Many wondered if it was in fact a coincidence that Michael Bay began production for the film Pain and Gain - a title that has been very difficult for him to get produced and financed - around the same time that his name was locked in to direct Transformers 4

Sure, the first three installments of Transformers went on to earn more than $2.7 billion worldwide, which naturally dictates the studio keep the money train going. However, when a director says he is done with a franchise so that he can pursue other things - and then that changes tune when his passion project beings production - it's a very interesting series of events, indeed. Now that he is officially helming the project, Bay has confirmed several key details on the upcoming film that should make Transformers fans happy.

Despite the uncertainty of some cast members returning when news first hit about TF4, Peter Cullen will definitely be reprising his role as the voice of Optimus Prime. We also now know that the film will not be a total reboot, and will not jump ahead years from where the plot ended in the last one. Rather, it will be starting where the 3rd film left off on the Chicago streets, and will be taking things forward from there.

Transformers 4 will also introduce us to a new cast - on both the human and robot front, could possibly head off-planet, and (we've been told) will be 'more serious.' Previously described as the opening chapter of a brand new trilogy, concrete details on the film are still scant at the moment.

Michael Bay Directing Transformers 4

When Bay was asked why he is doing Transformers 4 by HuffPo (when everyone thought he was finished) he responded:

" I thought I was done. Then the ride came out [at Universal Studios Hollywood] and the two-and-a-half-hour lines. And then you're thinking, Oh my God, someone's going to take this over. And you start doing a lot of soul-searching. Like, OK, I'm about to do a little movie, "Pain & Gain" ... and the studio says they want to restart the franchise. And someone could come in here and screw it up, you know? So I'm thinking that if I do this last one, we set it on a new footing, we change a lot of things -- but we keep the history of the three in place. But we broaden it so it can be set up and be carried on -- it would have a better chance for survival, I guess. You know?"

"So it was just one of those things. It's like, when you look what's going on in the film business with the franchise frenzy right now, why is Cameron doing two more "Avatar" movies? Why is Peter Jackson doing three more "Hobbit" movies that are in the same world as "Lord of the Rings"? When you have a franchise, it's very hard to give it up."

The movie he's been fervently trying to make, Pain and Gain, is set to release in April 2013 and is about two bodybuilders (played by Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson), who get wrapped up in a kidnapping scheme. After all these blockbusters, it will be interesting to see Bay tackle a project that he describes as, "a dark comedy" and "a 'Pulp Fiction'-type of movie."

When Bay states that this fourth installment, "is probably the last one," we apparently must take that with a grain of salt. What do you think about Bay directing Transformers 4 and all the film updates we just revealed? Let us know in the comments section below.

Source: Huffington Post