Steven Spielberg Had a 4 Word Response to Megan Fox’s Wild Accusation of Getting Her Fired from Transformers
- Megan Fox’s controversial comments reportedly led to her departure from the Transformers franchise after the first two films.
- Accusations surfaced that Steven Spielberg played a role in her firing, which he later addressed in an interview.
- The franchise experienced significant changes following Fox’s exit, including a shift in lead characters and mixed critical reception.
The filmography genius behind the likes of Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Steven Spielberg, also included the Transformers franchise in his portfolio as early as 2007. Additionally, during the series’ direction days under Michael Bay, he was the executive producer, providing his insights into the live-action portrayal that initially starred Shia LaBeouf as its central protagonist and Megan Fox as his love interest and another primary character.
Often cited as one of the best depictions of CGI in blockbuster movies, the franchise also garnered a fair share of controversy. After starring in the first two movies, Fox departed from further commitments. However, during the process, she levied a host of charges on the director that eventually also spilled onto Spielberg. Revisiting those accusations, the filmmaker once offered his brief yet personal clarification.
Steven Spielberg once shed light on his alleged role in Megan Fox’s exit
2007’s Transformers marked the debut of Michael Bay, directing the first of this live-action series as well as the first appearance of Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky and Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes. The actress’ rising star power as well as the chemistry between the two leads became a major crowd-puller, as evidenced by its substantial box-office revenue. Yet, it was all short-lived.
After just two movies, she was substituted by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s Carly Spencer, as Sam’s new love interest with accusations that Steven Spielberg pulled the strings in the director’s alleged decision to have her fired. In his 2011 round of talks with Entertainment Weekly, the former put these speculations to rest with brief words and a shaking of his head, claiming,
That’s not true. That didn’t happen.
Irrespective of it, the franchise did suffer following Megan Fox’s departure. The third movie, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, suffered a critical blow and also signaled the end of the line for LaBeouf. The next two Michael Bay films instead featured a soft reboot, with Mark Wahlberg now serving as the protagonist, Cade Yeager. Unfortunately, the fourth film became a standout low, and the director’s stint with the franchise ended with 2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight.
The rise and exit of Megan Fox in the Transformers franchise
Mikaela Banes became a massive hit with the audiences and Megan Fox was to be credited for the flair she brought on-screen in depicting her romance with Sam Witwicky. However, the road to her exit was reportedly carved following her 2009 interview with Wonderland magazine where she claimed that working with Michael Bay was a “nightmare” and that he was one who wanted “to create this insane, infamous madman reputation”.
The controversial comments soon triggered major headlines and a Deadline report mentioned that the concerning allegations had troubled the studio but it was the Transformers director who issued a call for the actress to be fired with immediate effect. At the same time, the studio also initially put its stance that Megan Fox had departed from the franchise on her own accord.
All of it deepened when Michael Bay, in talks with GQ, claimed that he did not take any offense at the claims made by the Jennifer’s Body actress. Furthermore, he alleged that it was Steven Spielberg who made the stern call to have Megan Fox removed from Transformers, a claim which the producer denied, as stated above.
All the Michael Bay Transformers movies are available to stream on Paramount+.
