Despite his superb work on the past four films of the "Transformers" franchise, director Michael Bay has recently announced that he will not direct the fifth movie.

In his interview with USA Today, the American director claimed that he will be passing on the directorial responsibilities for future "Transformers" movies as he sets his sights on other projects.

Like Us on Facebook

"There's kind of a new chapter, a new direction in movies I want to make. I have a lot of stories to tell. And it's about flexing new muscles," Bay said in a statement.

"Transformers: Age of Extinction", the fourth installment of the series, premiered this summer and garnered mixed reviews. While it has become the highest grossing movie of 2014 in the world box office, its weak performance in the U.S. made it the series' lowest grossing installment so far.

While Bay may be suggesting that a new director will be handling the fifth robot-filled film, this has not been the first time he has made such claims.

With "Age of Extinction" bringing forth certain changes, including the departure of actor Shia Lebouf who starred in the last three movies, Bay had also hinted at his plans of leaving the franchise at the same time, following the premiere of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon".

The director/producer returned to his duties for the sci-fi action series after his stint with crime-comedy movie "Pain & Gain".

As such, it is possible that Bay may still get back to the talking alien robots after rolling out to other present and future projects.

Aside from the "Transformers" series and "Pain & Gain", Bay's previous films include 1998's "Armageddon" and "Pearl Harbor" in 2001, all of which have been characterized with extreme special effects and visuals, and grossing more than US$5 billion all over the world.

He also co-owns production house Platinum Dunes, known for remaking popular horror films, such as "The Amityville Horror" in 2005 and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" in 2010.

TagsMichael Bay, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Shia Lebouf