'Transformers 5' news: Akiva Goldsman not writing script for sequel

Optimus Prime in Transformers 4: Age of Extinction[Photo credit: Paramount Pictures]

A recent writer shakeup boots Akiva Goldsman out as scriptwriter for "Transformers 5." According to Deadline, Paramount Pictures and Hasbro are having the Academy Award winner lead the writers room for "GI Joe" and "Micronauts."

Screenplay for the sequel to "Transformers: Age of Extinction" will now be handled by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (known for their writing work in "Iron Man") and Ken Nolan, who wrote the script for "Black Hawk Dawn."

Deadline reports that Michael Bay, who will be directing "Transformers 5," as well as Steven Spielberg and producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Don Murphy, all gave the nod to the big shift.

According to Collider, putting Goldsman as the head of two of its other popular toy franchises is understood as lucrative for Paramount and Hasbro as well as the said franchises, which, while successful, are not able to perform as big as the "Transformers" films.

With Goldsman supervising writing work for "GI Joe" and "Micronauts," the movie companies believe that the man behind "A Beautiful Mind" will be able to push the envelope on the pair of franchises and help them become as big as "Transformers."

Goldsman headed the "Transformers" writers room, which was able to plan out what the next decade for the mechanoid franchise looks like. Hasbro president Stephen J. Davis was the person to break the news about "Transformers 5" being the first of a big lineup of "Transformers" movies.

There's not much available info about the plot of the highly anticipated film at the moment. There are tons of speculations about Optimus Prime's last adventure happening in the film as well as the arrival of more Autobots and Decepticons.

Cast news has been elusive too but rumor has it that Mark Wahlberg will be back as Cade Yeager in "Transformers 5." Details on the release for the film are understandably inaccessible this early.