It's weird to think of Michael Bay as anindispensable directorbut he does direct one kind of movie and does it extremely well and I can't think of anyone better suited to directing the "Transformers" movies than him, especially after the first film was such a fantastic experience.

But posting on the forums for his personal site ShootForTheEdit.com, Bay says that he was taking a year off from "Transformers" and he would do it for 2012, not 2011. This means two things: 1) Bay must have had a positive experience on "Transformers 2" or else he wouldn't even allow for the possibility of coming back and 2) Paramount must think that they can get someone else relatively quickly because they want pre-production to begin in September.

As "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" remains one of the most highly-anticipated films of the summer, this is a sad turn of events and makes me wonder why Paramount NEEDS another "Transformers" film in two years. It's not like this is "Twilight" and there's a legitimate worry that the fad will fade. The nostalgia for "Transformers" and the success of the first film is locked in so a year doesn't really make that much of a difference in the scheme of things. But it does make a difference for Michael Bay and I don't think it's so wrong for the guy to get a bit of a break.