It had been thought that Michael Bay was done with the franchise, but it’s been confirmed that the director will return for a fourth movie – with the release date already set.
Paramount are set to release the film on June 29, 2014 – though whether they stick to that date will depend on Bay, who reportedly has yet to have focused on a new storyline.
His third movie in the series Transformers: Dark of the Moon was released last summer and became another huge box office success.
Star Shia LaBeouf had previously said that he was done with character Sam Witwicky – though Bay’s return may also mean that he features again in the series.
There have also been rumours that British action star Jason Statham would step up for a main role this time around.
Paramount Pictures has signed Michael Bay to a two-picture deal including the next Transformers, the studio confirmed yesterday.
But the movie isn’t the first priority for Bay – his first picture in the deal is the relatively low budget (for him) Pain and Gain, a $30 million effort set to star Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and said to resemble the work of The Coen Brothers, with production starting this Spring.
Transformers 4 will reunite Bay with producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto and Ian Bryce; and executive producers Steven Spielberg, Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian.
Adam Goodman, president of Paramount’s Film Group, said in a statement: “Michael has been working on 'Pain and Gain' for a number of years but has patiently waited for the perfect casting to trigger a start.
"Clearly his patience has paid off as we couldn't be more excited about this combo. His passion for this project is just awesome."
