April 27, 2013 – Taking over and then destroying downtown Chicago was not enough for film director Michael Bay, as the fourth installment of Transformers will be filmed here.

Specific locations are not known yet but the director of the Chicago Film Office, Rich Moskal, says they anticipate filming will take place in Chicago in August and September.

(Left) For the third Transformers movie, a helicopter films a brief series of explosions in front of Hotel 71 on July 19, 2010.

Sets are currently being built in Michigan, where “Transformers 4” was given $20 million in incentives to film at a 535,000 square foot, nine-stage facility in Pontiac that used to be a General Motors plant. According to ReelChicago.com, the sequel will film in the Detroit suburb before moving on to Chicago. The film will also be shot in China and released in 2014.

The story takes place four years after the final battle in the previous film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Much of that sequel was shot in Chicago in 2010. The film had an estimated budget of $195 million and, according to Internet Movie Database, has grossed more than $352 million.

Related stories:

• Transformers on the Chicago River: A look back
• Riverfront buildings deal with Transformers fame
• Ten best shots of Marina City in Transformers 3