Bay is Directing 'Transformers 5' Then He's Really, Truly Moving On

Add another sequel onto the pile for 2017. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, filmmaker Michael Bay admitted he's finally going to finish up and move on from the Transformers series after he directs yet another one. The next one up is Transformers 5, due out sometime in 2017, with over 8 different writers credited on the screenplay so far including Zak Penn, Jeff Pinkner and Akiva Goldsman. The interview with Bay covers his career with a focus on his most recent film, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, but he does chat about Transformers a few times, hinting that he's directing #5, then he will (probably) move on.

Here's the specific quotes, which come from a few different places in the interview (found via SlashFilm):

Bay spilled the beans in an interview with Rolling Stone: "I'm doing Transformers … 5, is it?" He later continued: "Transformers, I still have a great time. It's fun to do a movie that 100 million people will see. But this is the last one. I have to pass the reins to someone else." If Bay's quote triggers some déjà vu, it's not just you. Bay expressed similar sentiments after Transformers: Dark of the Moon (the third film) and Transformers: Age of Extinction (the fourth and most recent film). "I know," admitted Bay. "J.J. [Abrams] told me, 'You're the only guy that could do this.' But it's time to move on. One more."

In fact, Bay is already working on the new Transformers. At one point, he says. "I've taken on a lot of work." They add: "he's doing post-production on the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which he's producing and which is due in 2016, and pre-production for the next Transformers, which he's directing for summer 2017" all the while finishing up 13 Hours." Later it's mentioned that Bay linked up with people at ILM working on robot designs. "They show Bay an underwater rendering of a crash-landed alien spaceship, then a new dump-truck Transformer with a cloak. Neither are up to snuff. 'Boy, I've got a lot of work to do,' Bay says, shaking his head. 'I better finish this fucking 13 Hours movie.' He thanks ILM and kills the video link, then turns to me. 'It's not good when I'm not involved.'" A small slice of what it's like to work with Michael Bay.

If you're now in the mood for a brand new, action-packed, explosion-filled Michael Bay movie, well you're in luck. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi opens in theaters everywhere starting January 15th later this month. After that, he'll head right into directing Transformers 5, which will join the epic 2017 line-up.