Having taken to his official site today to reveal that up-and-coming actor Jack Reynor (Dollhouse, What Richard Did) has joined the cast of Transformers 4, Bay also confirmed that the as-yet-untitled sequel will be the first instalment in a new trilogy...
I just hired a great new actor for Transformers 4 to star against Mark Wahlberg. Jack Reynor, he is an Irish kid that came to America with 30 bucks in his pocket. Pretty ballsy. Seriously, who does that?
Anyway I spotted him in a great little Irish movie WHAT RICHARD DID. This kid is the real deal. Transformers 4 is not a reboot. That word has been floating around on the net.
This movie takes place exactly 4 years after the war in Chicago. The story makes a very natural transition, and reason as to why we have a whole new cast. This Transformers will feel very different then the last three. We are embarking on a new trilogy.
Michael
While the news is unlikely to generate much excitement among Transformers fans, Bay has previously suggested that the fourth movie would see him set the franchise up for "the next guy" so perhaps he's eyeing a producer role on Transformers 5 and 6. Saying that, he also said that Transformers: Dark of the Moon would be his last...
Transformers 4 is currently set for release on June 27th, 2014.