Michael Bay has opened up to Forbes magazine about the upcoming ‘Transformers 4′, scheduled to be released in 2014. Although the lacklustre third outing ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ might have bored many, it still managed to rake in $1.1 billion when it was released in 2011. Each installment has opted to go bigger and bigger, probably to their detriment, but Bay says he’s decided to “start off small” with this one. He’s also announced that the film won’t be a reboot, but a direct sequel set shortly after the events of the last film:

“We keep the Transformers the way they were, it’s just four years later. There’s a reason the Transformers are redesigned. We’re trying to broaden the franchise and give it more places to go”.

Of course, the real reason for the redesign is to compel kids to update their Hasbro toys. Anyway, series veterans Shia LaBouf and Josh Duhamel are departing, while Peter Cullen stays on to voice Optimus Prime. Mark Wahlberg, who Bay just directed in ‘Pain & Gain’, will take the lead role, along with the reasonably unknown Jack Raynor. Joining the two is said to be someone playing Wahlberg’s daughter. We’ll bet that Jack’s character will start romancing her, which Wahlberg’s character isn’t totally cool with.

To be honest, Wahlberg is (don’t laugh) one of my favourite actors working today. Roles in ‘Ted’, ‘I Heart Huckabees’ and ‘The Other Guys’ show he’s got the comedic chops, while ‘The Fighter’ and ‘The Departed’ show he can do the heavy dramatic lifting.

‘Transformers 4′ shoots this summer and will be released on June 2014. ‘Pain & Gain’ is released April 26th this year in the US.