimic the MCU, established a lesser-known Dark Universe which featured classic horror characters such as Frankenstein, Wolfman, Dracula, Van Helsing, The Mummy, Invisible Man, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Unfortunately for the studio, audiences saw through the empty attempts at world-building and the financial failure of 2017’s The Mummy reboot ended the project before it could get off the ground. Guillermo del Toro, as reported by Indiewirehas expressed that “his one career regret was turning down Universal’s offer to helm the Dark Universe,” and the lack of care and cohesive vision served as the downfall of the unrealized project.
Similarly, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter saw a questionable reboot with 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themwritten by the controversial J. K. Rowling herself. While the new franchise received three installments, the trilogy was marred by headlines of Rowling’s transphobic tweets and overshadowed by Johnny Depp’s very public court battle with Amber Heard. Despite widespread adoration of the beloved children’s fantasy book series, the slew of off-camera controversies following the three films raised questions about whether they should’ve been made in the first place.
If misguided or mishandled, the Transformers – G.I. Joe crossover runs the risk of turning off fans and ultimately failing at the box office. Hasbro has already produced three G.I. Joe-based films, but a Transformers crossover was never premeditated. The hope is that Caple, Paramount, and Hasbro can come to a creative agreement where team continuity and creative freedom can generate fan excitement and long-term box-office success. And with the direction the franchise is headed right now, it’s safe to say they have all the building blocks to construct a whole new cinematic universe.
