Mark Wahlberg confirmed for TRANSFORMERS 4! Plus new logo revealed

I have no idea whether to laugh at this news or just shake my head. Michael Bay has just confirmed that contrary to what he said a week ago, Mark Wahlberg actually will star in the next Transformers movie, all because the internet thought it would be cool.

Never again will I doubt the power of the internet. You hear that poor little West African boy with the weird disease? I’m forwarding that email and Bill Gates is going to get you those prosthetic nipples!

For those of you who haven’t been following the story, essentially just more than a week ago, a rumour began circulating that Wahlberg would be headlining T4. That rumour was completely false, something which Bay himself was very quick to point out. The duo were actually just getting together to collaborate on a different film, Pain and Gain.

But as revealed in yesterday’s Extras, while collaborating on Pain and Gain, this rumour got the ol’ Bay brain going and before you could say “gratuitous explosion” this press release gets revealed on the director’s personal blog.

HOLLYWOOD, CA (November 8, 2012) – After an exceptionally successful collaboration on the upcoming “Pain and Gain,” Michael Bay has cast Academy Award®-nominee Mark Wahlberg in the highly anticipated “TRANSFORMERS 4.” The film will hit theaters June 27th, 2014.

“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,” said Bay.

Bay will direct the next installment in the “TRANSFORMERS” series, which begins shooting next spring. From Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom, Inc., in association with Hasbro, the film will be produced by Don Murphy & Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Ian Bryce, and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Bay, Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian.

Bay’s first “TRANSFORMERS” film was a box office sensation in 2007, opening at #1 and earning more than $700 million worldwide. His second installment “TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN” in 2009 grossed more than $830 million worldwide. In 2011, “TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON” was an even bigger hit worldwide, grossing more than a billion dollars to become the 5th highest grossing film of all time. To date, the franchise has earned more than $2.6 billion worldwide.

From acclaimed director Michael Bay comes “Pain and Gain,” a new action comedy starring Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie. Based on the unbelievable true story of three personal trainers in 1990s Miami who, in pursuit of the American Dream, get caught up in a criminal enterprise that goes horribly wrong. Ed Harris, Tony Shalhoub, Rob Corddry, Rebel Wilson, and Bar Paly also star. The film is based on magazine articles by Pete Collins, with a screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and produced by Donald DeLine, Michael Bay and Ian Bryce.

“PAIN AND GAIN” opens in theaters everywhere April 26th, 2013.

Well there you go. Internet rumours are getting people cast now. Along with the news of the casting, a new logo for Transformers 4 was also revealed. And it’s kind of hideous if you ask me. I know what they were going for, but surely I can’t be the only one that was immediately looking for a Thai translator the moment I saw it?

Last Updated: November 9, 2012