We all thought that Transformers: Dark of the Moon was to be director Michael Bay's final venture into the franchise that truly solidified his career as a big-budget, action director. In fact, even Bay himself thought that the third film was to be his last. However, after hitting the well over $1 billion dollar mark, the director reconsidered. Bay recently spoke to Forbes about the future of the franchise as well as what fans can expect from the fourth film.

Back in September it was confirmed that actor Mark Wahlberg would be appearing in the fourth film and that this time around, the movie would be set four years into the future and the robots would look very, very different. Bay's next film titled Pain & Gain will star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Mark Wahlberg and is scheduled to hit theaters on April 26th of this year. Unlike the Transformers films, this next one will have a considerably smaller budget ($25 million) and will be different than the type of movie that Bay is most well known for. So with Pain & Gain expanding the director's horizons, so to speak, what does that mean for Transformers 4?

According to the director, Transformers 4 will "start off smaller," which already is a huge change to a franchise film that is built on this idea that "bigger is better" and the more explosions, the more entertaining the film. However, although it will be "starting smaller," and will feature Wahlberg, it won't be a reboot.

We’re going to start off smaller. There’s a brand new cast. To freshen the franchise we’ve redesigned everything from top to bottom. The history of the first three movies is still there, we start four years later and there’s a reason why we’re meeting a new cast...Mark is really excited about it and it’s a great redesign. I said that 3 [which grossed $1.1 billion] was going to be my last one. Paramount was letting me do Pain & Gain and the Transformers ride was opening at Universal and it was bittersweet to think of passing it off. I wanted to set it up on a really sure footing and to bring someone else in on that, it would have been overwhelming...No, that’s [reboot] wrong. We keep the Transformers the way they were, it’s just four years later. There’s a reason the Transformers are redesigned. We’re trying to broaden the franchise and give it more places to go.

The success of the first three films, which combined grossed over $1 billion in revenue, might be enough for fans of this franchise to have faith in Bay. Time will tell. Transformer 4 is set to hit theaters on June 27th, 2014.

Source: Forbes

Yes!! The first one and the third one was awesome. The 2nd movie, in my opinion, was okay at best. Very exciting for the 4th one. ;)

ugggghhhhhh there's only one Transformers movie for me

Michael Bay: King of crappy films, ruining childhoods and stealing money.

I really dislike Transformers 3... but different cast, different approach. I'm staring to reconsider watching it.

Set it on Cybertron, have NO humans and throw Bay in front of a Bus

If anything I bet the new redesigns will be similar to the Transformers Prime animated show. I just hope Michael Bay doesn't put emphasis on a relationship drama between the leading male and female role like in the past 3 movies. The only type of humans that should be involved in the plot are the government and the military.

I'd probably say something along the lines of:

We all thought that Transformers: Bark at the Moon was to be director Michael Bay's final venture into movies, period. And we would never again have to suffer through his poorly written, jingoistic, scatological, misogynistic, recycled/reused special effects laden, explosion-fests.

''fans of this franchise to have faith in Bay''

''to have faith in Bay''

''faith in Bay''

@Jonny_Anonymous said:

Set it on Cybertron, have NO humans and throw Bay in front of a Bus

THIS.

Have a movie where the transformers are REALLY the main characters.

"Will Start Smaller"

In explosions.

:D

This needs to stop, and not because he's "ruining my childhood" (which he's not. my childhood still exists)

He needs to stop because these films are dumb. Somehow, his action sequences literally put me to sleep.

@inferiorego said:

This needs to stop, and not because he's "ruining my childhood" (which he's not. my childhood still exists)

He needs to stop because these films are dumb. Somehow, his action sequences literally put me to sleep.

He's gonna ruin the Turtles next! I wasn't a Transformer fan so have no views on how Bay's ruined that franchise but if Transformers fans can get mad over what he's done, us Turtle fans won't be pleased with Bay's TMNT film if he scuppers it!

@ALFMutant said:

''fans of this franchise to have faith in Bay''

''to have faith in Bay''

''faith in Bay''

Here have my follow.

''fans of this franchise to have faith in Bay''

''to have faith in Bay''

''faith in Bay''

@Lvenger said:

@inferiorego said:

This needs to stop, and not because he's "ruining my childhood" (which he's not. my childhood still exists)

He needs to stop because these films are dumb. Somehow, his action sequences literally put me to sleep.

He's gonna ruin the Turtles next! I wasn't a Transformer fan so have no views on how Bay's ruined that franchise but if Transformers fans can get mad over what he's done, us Turtle fans won't be pleased with Bay's TMNT film if he scuppers it!

the Turtles were ruined when they made the cartoon.

@inferiorego said:

This needs to stop, and not because he's "ruining my childhood" (which he's not. my childhood still exists)

He needs to stop because these films are dumb. Somehow, his action sequences literally put me to sleep.

I thought it was just me!!! It's that cold, hard cynical film making he does. I've never seen someone take a scene that should have such a sense of wonder to it and bleed it dry and make it so clinical. It's quite the talent, really :)

Alright then

Ahh, the Geoff Johns of Movies wants to make a new approach...almost willing to put money on the result being exactly the same.

I like the transformers movies but I hate the bits with the humans.If they are starting with a new story and cast why not just reboot it?

What's the key to making a great transformers movie? Make it about Transformers, JUST the Transformers. I don't want a meaningless human love interest or sexy women. I want lots of Autobots doing what they do best, blowing up Decepticons.

So it's going to be 3/4ths of a human character nobody cares about and then the last 1/4 being a confusing mess of a fight like always.

This one will only have one offensive jive-talking robot rather than the four the script originally called for. The two farting Decepticon sanitation trucks will remain, however.

@danhimself: Ah, the rockin' 80s music and robots finally shooting well...

Incidentally, I saw this movie on VHS when I was little and halfway through ended up shocking myself in the bathroom...

...so now I'm conditioned to taste copper whenever I see clips from it.

Unless Megatron turns into a gun I will be taking my custom elsewhere, Mr BAY.

I don't care about Transformers in general, but these movies were awful. Michael Bay is essentially an oxygen thief. Stop breathing, Michael Bay. It really would be best for everyone.

Not that I'm excited for this movie, because Transformers 3 kind of killed off my last bit of love for this franchise, but it would be cool if this is the movie where they introduce Rodimus and Ultra Magnus.

Beast Wars...please don't let it be beast wars.

I loved them all. They got better as they went on and had a ton of easter eggs.

I'll pass.

@Shark_Repellent_Bat_Spray said:

Michael Bay: King of crappy films, ruining childhoods and stealing money.

THIS.

I'm one of the few who really enjoys the Transformers movies (the first 2 anyway, the 3rd one was mediocre). They aren't intelligent in any way, but they're fun.

Still better then Kiss Players & Energon. I'm just not ready for a 4th film not that I think it'll be bad persae. I'm just not ready to hear all the bulls*** from either the 90% of critics who just like to beat on this like comicvine beats on Marvel or the dumbasses screaming "Bay ruined my childhood" when I assure you they've only watch G1 & nothing else.

@ALFMutant said:

''fans of this franchise to have faith in Bay''

''to have faith in Bay''''faith in Bay''

Pretty much says it all.

He could improve the movies by 1,000,000% just by not giving the robots goofy accents. Wheelie would have been less annoying if he still talked in rhyme than that over-done Brooklyn thing.

@Jonny_Anonymous: You do know that without humans, there is no point in making a live-action movie, right?

@inferiorego: People complaining that the climax of the first movie was too long. In the second movie, they complained that the climax was too short. Well, what about the third one?

@Jonny_Anonymous: You do know that without humans, there is no point in making a live-action movie, right?

Hulk actually LOVE the TF films. They got Hulk into the franchise as a whole. From cartoons to toys and lots more. That why this branch Hulk's personal favorite branch of Transformers.

  just make this in to a film

  just make this in to a film

No Tyrese? The movie will surely fail.

Transfourmers? anyone?

the last three 3 sucked, I have no intention of giving them benefit of the doubt.

@sesquipedalophobe said:

No Tyrese? The movie will surely fail.

Which one Tyrese again? Hulk sure he was the black guy. Hulk thought he WAS going to be in it.

Never seen any of them, doubt I will see this.

@TheHulk: It would look pretty bad to have both Tyrese and Mark in the same film, especially since Four Brothers was so terrible. Unless that's the point for the fourth film.

I'm tellin' ya, they ought to be prequels set on Cybertron.

@Bad_People:

Ok I don't know what TF series you've been watching but "Goofy accents" have been a staple of Transformers since G1. Jazz's 70's jazz singer voice, Ironhide's southern accent, Wheeljack's brooklyn accent, Blaster's stereotypical DJ accent, Cosmos's scottish accent, Hoist's british accent. etc..

No Grimlock? No thanks.