Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg are coming back to Transformers! Paramount is developing the next live-action Transformers movie, with Steven Spielberg returning to oversee the creative direction of the franchise and Michael Bay reportedly in talks to get back behind the camera.

On today's Kristian Harloff Show, we discuss what this means for the future of Transformers, whether returning to the style of the original movies is the right move, and if Michael Bay is the filmmaker Paramount needs to bring the franchise back to blockbuster status.

The original Transformers movies became massive worldwide events, but the franchise has gone through several different creative directions since Bay stepped away from directing after Transformers: The Last Knight. Could putting Spielberg and Bay back at the center of Transformers be exactly what the franchise needs?

What should the next Transformers movie look like? Should Paramount embrace the huge action and spectacle of the original Bay movies, or combine that scale with the character-driven approach audiences responded to in Bumblebee?

Then we turn to DC Studios' Clayface.

Early box office tracking has the upcoming R-rated DCU horror movie opening somewhere around $23 million to $33 million domestically. On the surface, that doesn't sound particularly impressive for a DC movie — but there's one HUGE factor that changes the conversation.

Clayface reportedly only cost around $40 million to make.

Could Clayface prove that DC Studios doesn't need every comic book movie to be a $200 million blockbuster? If James Gunn and Peter Safran can produce smaller, genre-driven DC movies at controlled budgets, a $23 million opening could actually represent a very different kind of success.

We discuss whether Clayface could become the blueprint for lower-budget DCU movies, what it needs to make worldwide to succeed, and whether strong reviews and Halloween timing could push the movie beyond its current projections.

SPONSORS:
FACTOR: Let's eat real. Head to https://FACTORMEALS.com/kristian50off and use code kristian50off to get 50 percent off and 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until 10/31/2026.

RUGIET: Head to https://www.Rugiet.com/KRISTIAN and get 15% off your ED treatment.

🚀 Our Show Is Trending HAS launched on Kickstarter!
We're excited to finally share what we've been working on. Head over to https://ourshowistrending.com/ and find a tier that works for you and help back this project!
** If 7800 people of the 234k subs on this channel put in 25.00, WE MAKE THE BAORDWALK PICTURES VERSION OF THIS SHOW!**

📅 Kickstarter launches September 22nd
🔔 Get notified: https://ourshowistrending.com/

🚀 Our Show Is Trending HAS launched on Kickstarter!
We're excited to finally share what we've been working on. Head over to https://ourshowistrending.com/ and find a tier that works for you and help back this project!
** If 7800 people of the 234k subs on this channel put in 25.00, WE MAKE THE BAORDWALK PICTURES VERSION OF THIS SHOW!**

Today Mike and Roxy discuss The Batman II Production stalling and what's next for the DCU with Matt Reeves and the cahracter.

They also do a deep dive into the Lanterns finale!

#dc #dcu #thebatman2 #mattreeves #robertpattinson #penguin #lanterns #kylechandler #aaronpierre #jamesgunn #jamesgunndc

SPONSORS:
FACTOR: Let's eat real. Head to https://FACTORMEALS.com/kristian50off and use code kristian50off to get 50 percent off and 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until 10/31/2026.

RUGIET: Head to https://www.Rugiet.com/KRISTIAN and get 15% off your ED treatment.

Avengers: Endgame is officially back on top! After its massive Endgame Encore theatrical re-release, Marvel Studios' Avengers epic has reportedly passed Avatar to once again become the highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide.

On today's Kristian Harloff Show, we break down the historic box office achievement, the success of Avengers: Endgame Encore, and what this says about the current strength of the Marvel brand heading into Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Years after its original release, audiences returned to theaters in huge numbers for Endgame. Does this prove that excitement for the Avengers is fully back? And if Endgame can generate this kind of attention again, just how enormous could Avengers: Doomsday become when Robert Downey Jr. returns to the MCU as Doctor Doom?

Then we turn to some potentially huge DC Studios news.

Man of Tomorrow is reportedly receiving positive early word, while new details suggest David Ellison is backing James Gunn and Peter Safran's 10-year plan for the DCU following the massive changes surrounding Warner Bros., Paramount and Skydance.

That's an important development for the future of DC. After months of questions about whether new ownership could alter James Gunn's plans, is the DCU finally getting the long-term stability it needs? We discuss Man of Tomorrow, the future of Superman, and what Ellison's reported support could mean for Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the rest of the DC Universe.

Warner Bros. also has a potentially massive financial problem with Digger. The movie could reportedly lose the studio around $150 million. What went wrong, and what does another expensive box office disappointment tell us about the state of theatrical movies in 2026?

Meanwhile, The Lord of the Rings: The Shadow of the Past has reportedly been paused by Skydance. Is this simply a normal reassessment following the merger, or are we already seeing David Ellison reshape Warner Bros.' upcoming slate?

And finally, Clayface is tracking toward a roughly $23 million opening weekend. That number might initially look concerning for a DC movie, but the film's budget and expectations could make the situation much more complicated. Does Clayface need a massive opening to be considered successful?

#AvengersEndgame #Avengers #Marvel #MarvelStudios #MCU #Avatar #AvengersDoomsday #AvengersSecretWars #DoctorDoom #RobertDowneyJr #ManOfTomorrow #Superman #JamesGunn #DCU #DCStudios #DavidEllison #Clayface #LordOfTheRings #Digger #BoxOffice #MovieNews #KristianHarloffShow

00:00 The Show Starts
02:21 James Gunn and Frank Grillo
06:56 Trending/Schmoedown Update
11:03 Avengers Endgame Is The Highest-Grossing Movie Of All Time!
19:52 Factor & Rugiet
23:15 Digger & Box-Office.
47:27 Man of Tomorrow is Receiving Positive & Future of DCU
1:03:16 Q&A

🚀 Our Show Is Trending HAS launched on Kickstarter!
We're excited to finally share what we've been working on. Head over to https://ourshowistrending.com/ and find a tier that works for you and help back this project!
** If 7800 people of the 234k subs on this channel put in 25.00, WE MAKE THE BAORDWALK PICTURES VERSION OF THIS SHOW!**

📅 Kickstarter launches September 22nd
🔔 Get notified: https://ourshowistrending.com/

SPONSORS:
FACTOR: Let's eat real. Head to https://FACTORMEALS.com/kristian50off and use code kristian50off to get 50 percent off and 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until 10/31/2026.

RUGIET: Head to https://www.Rugiet.com/KRISTIAN and get 15% off your ED treatment.