Even as he guides passion project Pain And Gain through the post-production process, Michael Bay is steeling himself to dive back into the maelstrom that is another Transformers entry. He debated whether or not to step back into the franchise after Dark Of The Moon, but was convinced after Paramount gave him the time and space to make Pain. But according to the director, the fourth adventure with Optimus Prime and the rest will be his last.

Speaking with the LA Times as the new Transformers theme park ride opened at Universal Studios in California, Bay dropped a couple of nuggets about the next film, including the fact that there will be some redesigning of the robots and that he’s looking to start with an entirely new cast.

The reason for the changes? He’s setting the franchise up so it can be handed to “the next guy.” Of course he’s said things about stopping before and has always been tempted back, but after four films you can see why he might be ready for new challenges. We hear Megatron will also retire, as he’s decided to open up a garage in Dayton, Ohio.

Incidentally, we sent one of our best operatives to experience the ride itself and you can read the full report over at the blog.