“Transformers 4” Will Be Michael Bay's Last, for Real This Time

Few were surprised when, earlier this year, Michael Bay announced that he had unretired as director of “Transformers” and would do another installment for Paramount, the fourth. As it turns out, this is really the last one – no joke this time.

Just like he once said 3D was just a flash in the pan that he would never deign to use, and then changed his mind and released “Transformers” in 3D, fans knew from the start Bay would be back after “The Dark of the Moon.” Now working on “Transformers 4,” which will be out in the summer of 2014, Bay is determined to make it his last film in this franchise, it has emerged. In fact, he's just preparing the ground for another director to take over on the new and improved franchise, the Los Angeles Times notes. In a piece dedicated to the launch of the new Transformers park ride, the LA Times paraphrases Bay as saying that he would no longer be on board past the upcoming installment.

Bay also reveals that the fourth “Transformers” will have an entirely new cast. “The director, by the way, says that the fourth film will include some redesign of the robots and an entirely new cast. He also said it will be his last and set the franchise up 'for the next guy',” the piece reads. This means that Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Josh Duhamel are out of the picture. Fans must have known that Shia was done with the franchise from his interviews he gave before “The Dark of the Moon” even came out, but the other two are quite a surprise. In other words, “Transformers 4” won't be that much of a sequel as a reboot, and Michael Bay is taking the reins for one more time before he passes on the torch to another director.

Given how much money all three “Transformers” films have made so far, despite being thrashed by critics, it's no wonder Paramount thought a reinvention would be the best thing right now. “Transformers 4” has been confirmed for release for June 2014 – and that's about all that is known about it at the moment. Michael Bay is currently working on a passion project of his, “Pain and Gain,” starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

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