A Transformers sequel has a lot of strikes going against it right now. One strike (literally) is the one that could shut down Hollywood next year. A second one is the news that Michael Bay might be looking at other projects. Despite the director’s claims that the studio is dragging their feet, it looks like Paramount is planning on Transformers 2 to arrive sooner rather than later.

The sharp eyes over at Coming Soon noticed that Paramount has etched out June 29th, 2009 for their sequel’s release date. That means that there are definite plans for Transformers 2, although what Michael Bay’s intended part in it is will have to be seen. While I can’t imagine him not being involved somehow, I personally think there are probably a few people still rankled over his negative comments about the HD DVD business. Even Bay has been evasive about his role in the sequel,so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him take a producer credit and go on to some other project.

CS also noted that the only nearby competition for that release date is currently Sony’s Ice Age III. It doesn’t take a box office analyst to guess who wins when a prehistoric squirrel faces off with transforming robots.