Steven Spielberg Would Like Michael Bay To Do More 'Transformers;' Has Genre Locked For 'Indiana Jones 5,' Expands On 'Crystal Skull' Criticism

This week's Entertainment Weekly has an in-depth, enlightening interview with Steven Spielberg tied to his December double feature The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse. All kinds of topics are discussed including whether or not Spielberg, an executive producer on all three Transformers movies, thinks Michael Bay will be back for a fourth film. He also says they have a specific genre set for Indiana Jones 5 and expands on his recent comments regarding the reception of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's great stuff. Read his quotes after the jump.

Thanks to Entertainment Weekly for these quotes which are from their current issue. We'll start with Transformers for reasons that will become obvious later.

The question was asked if Spielberg thought there would be another Michael Bay Transformers movie to which he said:

I hope so, because I think he made the best of the three with this last one. I certainly can't imagine anybody other than Michael being equipped to make another Transformers. He's invented a genre and he's got the secret formula.

This goes along with Bay's recent quote to the Channel News Asia at the opening of Transformers: The Ride (thanks to /Film reader Jeremy J for the find):

How did I know someone's going to ask me this question today? We're talking about it, but there's nothing right now. I'm going to do a tiny movie first, then we'll talk about it, if I potentially do it.

So, once Bay does his small movie, if both he and Spielberg want it to happen, it'll happen. We know Hasbro and many others are certainly hoping so. The franchise is a massive money maker for everyone involved.

Now onto Indy. EW asked Spielberg about his recent pseudo-apology regarding Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. (His exact quote at the time was "One person wants to see another Indiana Jones movie!  You know, I think that was the only bridge we didn't burn because of Indy 4, thank you.")

Here's what Spielberg said about it now, which is very much in line with his comments to Empire a few months back:

I'm really proud of the movie. I loved bringing Marion back. I love the fact that Indy now has a son. It's a family action film, and I love that whole conceit. It's public that George and I and Harrison all had a clash about genre and concept. But I've always told George's stories. My biggest contribution was adding the father to the third movie. That was my idea, to cast Sean Connery as Harrison's father. I am best friends with George and I'm very obedient to the stories that he writes. I'll fight things I don't believe in but ultimately if George wants to bring interdimensional beings into Crystal Skull, I will do the best job I possible can to acquit George's idea and make him proud.

He then wouldn't comment on Shia LaBeouf's public outlash at the film (and denied the Megan Fox Transformers rumors) before and said the following about Indiana Jones 5.

It's up to George. We have already agreed on the genre of the fifth movie, we already have a concept in mind. I don't know where George is with the story. There is no Indy 5 until George says there is.

The fact that there's an idea floating around for Indy 5 isn't exactly news. Everyone involved has said that for some time (see here, here and here). What's interesting is that Spielberg suggests they have a new genre in mind. What could that possibly mean? Obviously Crystal Skull is sci-fi, so will 5 be horror? Comedy?

Coming all the way back to his Transformers quote, Spielberg said that Michael Bay "invented a genre" with those films. That's not the case. Those movies are sci-fi action movies, a very well-populated genre. He might have invented his own visual language or style but not a whole genre. So maybe Spielberg's use of the word isn't exactly the definition we're used to. Maybe by "genre" he means something more akin to tone or energy. Maybe Indy 5 will be more dramatic and less action packed. Maybe it'll be much more centered on the family dynamic instead of a comedy or porno (it's a genre, after all).

Admittedly, there's a ton of information here. What are your thoughts?