Movie critics and "Transformers" purists can say all they want about how the "Transformers" movies are riddled with plot holes and unnecessary explosions and special effects, but there's no denying that the franchise makes money so it's inevitable that "Transformers 5" will be released sooner or later.

The franchise has been inundated with speculations as to what direction the studio will be taking the franchise, especially after director Michael Bay initially decided to move on from the series. Despite "Transformers" being one highlight in his illustrious career, the 50-year-old film maker said there's a "new chapter, a new direction in movies I want to make."

But now the "Armageddon" director is confirmed to be back in the director's chair for "Transformers 5" and he has a room filled with writers handpicked to work on the script, among  them are "The Walking Dead's" Robert Kirkman and "Daredevil's" Steven DeKnight.

While the storyline for "Transformers 5" is still being hashed out, there have been rumors that Paramount is going in a completely new direction. "Transformers 4" introduced new characters and had a darker plot but it didn't seem to resonate as well with the audience, resulting in the movie's relatively "poor" showing (when stacked up against its predecessors).

The reported move is received warmly by Peter Cullen, who has lent his voice to Optimus Prime. According to Cullen, there was the feeling that the franchise was "going into a darker area."

"I think I brought the concern to the movie studio and certainly to the writers," Cullen says. "Perhaps "Transformers" 5 and 6 movies will go back more to its roots."

The rumors surrounding the movie do seem to indicate that "Transformers 5" might indeed be going back to its roots. There have been reports that Optimus Prime will meet his demise in the next movie and that Ultra Magnus and Unicron will be introduced. The former is Optimus Prime's trusted lieutenant and the latter is the planet-eating robot.

In "The Transformers: The Movie," Ultra Magnus succeeded Optimus Prime after he was killed my Megatron while Unicron was the one who transformed the defeated Decepticon leader into Galvatron.

If the writers are indeed set to mine the popular and well-loved animated movie, they just might be able to steer the franchise into a more lucrative direction.