Fans of the Transformers movies, beware: The third installment won't feature the somewhat robotic acting skills of Megan Fox, after it was announced yesterday that she has left the hit franchise. But did she jump or was she pushed?

Deadline Hollywood's Nikki Finke broke the news yesterday that Fox would not be starring in Transformers 3, despite having previously been confirmed for the movie. According to Finke, director Michael Bay made the final decision on the matter and, even though the official line is that "giving Shia a new love interest makes more sense for the story," the real reason had more to do with retribution for comments Fox made about Bay last year that included calling him "Hitler" and complaining that he was "so hopelessly awkward [and] has no social skills at all."

Fox, however, is spinning it the other way. After the news broke, her publicist released a short statement:

It was her decision not to return. She wishes the franchise the best.

At best, this seems unlikely; outside of the Transformers movies, Fox hasn't had a hit, with last year's Jennifer's Body crashing and burning at the box office and bad buzz surrounding her upcoming Jonah Hex. Would she really walk away from her meal ticket so readily?

Of course, now the hunt is on to find the new Megan Fox: Sources suggest possible new female leads for Transformers 3 include names like the omnipresent Amanda Seyfried, Miley Cyrus and Zoe Saldana, as well as Shia LeBeouf's real-life girlfriend, Carey Mulligan.