Michael Bay announced on his official website on February 21 that actress Megan Fox will be part of the film “Ninja Turtles” due for release in May 2014. According to Variety, she will play news reporter and the turtles’ human friend, April O’Neill.

Bay posted on his website, Michaelbay.com, “TMNT: we are bringing back Megan Fox back into the family!” Fox’s role as O’Neill comes after a public break up between Fox and Bay after they worked together on the “Transformers” movies.

Actresses Jane Levy, Anna Kendrick, and Elizabeth Olsen were considered for the role before Fox was cast. O’Neill was played by actress Judith Hoag in the 1990 film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and by Paige Turco in two sequels. O’Neill befriends the turtles and is their closest human ally.

Other roles in the film have not yet been cast, but other cast announcements may be forthcoming. The Paramount film intends to stick to its announced release date in May 2014 and aims to start production soon.

The CGI, live action hybrid film is directed by Jonathan Liebesman, who worked on “The Killing Room,” “Battle Los Angeles,” and “Wrath of the Titans.” Bay’s Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form are producers.

Fox had starred in two of Bay’s “Transformers” films and he replaced her with model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in the third installment, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.” According to US Magazine, Bay explained his decision to fire Fox, “She was in a different world, on her BlackBerry.” Fox said that Bay was difficult to work with. She told Wonderland magazine in 2009, Bay is “like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation.”

Fox recently had a son named Noah with husband Brian Austin Green. Her recent film credits include “Friends with Kids” featuring Irish actor Chris O’Dowd.