Earlier this year, it was revealed that Paramount had put together a Transformers writing room to work on future instalments of the franchise and a number of potential spinoffs. The talent assembled was a mixed bag, with some great writers (Daredevil’s Steven S. DeKnight and The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman) and some not so great (Fantastic Four’s Zak Penn).

Now, their work is over, and it’s been revealed that Akiva Goldsman will write Transformers 5. Mark Wahlberg is expected to return, while Michael Bay has taken to Twitter to confirm: “I have not committed to any idea as of yet. Just met with Steven and we are discussing.”

Another project given the green light is an animated spinoff which will take place on the Transformers’ home planet of Cybertron. That’s being written by Ant-Man scribes Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, and it’s thought that a further five ideas were well received by Steven Spielberg and his fellow franchise producers. There’s no word on where those stand or what they focus on, but it’s thought Transformers 5 will set the stage for at least some.

It’s also been reported that, “each writer’s contract includes a three-year window for the studio to turn his or her treatment into a feature.” Love them or hate them, the Transformers movies have been successful, so it’s hardly surprising that the studio is looking to expand the franchise in a major way. You’d think they’d move ahead with more than two though!

We’ll just have to wait and see, but here’s hoping these Transformers movies are better than the ones which have so far been released. Of course, that’s unlikely, but you never know…