Michael Bay signs a two-picture deal to direct Pain and Gain and Transformers 4

Just yesterday Paramount announced that TRANSFORMERS 4: EXTRA LONG SUBTITLE would be in theaters by the summer of 2014, and today it has been revealed that Michael Bay is definitely back for to direct. I don’t know, either the 1) the guy is actually having a year’s worth of suits made out of money, or 2) it was part of a deal with the studio to be able to do a smaller movie that he personally really wants to do. Of course he couldn’t go the George Lucas route and use his own money if he cares so much. Not at all.

So first up Bay will shoot PAIN AND GAIN, his based-on-a-true-story tale about body builders who kidnap, extort and murder on the side.  Production begins in Miami this April with Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson, and all three will be deferring their normal compensation so as to keep the movie’s budget at “the sure-thing $25 million budget level.” 

And then it’s big-ass-robots time! Bay will be meeting soon with producer Steven Spilberg to flesh out the new movie’s story, one that is hoped ”will bring audiences a new take on the TRANSFORMERS franchise.”  Yep, TRANSFORMERS 4: MONEYBOTS VERSUS MONEYCONS will effectively be a reboot of the franchise and you can see it in theaters June 29th, 2014.  Now if you’re wondering why Paramount couldn’t just wit a day to announce all of this news at once, it turns out that producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura shot off his mouth a day early at a toy fair and revealed on tape that TRANSFORMERS 4 would be happening with Bay’s involvement.  The studio is reportedly furious, and Bay “went crazy on him as well.”  So yeah.  Fun times in Hollywoodland.  Movie’s still happening though, don’t worry.