Michael Bay talks Transformers 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Having taken time out to direct his 'dream project', the bodybuilding crime caper Pain & Gain - which is currently sitting atop the North American box office with a projected opening weekend of around $20 million - Michael Bay is turning his attention back to blockbuster filmmaking next year with two 80s toy adaptations, directing the fourth instalment in his Transformers franchise, as well as producing the controversial reboot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Speaking to Moviefone to promote the release of Pain & Gain, Bay has offered up a few comments on both projects, beginning with Transformers 4:

"I’m a huge Transformers fan now, and I protect that brand," said Bay, explaining why he decided to return for the franchise's upcoming overhaul in the latest sequel. "I went to the [Transformers] ride in Universal, and there’s a two-and-a-half-hour line, and you just see all these kids -- it’s the most popular ride they’ve had since Jurassic Park -- and I’m like... It’s hard to let go of your franchise. You don’t want someone to f*ck it up. So I at least wanted to set it up on some good footing. Because you’re going to get a different kind of director [who is] not going to want to follow in my footsteps. Directors feel very territorial. So they’re going to go to a more inexperienced director. It’s just the way Hollywood works. And I’m thinking, 'God, so I’ll redesign it, set it up... Someone’s gonna f*ck this up. This is way too big of a thing.' And I’m looking at all these kids and I’m like, 'F*ck, I gotta do one more.' And then I brought Mark [Wahlberg] into it. So now we’ve got a movie star, we’ve got full redesigns. At least it’ll be on good footing."

If Bay's handling of the Transformers series has come in for criticism, it's been nothing compared to the early reaction from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans towards the forthcoming live-action reboot. However, it seems that Platinum Dunes and Paramount Pictures are pulling out all of the stops to get the fan-base on side; a couple of weeks ago it was revealed that the studio had reversed the decision to shorten the title to Ninja Turtles, and now Bay has backtracked on his own comments from March 2012 where he said that his version of the Turtles would be aliens: "There was that quote saying that we’re making [the Ninja Turtles as] aliens. We’re not. It’s the ooze! It’s from the original source material. These are from the original writers, and I never went out to correct myself in the press. I do listen to the fans and I do want this to be authentic. I think they’re going to be really happy with this movie. When I see the digital stuff, the turtles look great."

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is currently shooting under director Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans) with a cast that includes Alan Ritchson (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) as Raphael, Pete Ploszek (Parks and Recreation) as Leonardo, Jeremy Howard (How the Grinch Stole Christmas) as Donatello, Noel Fisher (Battle Los Angeles) as Michaelangelo, Megan Fox (Transformers) as April O'Neil, Danny Woodburn (Seinfeld) as Splinter, and Will Arnett (Arrested Development) in an as-yet-unspecified role. Meanwhile cameras will start roll on the as yet Untitled Transformers Sequel in June, with Mark Wahlberg (Pain & Gain), Stanley Tucci (Captain America: The First Avenger), Jack Reynor (What Richard Did) and Nicola Peltz (Bates Motel) set to be joined by... wait for it... the four lucky winners of the Chinese reality TV talent show Transformers 4 Chinese Actor Talent Search. I bet Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is relieved she didn't have to go through such a rigorous casting process for Dark of the Moon...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is set for release on June 6th, 2014, followed by Transformers 4 on June 27th, 2014.