We are very near to the release of the fifth Transformers movie in ten years. All of which have been directed by Michael Bay. And all of which have made tons of money at the box office. So don't expect Paramount to close that door anytime soon. In fact, they are just getting started. There are sequels, spin-offs and everything in between in the works over the coming years. So, what's next? It hasn't been firmed up yet, but we could be looking at a Transformers Prequel set in ancient Rome sometime in the next couple of years.

The news comes from a new story in Empire Magazine that details the writer's room Paramount assembled to put together this Transformers cinematic universe. Transformers World 2005 got their hands on the full article and, though the mention is very brief, a Transformers movie in ancient Rome is being considered. Here's what Empire had to say about it.

"Also coming is an animated prequel about the origin myth of the Transformers' home planet Cybertron, written by Ant-Man's Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, set billions of years ago. And discussions have been had about one set in Ancient Rome."

So there you have it. It was recently said by Michael Bay that there were plans for 14 different Transformers movies. That is not to say that all of those movies are going to get made, but there are plenty of options on the table. It looks like at least one of those options just might have Optimus Prime duking it out in an arena, ala Gladiator. Depending on your overall view of the Transformers franchise, that may sound absolutely awesome or truly, seriously terrible.

As for the animated prequel being discussed there, that is something that has been in the cards for a couple of years now. Paramount first announced those plans back in 2015, but this Empire article reiterates that the animated Transformers movie, which will be something of an origin story written by Ant-Man scribes Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, is still very much a part of the plan. Since we haven't heard anything about that movie for a while, that is definitely worth noting. It is also becoming more common for studios to supplement their big franchises with animated movies, like Sony is doing with their animated Spider-Man movie. Also, many fans still consider the 1986 animated Transformers: The Movie to be the best Transformers movie, that may not be a bad idea.

To date, the Transformers movies have made $3.77 billion worldwide, and Transformers: The Last Knight, which arrives on June 21, should be adding quite a bit to that total. The franchise appears to be critic-proof, so why wouldn't Paramount keep churning these things out? Plus, Transformers: The Last Knight looks like it will be introducing the alien robots throughout many different historic periods, which could sort of help set up the idea of them showing up in ancient Rome. Transformers doing a Ben-Hur-style chariot race, anyone?