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Michael Bay is directing "Transformers 4," as MTV News exclusively reported on Monday (February 13). The next outing in the robots-in-disguise franchise won't make its way to theaters until the summer of 2014, however, leaving plenty of time for Bay to figure out the particulars of his developing reboot.

That also gives us plenty of time to speculate on the story for "Transformers 4." With that in mind, here are a few story ideas and casting suggestions for Bay and company to consider!

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Tags michael bay, Transformers 4

Emma Watson and her "Harry Potter" director David Yates could be reuniting for the big screen, just don't expect the boy wizard to be involved. In other news, Ed Harris and Michael Bay could also be reuniting, Colin Firth ties the "Devil's Knot" and Alan Arkin, Al Pacino and Christopher Walken turned out to be "Stand Up Guys."

It's February 2, and you're tuning in to today's casting call.

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Tags al pacino, Alan Arkin, Christopher Walken, Colin Firth, david yates, Devil's Knot, ed harris, emma watson, john hawkes, Mia Wasikowska, michael bay, mos def, Pain and Gain, Stand Up Guys, Switch, The Double, Your Voice in My Head

Michael Bay knows how he likes his movies: big, loud and sleek. In this exclusive behind the scenes look at the making of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," members of the cast and crew recall what it was like working with the director's distinct style.

It's called ATT-ATT, and it stands for "All the toys, all the time." That basically sums up how Bay likes to shoot his films. When approaching a particular scene, the director prefers to have all different types of film equipment ready to go if inspiration strikes at any particular moment.

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Tags michael bay, shia labeouf, transformers dark of the moon

Not everyone can make the transition from early '90s rapper/underwear model to Academy Award-nominated actor. Over the years, Mark Wahlberg proved he could break the mold, and he's hoping to do that again with Michael Bay for "Pain and Gain," the director's small true-life passion project about Miami bodybuilders turned kidnappers.

Wahlberg spoke with MTV News while promoting his new crime thriller "Contraband" and opened up about making the move to comedy with Bay at the helm.

"We're talking about ['Pain and Gain']," Wahlberg said. "We've got to figure it out, scheduling and all that stuff. It's a possibility. It's a great script. [Bay has] got a great take on it and how he wants to do it."

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Tags contraband, mark wahlberg, michael bay, Pain and Gain

It's Michael Bay's American right to sign on for "Transformers 4." Who could say no to all that money (even if the guy probably doesn't need any at this point)? But while the "Transformers" movies have consistently made bank, there's no doubt they've become somewhat creatively stagnant. Sure, you can cynically remark that they were never that great, but the second and third movies ladled on the gratuitous characters, abundant explosions and confusing narrative. So yeah — Bay can do more of the same if he wants, but here are five baby steps he might take in order to change things up.

» 1. Lose the Beef. With all due respect to Shia LaBeouf, the saga of Sam Witwicky has gone about as far as it can. Even Mr. LaBeouf agrees on this point. Three movies in a row, Sam has been acting alternately brave and cowardly (with quips thrown in for good measure), and while LaBeouf has filled his role admirably, it's time to let Sam go and introduce a new cast. Producers seemed to agree about the temporal role of "Transformers" characters when they bounced Megan Fox out of the third film; why not go a step further and get rid of everyone — not just Sam. Starting from scratch would be the easiest way to pour some humanity back into the series.

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Tags michael bay, Transformers 4

Those reports of upcoming back-to-back "Transformers" sequels with Michael Bay back at the helm with Jason Statham riding shotgun? Sounds like there is less than meets the eye on this one.

Statham himself claimed ignorance regarding the "Transformers" rumors in an interview with MTV News, and now Bay is distancing himself from the Autobots and Decepticons as well. Taking to his own Shoot For The Edit forum (via Collider), Bay said that he's not currently in talks with Paramount about making new "Transformers" movies, focusing on his long-discussed crime thriller "Pain and Gain" instead.

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Tags michael bay, transformers, Transformers 4, transformers 5

"Blomkvist and Salander have an odd relationship." Daniel Craig seems to be putting the emotional core of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" a bit lightly in the excerpt from this month's Empire magazine cover story, but that relationship is exactly what the sexy photos released from the issue are highlighting.

From Craig's Blomkvist handcuffed to a chair, to Rooney Mara's Salander blowing cigarette smoke into his mouth, the newest images from the film are showing off director David Fincher's knack for sexy, sexy filmmaking. As if you had any doubts, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is looking much closer to Fincher's work on "Fight Club" than on last year's "The Social Network."

Check out the rest of today's film news after the jump!

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Tags alfonso cuaron, Billy Ray, christopher nolan, daniel craig, james franco, jj abrams, kevin tancharoen, michael bay, Mortal Kombat, rise of the planet of the apes, Rooney Mara, Star Trek 2, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Twilight Zone

It's the end of "Transformers" as we know it, but producer Don Murphy still feels fine.

With star Shia LaBeouf and director Michael Bay stepping away from the films, the future of the franchise is up in the air, but Murphy doesn’t see it is as too much of a cause for concern. In a post on his website (via /Film), Murphy said that a reboot is not needed to keep the series alive.

"What happens next? Certainly not a reboot," he wrote. "We haven’t lost the Transformers. They didn’t grow up or become expensive like Toby Maguire. I don’t know what happens next. I’m pretty sure there will be a second trilogy. I am pretty sure it will kick ass. And I am pretty sure some of you will hate it because it wasn’t all bots."

But what does that mean for the next trilogy? We have a couple of ideas...

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Tags jason statham, michael bay, shia labeouf, transformers

Michael Bay, already the master of cinematic destruction, may very well have topped himself in the on-screen chaos and carnage department with "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," his third and supposedly final robot romp. Whether or not Bay continues on with "Transformers" is still up for some debate, but for right now, the director himself has no doubts about his next project: "Pain & Gain."

Two years ago, Bay told MTV News that he was pursuing "a small little movie" that would be in the vein of Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." Since then, we've learned a bit more — that it focuses on extortion and abductions in the Florida criminal underworld, that it's based on a true story, and that it's "a dark comedy." Now, we know something else about "Pain & Gain" … it's his next movie.

"I'm still going to do it," Bay told us at the Moscow premiere of "Transformers." "I'm going to do it next."

Bay said that the size and scope of this next project is still fairly small — in the neighborhood of a $20 million budget, he says — and that there will be no 3-D component to the film, despite his recent immersion in the filmmaking technique with "Dark of the Moon." As for what comes next, it's all up in the air… though don't put too much stock in those earlier reports that Bay and "Twilight" favorite Taylor Lautner are teaming up together.

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Tags Bad Boys 3, michael bay, Pain and Gain, Taylor Lautner, transformers dark of the moon

Shia LaBeouf and "Transformers" director Michael Bay are "like brothers," according to the actor himself. But what's Bay's relationship like with his newest leading lady, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley?

We put that very question not just to Rosie but also to her "Dark of the Moon" co-stars when we met up with them on the red carpet at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. If you were expecting to hear some juicy gossip about friction between the two, however, prepare to be disappointed: Rosie says that Bay's work ethic was very much in line with her own.

"I met Michael Bay back in 2009 on a Victoria's Secret commercial, and we've always gotten along," she said. "The guy has a great sense of humor, he has a really tough work ethic, which I do. He works really hard, and he expects his team and his cast to be professional and work hard. That's been my work ethic all along, so we get along fine."

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Tags josh duhamel, michael bay, Patrick Dempsey, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, transformers dark of the moon