Michael Bay in Talks to Direct Next Transformers Film, Steven Spielberg Returning as Key Creative Producer

Michael Bay is reportedly in early conversations to direct the next Transformers movie following a successful meeting with Steven Spielberg, who is returning to produce the new installment.

Deadline reports that Spielberg has been appointed to "focus on all creative aspects" as a producer of the next live-action Transformers film, a role that he held on the first two Bay-directed films. As a result, Spielberg will spearhead the creative direction of the next film with the help of long-time producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Paramount has been courting Spielberg for a year to help lead the next Transformers film, and he finally agreed to do so after reading a script from Jason Fuchs, a writer who has contributed to the It films and Wonder Woman. Plot details are under wraps, but it's expected to be set in the modern day.

Paramount also courted Michael Bay for the last year, and he entered conversations to come aboard as director last week after reading the script and meeting with Spielberg. As of right now, nothing is locked in place with Bay, but it seems like something Paramount is eager to make happen.

Michael Bay spent a decade directing Transformers films, helming the franchise's first five live-action movies. He eventually walked away, and Paramount produced two more, including a Bumblebee prequel and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Those two films performed reasonably well, but fell far below the billion-dollar receipts that Bay had raked in some of his other outings.

Bay's films were box office behemoths, but were often criticized for taking a more violent approach to the robots in disguise. The films also had rocky plots and questionable humor, but some of them have been reappraised in recent years for their impressive CG, stylish visuals, and epic action sequences. Actor Robert Pattinson even called Bay's first Transformers the "definitive movie of the 2000s."

Spielberg had also advised Bay to stop making Transformers films after his third movie, but the studio asked him to make more. The director noted that he regrets not listening to Spielberg, but it seems both have had a change of heart.

Whether Bay will be served with a better script that can pair with his chaotic style remains to be seen, but it could be an epic return. Unfortunately, whatever happens with the next film, Optimus Prime actor Peter Cullen will not return. The actor passed away earlier this year, meaning the studio will have to recast or put Optimus on the bench in the next installment.