Michael Bay just can’t quit the Transformers franchise. After repeatedly swearing Dark of the Moon would be his last, the director returned for more Bayhem with Age of Extinction, claiming that would be his final Transformers movie. It wasn’t long before Bay promptly marched right back into the cold, steely arms of what might be the only things he’s every truly identified with: Shiny muscle cars that transform into massive, CGI robot aliens. Will The Last Knight actually be Bay’s last Transformers film? To the surprise of no one, he’d like to do at least one more.

Following a preview of Transformers: The Last Knight at CinemaCon last week, Bay said he would like to direct one more movie in the franchise. And speaking with MTV’s Josh Horowitz, Bay confirmed this, while adding, “There are fourteen stories written” — like, already written. Those stories came from the writers room headed by Akiva Goldsman (who’s now overseeing Paramount’s Hasbro universe), and include the upcoming Bumblebee spinoff to be helmed by Laika president and Kubo and the Two Strings director Travis Knight.

Not all of those stories will make it to the big screen, but there are 14 (!!!) for Bay to choose from, should he want to return to the franchise. And he will. Of course he will.

Bay’s relationship with the Transformers franchise is basically like that one couple everyone knows: They can be so good for each other, and when they are, it’s fun and silly and everyone has a delightful time. But when it’s bad, it’s a real hot mess, and you kind of wish they’d just break it off already because their relentless, repetitive theatrics have grown tedious — despite the occasional, admittedly super cool explosion. If anyone’s going to end this relationship, it’s gonna have to be Bay (bae?) because the Transformers series isn’t thinking for itself here. It doesn’t know what’s best for it.

Or maybe it does. They do have Stanley Tucci now, after all.

Transformers: The Last Knight hits theaters on June 23.

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