Why Shia LaBeouf Left The Transformers Franchise Despite Earning A Fortune

Highlights

• Shia LaBeouf left the Transformers franchise after finding immense success with it.
• He expressed that he didn't find artistic satisfaction in the Transformers movies.
• LaBeouf's salary could have been a contributing factor to him leaving.

Despite having a turbulent upbringing, Shia LaBeouf has taken the world by storm with his intensely passionate yet whimsically comical performances as an actor. But even though the Even Stevens star pursued acting not out of a love for the craft, but out of a need to better his family's financial condition, he still made a huge impact in the entertainment industry.

One of Shia LaBeouf's most notable breakthroughs in film was the lead role of Sam Witwicky in the Transformers franchise. But even after earning over $20 million for his recurring role in the first three movie installments, he declined an offer to appear in the fourth film series. Why would a budding actor forfeit the lead role in a movie series worth $5.28 billion? Here is the reason why Shia LaBeouf left the Transformers franchise despite earning a fortune from it.

What Made Shia LaBeouf Leave The Transformers Franchise?

After coming off a successful breakthrough role in the 2007 psychological thriller, Disturbia, Shia LaBeouf proved his acting acumen and, in the same year, starred in Transformers. And after successfully leading two other franchise installments after that one, he decided to leave the franchise completely. Shia Labeouf felt like his character had run its course, and there was no further development that would've made sense in future installments.

At just 20 years old, Shia LaBeouf took on the lead role of Sam Witwicky, a teenager who is unwittingly dragged into a war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Co-starring with Labeouf was Megan Fox, who became his love interest, as well as Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Jon Voight, and many other actors who reprised their roles.

The Real Reason Megan Fox Didn't Return For Transformers 3

The success of the first Transformers installment led to the film franchise, and by 2009, Shia LaBeouf was back as the lead character in, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in 2009. The sequel actually did better numbers at the box office than the first installment, grossing $836.5 million internationally.

He then returned for the third movie installment in 2011, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which exceeded the sequel at the box office by grossing $1.124 billion worldwide. With such great box office figures consecutively, did something else motivate LaBeouf's untimely departure?

What Did Shia LaBeouf Really Feel About The Transformers Movies?

Shia LaBeouf is no stranger to controversy, and part of that controversy is centered around his willingness to speak his mind. So in 2018, long after he left the Transformers franchise, he had his own thoughts about the movies, and they weren't pretty.

ShiaLaBeouf said that he hadn't found artistic satisfaction in the Transformers storyline, and said that about the franchise: "My hang-up with those films is that they felt irrelevant. They felt dated as f***... You come up on these stories about Easy Rider and Raging Bull and De Niro and Scorsese and Hopper, and you find value in what they do... It's very hard to keep doing what you're doing when you feel like it's the antithesis of your purpose on this planet," he explained in a 2018 interview with Esquire.

Although Shia LaBeouf only began acting for financial gain, he seemed to care a lot about the depth of character he plays on screen. Since leaving Michael Bay's Transformers franchise in 2011, he went on to star in films that better aligned with his passions and principles, such as The Company You Keep (2012) and the 2014 war film, Fury, alongside Brad Pitt.

Did Shia LaBeouf Leave Transformers Because Of Salary Issues?

While it has been reported that Shia LaBeouf left the film franchise on his own terms without any termination or disputes involved, one can't help but wonder if there's more to the story. The young star was twenty years old when he appeared in Transformers, and was an instrumental part of its billion-dollar success.

However, it's possible that Shia LaBeouf may have felt undervalued - and also underpaid. The young A-list actor went on to gross a total of $20.75 million from all three films combined, as per information from Marca. But after considering the surge of success produced by the films, he requested a larger salary of $18 million if he were to return for the fourth installment. Here is a breakdown of his earnings for the first three installments:

• Transformers (2007): $750,000
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009): $5 million
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011): $15 million

With the third film series installment grossing over $1 billion at the box office, perhaps Shia LaBeouf thought it wouldn't hurt to ask for a $3 million increase in salary as the lead actor. However, LaBeouf's appeal for an increase was denied and, following that were reports that he wouldn't be returning for the fourth Transformers installment. Considering these facts, it's tempting to believe that money was indeed a motivating factor in his decision, despite the dismissal of such claims.

Who Replaced Shia LaBeouf As The Lead Character In Transformers?

With Shia LaBeouf's role as the lead character no longer returning to the Transformers franchise, the quest was on to find his replacement. Because, while the film is centered around a war between two alien robot groups, a human partner and medium is necessary in the storyline. And so, Marl Wahlberg was introduced as Cade Yeager in Transformers: Age of Extinction in 2014.

His replacement of Shia LaBeouf seemed to be a good fit, although the film was described as receiving generally unfavorable reviews. Nevertheless, Age of Extinction performed well at the box office, breaking through the $1 billion mark yet again with $1.104 billion in sales.

Wahlberg reprised his role in the fifth film installment, Transformers: The Last Knight, but it grossed only $605.4 million at the box office, which was the least of any Transformers franchise film up until that time.

Who Is Shia LaBeouf's Wife, Mia Goth?

Shia LaBeouf has also been keeping busy as an actor in the past couple years. His most recent appearance was in the 2022 biographical film titled Padre Pio, which details the life and suffering from a Catholic priest (Padre Pio). In 2020, he starred opposite Vanessa Kirby in the drama film, Pieces of a Woman. Also in 2020, he appeared in The Tax Collector portraying a violent tax collector who works for a crime lord. Still in his prime at 37 years old, the world should be looking forward to more of Shia LaBeouf's performances.

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