Writer Robert Orci has confirmed on the message board of producer Don Murphy that he and co-writer Alex Kurtzman will not be returning to write the third Transformers film. That currently leaves only Ehren Kruger to work on the script, though new writers may be added.

When asked whether it was true that he and Kurtzman had decided not to be involved in the movie, Orci responded simply, "It's true." It appears that the writers are leaving due to difficulties working with director Michael Bay. When one individual on the message board mentioned Bay's heavy-handed push to include crude humor in the script and that some parents, because of that humor, did not allow their children to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Orci responded, "I can't blame them."

When asked whether Kruger is knowledgeable enough about the franchise to write a strong script without the two exiting writers, Orci responded, "He really did his homework. He's awesome." Our best hope now is that Bay has learned a lesson from the combination Revenge of the Fallen's poor critical acceptance and these writers' refusal to work with him. That lesson? Trust your writers.