Paramount are looking to move forward with two sequels to Transformers, which they would shoot back-to-back, reports Variety.
Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg are apparently in negotiations to return to the mammoth grossing series, but Shia LaBeouf has tapped out after three films and is done with the franchise. A name being thrown around to replace LaBeouf is, remarkably, Jason Statham. The English actor is currently starring in the dire and disappointing Killer Elite, and is filming a sequel to The Expendables. He's had a couple of moderate action hits (excluding The Expendables) so this would mark a huge step up for him in terms of budget and headlining a franchise.
I'd be surprised if Bay came back to direct; most other helmers would want to move onto different things. But if the studio backed a truckload of money up to his house, it's probably hard to turn down. Ehren Kruger apparently has a cool idea for said sequels, hence the excitement.
