Shia LaBeouf's New Movie Goes Against Transformers & Indiana Jones (And It's Sad)

Shia LaBeouf's latest movie will go head-to-head with two franchises he used to star in, both of which are back in huge ways without him.

Once considered one of Hollywood's most talented young stars, Shia LaBeouf has fallen into and out of the film industry's good graces for the past 16 years. His latest film, Padre Pio, will release in the same month as both Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, ironically highlighting how LaBeouf has gone from leading some of the most valuable franchises in Hollywood to starring in film festival fodder. The biopic premiered at the Venice Film Festival last September and marked LaBeouf's first major role in two years.

After starring in a string of critical failures in the late 2000s and early 2010s, LaBeouf's starred in a mixed bag of projects before a redemptive streak beginning with 2016's American Honey. In 2019, he received praise for his roles in The Peanut Butter Falcon and Honey Boy, in which LaBeouf wrote himself about his relationship with his own father. His performance in Netflix's Oscar-nominated Pieces of a Woman was widely applauded as well, but sexual abuse allegations from LaBeouf's ex-girlfriend FKA Twigs overshadowed any positive momentum. While LaBeouf's raw acting talent will undoubtedly shine through in Padre Pio, it will still serve as a harsh reminder of how far the former child star has fallen in the eyes of the film industry.

The stark contrast between a simple biopic like Padre Pio and the massive action adventure of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is evident in where LaBeouf is now versus where he once was. In 2007, LaBeouf had just broken out as a cross-genre star, scoring leading roles in Transformers, Surf's Up and Disturbia. He was working on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as the heir-apparent to Harrison Ford and was set to star in the overwrought sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. However, both Revenge of the Fallen and the follow-up Transformers: Dark of the Moon were universally panned, and Crystal Skull received mixed reviews at best. LaBeouf also starred in the box office and critical bombs Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Eagle Eye in that period, and by the end of 2011, his status as a leading man was all but eliminated.

Now both the Indiana Jones and Transformers franchises are taking drastic steps forward with their franchises, and LaBeouf is not involved. The most tragic element of his absence is that it's seen as a good thing—people aren't clamoring for more Sam Witwicky or Mutt Williams. Padre Pio may provide LaBeouf with another starting point for redemption, but it seems very unlikely that he'd ever return to the heights he once dominated—and certainly not in those two franchises.

In the case of the Transformers franchise, it was actually LaBeouf's decision not to return after Transformers: Dark of the Moon. LaBeouf believed that the character of Sam Witwicky had run its course and that any return to the character would feel stale. While there is always a way back into a franchise if a character isn't dead (and oftentimes even if they appear to be), the fact that LaBeouf has not made so much as a cameo in any of the franchise's other films likely indicates he will never return. It's certainly possible he will appear in other blockbuster franchises if Padre Pio and his upcoming projects are successful, but he appears to be permanently out of the Transformers universe.

While it will be difficult to explain why Indiana Jones' son isn't returning in Dial of Destiny, there are plenty of good reasons behind the scenes. First and foremost, audiences did not respond well to LaBeouf's character, and bringing him back would only remind audiences of the elements they didn't like from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. On a more personal note, LaBeouf himself has since criticized the film, director Steven Spielberg and his costar Harrison Ford. Even if there was a logical story reason for LaBeouf's Mutt Williams to return, it's unlikely that any of the involved parties would sign up for it. Moviegoers hoping for another redemption tour for the former Disney Channel star will only have Padre Pio to support in 2023, but there are more projects on the horizon.