It appears the subtitle for Transformers: The Last Knight is quite literal. Rumors have swirled recently that director Michael Bay’s fifth Transformers film might be dealing with Arthurian legend, and now it appears we have proof. Mashable reports that the film has cast actor Liam Garrigan to play the character of King Arthur in the movie, meaning audiences are either in for a lengthy flashback sequence or this Transformers movie is going straight-up reverse A Kid in King Arthur’s Court.
Garrigan, who has appeared on 24: Live Another Day and Cinemax's Strike Back series, is well suited to the role as he actually already plays King Arthur on ABC’s fantasy series Once Upon a Time. Mashable notes that both King Arthur and Merlin are said to be part of the Last Knight story, but the context of their appearances is currently unknown. Did Arthur meet Transformers back in the day? Were they the ones responsible for pulling the sword out of the stone and handing it to Arthur? I suppose we’ll find out. Maybe.
In the present day-set storyline of The Last Knight, Mark Wahlberg reprises his role as inventor Cade Yaeger, this time absent his daughter (played by Nicola Peltz), with Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel also returning after being absent from the semi-reboot Transformers: Age of Extinction. With Gibson and Duhamel back, one imagines The Last Knight will bring the military aspect of the franchise back into play, and it’ll be interesting to see how they react to all of this King Arthur business. Although I suppose it’s no sillier than robots from outer space disguising themselves as automobiles.
Production is currently underway on the film in anticipation of its June 23, 2017 release date. Jerrod Carmichael, Isabel Moner, Laura Haddock, Gil Birmingham, and Anthony Hopkins also star in Transformers: The Last Knight.
