‘Transformers 5’ Confirms Michael Bay to Direct, Surprising Absolutely No One

After about a year of rumors and tentative confirmations and completely valid assumptions, Michael Bay has confirmed that he will indeed return to direct Transformers 5 — to the surprise of pretty much no one at all. Although the director previously said Age of Extinction would be his last time in the director’s chair on the blockbuster franchise, Bay can’t seem to keep himself away from all his big shiny robot friends.

Also returning for the fifth outing is Mark Wahlberg, who previously said that Bay would return to helm the sequel, though it was far from official until the director himself confirmed it in a new Rolling Stone profile. Bay credits J.J. Abrams with convincing him to return, and plays unconvincingly dumb about how many Transformers films there have been so far:

I’m doing Transformers … 5, is it? J.J. [Abrams] told me, ‘You’re the only guy that could do this.’ But it’s time to move on. One more.

“One more.” Yeah, we’ve heard that one before, but as long as there are Transformers movies to be made (and the writers room has developed ideas for at least two more, as well as an animated prequel), we can probably count on Michael Bay to make them.

Iron Man scribes Art Marcum and Matt Holloway are scripting Transformers 5, while franchise creative director Akiva Goldsman tends to the development of a new Hasbro shared universe of films including new G.I. Joe sequels (or perhaps a reboot) and movies based on M.A.S.K., Micronauts, ROM and more.

Transformers 5 is currently targeting a 2017 release date, while Bay’s next film, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, hits theaters on January 15.