The Bots Head To China For Transformers 4?

Paramount Pictures reportedly wamts to set the as yet Untitled Transformers Sequel in mainland China says Vulture.

The notion is that filming in China, means the studio could potentially partner with a local production company and score a wide release in that country. The Chinese only release 3D and/or IMAX films, which the sequel will almost certainly make use of both technologies.

Also partly filming there pretty much guarantees it will be screened there, as will co-producing it with a Chinese production company. If it does the latter, it would be classified it as a domestic film and thus get more conducive scheduling.

Due to strict guidelines, just 34 foreign films are allowed to be released in the country each year. Those that get in have access to the second-largest international market in the world, topped only by Japan which it will surpass by this time next year.

A Paramount spokesperson says the script to the movie is still being written, and the film is "not a Chinese co-production and that’s where things stand right now."

Casting on the film is underway with Mark Wahlberg already set.

The story will take place four years after the events of the last film.

Ehren Kruger ("Transformers: Dark of the Moon") is writing the script for the Michael Bay directed fourth film which hits theaters on June 27th, 2014.