No matter what you think of the Transformers film franchise, Paramount will continue to release new films as long as they are a box office success. They’ve even gone as far as expanding the world by planning for 14 films featuring multiple spinoffs and sequels. And it’s going to be important to know what will happen to the future of this franchise now that Michael Bay has declared that Transformers: The Last Knight will be his last time directing in that franchise.

Trailers have shown us that the Autobots and Decepticons have been on earth for much longer than we originally thought. In fact, they were on this earth as far back as medieval times and even had a role in World War II. How much of an impact they had is still unclear, but a new set of released images give us some sense of their “historical” importance. Check them out below.

These new images, which appeared on the film’s official Facebook page, are something that you might see in a history textbook or something straight out of a library. Each page features a different Transformer in a different era, with Megatron being behind the explosion on Krakatoa, Ironhide taking part in a battle during World War I, and three unnamed Transformers in a clash against knights. As to why humans may have never seen or heard of them, the “Every Legend Has A Secret” tag on BumbleBee’s poster may be an explanation to that. And if the BumbleBee spinoff is indeed a prequel, the poster may give us an idea of what to expect in that standalone film.

But then again, should we really be expecting some deep narratives from these films? It’s not like the Transformers franchise is known for their well-developed plots or great characters. Adding some historical twists only makes it slightly more interesting – and I say that very lightly. Even the trailers don’t give us an idea of how these secrets and Optimus Prime’s defection all tie together. Maybe we’ll find out about it when the film is released. But, I suspect we’ll just get some convoluted lazy explanation.

Starring is Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Laura Haddock, Jerrod Carmichael, Isabela Moner, and Santiago Cabrera.

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

The Last Knight shatters the core myths of the Transformers franchise and redefines what it means to be a hero. Humans and Transformers are at war, Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried in the secrets of the past, in the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Saving our world falls upon the shoulders of an unlikely alliance: Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg); Bumblebee; an English Lord (Sir Anthony Hopkins); and an Oxford Professor (Laura Haddock).

There comes a moment in everyone’s life when we are called upon to make a difference. In Transformers: The Last Knight, the hunted will become heroes. Heroes will become villains. Only one world will survive: theirs, or ours.

Transformers: The Last Knight opens in theaters on June 21, 2017.

Images

[Source: Transformers FB]