The good news for fans of robots in disguise is that there will be a "Transformers 3." The better news is that director Michael Bay has retracted earlier statements he made about wanting to take a year off, and is intent on finishing the film in time for a 2011 release. The best news, however, is that the film begins shooting ... now?

"Today is Day One," the awesome filmmaker announced on a blog posted on his official Web site. "This morning started with an ILM meeting for five hours in San Francisco. Currently I'm flying with writer Ehren Kruger to Rhode Island to talk to Hasbro about new characters."

The news comes as a surprise after Bay and his studio clashed last March when Paramount announced a July 1, 2011, release date for the third installment of the Shia LaBeouf-Megan Fox series, only to have the filmmaker insist that he wouldn't roll cameras unless they were looking at 2012. Bay wanted an extra year off, he told us earlier this year, so that he could "do a small movie in-between."

"Well it's official: We have a great Transformers 3 story," Bay wrote on his site, putting the battle to rest and seemingly abandoning his "small movie" for the immediate future. "The release date is now July 1st 2011. Not 2012."

Never one to back down from controversy, Bay also made reference to a recent war-of-words between himself, Megan Fox and the crew of the "Transformers" films — a battle that had Fox comparing Bay to Adolf Hitler, but then insisting "that's just how we talk."

"P.S. Megan Fox, welcome back," Bay wrote, addressing his breakout leading lady directly. "I promise no alien robots will harm you in any way during the production of this motion picture. Please consult your Physician when working under my direction because some side effects can occur, such as mild dizziness, intense nausea, suicidal tendencies, depression, minor chest hair growth, random internal hemorrhaging and inability to sleep. As some directors may be hazardous to your health, please consult your Doctor to determine if this is right for you."

Finally, Bay made reference to the aforementioned "small film," which is believed to be an adaptation of a newspaper article from 1999 about steroid-abusing kidnappers. " 'Pain and Gain' is right after shooting of Trans 3," he explained, insisting the film will still get made.

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