First Michael Bay said his "Pain and Gain" star Mark Wahlberg would be in "Transformers 4," then he said, well, no, but we'll work together on a "different project" and then yesterday is sounded like Marky Mark was back in the fold. So we suppose it's no major shocker here. After what evidently seems like a fruitful collaboration on Bay's upcoming “Pain and Gain,” Wahlberg has been set for the lead of his sorta-rebooted "Transformers 4."
“Mark is awesome. We had a blast working on 'Pain and Gain' and I’m so fired up to be back working with him. An actor of his caliber is the perfect guy to re-invigorate the franchise and carry on the Transformers’ legacy,” Bay said on his website tonight presumably meaning that Wahlberg is his new lead.
Shooting begins next spring and the release date is already penciled in for June 27th, 2014. The 'Transformers' films have grossed $2.6 billion worldwide to date. No word on how "Transformers 4" will fall into the continuity of the previous films (again, they've described it over time as a kinda-reboot, but we'll see if they stick to that plan or not). Meanwhile, we'll see the fruits of the Bay/Wahlberg action comedy next year. "Pain and Gain" starring Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson opens in theaters everywhere April 26th, 2013.