Next TRANSFORMERS Movie to Reboot Franchise; Director Michael Bay will Return with New Cast & Characters

Transformers producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura has revealed that the next installment to the billion dollar franchise will actually reboot the storyline set forth in the previous three films. Director Michael Bay will continue to be at the helm of the franchise, though it is unclear if any of the cast members already introduced -- played by Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro and Tyrese Gibson among others -- will return.

This is what Di Bonaventura has to say to MTV News:

"We really are going to do a reboot there, and what that's going to be we don't even know yet. It's a hybrid...It's an evolution. There's still continuity that's going on, and yet there'll be a lot of new cast. We don't even know yet [about new characters]. But the characters that would certainly come along would be Optimus and Bumblebee, I'm sure."

Last year, actor Shia LaBeouf commented on his possible return to the franchise, stating that he doesn't see his character's story having a continuation:

"I just don't think right now there's anywhere to take [his character] Sam…I love working with Michael. I would do any movie Michael wants to do. I just don't think there's anywhere to take it with Sam."

The third film in the series, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, broke box office records set by the previous two and is part of a two-picture deal with Paramount.