Transformers set for huge Michael Bay comeback as Spielberg steps in

Michael Bay could be heading back to Transformers as Steven Spielberg takes a bigger role in getting the blockbuster franchise moving again.

An eighth live-action movie is now being developed, with Spielberg overseeing the project as executive producer and Bay in early talks to return as director.

Transformers heads back to the present

Spielberg has been involved with the franchise since the original 2007 movie, but his renewed involvement comes after he responded positively to a new screenplay from Jason Fuchs.

The new film is expected to return Transformers to the present day after Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts explored earlier periods. Bay returning would be another major shift, as he directed the first five films before stepping away from the director's chair after 2017's The Last Knight.

Shia LaBeouf is not expected to return as Sam Witwicky, meaning a Bay comeback would not simply recreate the original films with their old human lead.

Plans have changed elsewhere too. The previously announced Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover is no longer moving ahead in its original form, with a separate G.I. Joe project now being developed instead.

Bay has not yet been formally confirmed as director, so his return remains under discussion rather than a done deal. Spielberg's involvement in shaping the eighth movie is considerably firmer, however, giving the robots another major Hollywood name behind their next big-screen reinvention.

A release date and full cast have yet to be announced.

Images: Paramount Pictures.