Director Michael Bay recently shared a video from the Scottish Isle of Skye, where he is currently shooting the fifth installment in Paramount’s block-busting franchise, Transformers: The Last Knight. The footage seemed to add credence to the rumor that this latest robots in disguise adventure would draw heavily upon Arthurian legend for its plot, and this latest casting announcement most certainly confirms it.
According to Mashable, 34-year-old British actor Liam Garrigan (24: Live Another Day, Strike Back) will play none other than the good King Arthur Pendragon himself in the movie. Now, if that sounds familiar, it’s because he recently appeared as the exact same character on ABC’s Once Upon a Time. So, either Bay is a big fan of the show, or this is simply a coincidence – either way, at least we know Garrigan has some experience.
The Arthurian TV connections don’t stop there, either, as another revelation from the report puts the previously cast Santiago Cabrera – who played Lancelot in BBC’s Merlin – in the role of Merlin the wizard. Exactly how all of this will tie in with an ongoing war between alien robots remains unclear, but then again, these movies were never really known for their clever, coherent storylines.
Transformers: The Last Night is set to hit theaters on June 23, 2017, and also stars Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, and Peter Cullen.