Tyrese Gibson in 'Transformers 5': Why they're making two more films, too

Actor and singer Tyrese Gibson will reportedly be appearing in the newest “Transformers” film, “Transformers: The Last Knight,” which is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2017. 

Mr. Gibson posted on his Instagram account about the role, mentioning the character Robert Epps, whom Gibson portrayed in other “Transformers” films. 

"The Last Knight" marks the fifth installment in a highly lucrative series that has consistently defied critics' near-universal panning, suggesting that a segment of moviegoers are willing to suspend their internal critics in favor of enjoying fun, nostagia-filled, action flicks. 

Despite quite negative critical reception, the "Transformer" films continue to be some of the highest-grossing movies of their respective years. The series hit a high with the 2009 installment, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” that film has grossed the most domestically of any in the series with a domestic gross of more than $402 million. Even the lowest grossing installment, “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” which received particularly poor reviews, still did incredibly well financially and was the seventh-highest-grossing movie of the year.

Many moviegoers of an age to have played with the Transformers toys knew the characters already and four movies being released means that even more people know them now. “The brand recognition of the [‘Transformers’] franchise is pretty staggering,” BoxOffice.com vice president and chief analyst Phil Contrino told Variety. And audiences know what to expect four movies in, too, though the franchise has also mixed it up with new actors. Variety writer Brent Lang predicted the 2014 movie would have many “ear-shattering explosions … the addition of [Mark] Wahlberg and … Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor should reinvigorate the franchise.”

And the franchise's success isn't limited to the United States, either. The most recent installment movie, in particular, drew attention for its great performance in China, grossing about the same in that country as it did in North America.

“Even if the North American opening for ‘Age of Extinction’ ultimately dips below the magic $100 million mark, this robot extravaganza from Michael Bay will still have achieved something momentous,” New York Times staff wrote of the China gross.

Gibson will likely bring the latest film his own fans, who remember him from another financially successful but critically panned series, "Fast and the Furious."

The “Transformers” franchise shows no sign of slowing down, with studio Paramount having announced earlier this year that it would be releasing new movies in the series through 2019.