‘Transformers 4′: Could Mark Wahlberg be Joining the Cast?
Michael Bay played footsies for a while with doing more 'Transformers' movies, but has signed up for a fourth film, because... well, money. Lots and lots of it. Bay earned $80 Million from the first film (which is the lowest grossing film of the franchise), and gets 8% of the merchandising money, so it's safe to assume that he makes over $100 Million a sequel. But it looks like he's bringing in a new lead.
We heard rumors that it might be a female, but the latest round of speculation has Mark Wahlberg as a leading man. This comes from Twitch, and it's definitely a "Grain of Salt" style rumor, but there are reasons to believe that Michael would want Wahlberg.
First and foremost is that the two just worked together on 'Pain and Gain' and if the duo enjoyed their time together on that film, having an actor who likes you and doesn't sabotage you in the press (read: Shia LaBeouf) would be a welcome relief. The other big thing is that Wahlberg's films tend to make money, but he doesn't have a franchise under his belt. Appearing in a film that's guaranteed to make over a half a billion worldwide (and could easily make a billion) would give him some more breathing room on top of a very fat paycheck. We're still a ways out on this project, but we'll keep you posted with any major updates.