The "Transformers" franchise and Michael Bay are almost synonymous to each other that it is hard to imagine the movie pushing forward without the director at the helm. So it comes as no surprise that rumors of Bay passing on "Transformers 5" caused some concern among fans.

However, it seems that fans can all rest easy as "Transformers: Age of Extinction" star Mark Wahlberg strongly indicated that the film maker will be back to direct the Autobots' next adventure.

A reporter for the Collider asked the 44-year-old actor for any information regarding the status of the film. While the "Ted" star admitted to not knowing much, his reply strongly hinted that contrary to rumors, Bay is still very much on board the "Transformers" train.

According to Wahlberg, producer Akiva Goldsman and his team are already starting to work on the storyline of the next movie. He pointed out that "Bay is in Malta shooting Benghazi, and I'm in New Orleans shooting Deepwater" before adding that they will get together when Bay comes back.

But while Bay is hard at work on the movie adaptation of the Mitchell Zuckoff tome "Thirteen Hours: A Firsthand Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi," the writers team of "Transformers 5" and its sequels have reportedly been expanded.

Headed by Goldsman, the writers currently hard at work developing "Transformers 5" are Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari (Ant-Man), Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (Iron Man), Christina Hodson (The Fugitive), Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Jeff Pinker (Lost), Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down), Lindsey Beer (Dig), Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) and Zak Penn (The Incredible Hulk).

There have been reports that the writers are not just brainstorming for ideas on where the next movie will go but also for possible spin-offs. They are also working on a tight deadline as Bay allegedly wants the script and screenplay to be done by the time he wraps up work on his Benghazi project so that no time is wasted.

Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner says that "Transformers 5" is slated for a 2017 release.