New look to fourth “Transformers” film

By: Grant Vance

Fans of Michael Bay’s “Transformers” franchise will see some interesting changes with its upcoming installment.

Late last week, it was announced that the fourth “Transformers” film will be entitled “Transformers: Age of Extinction.”

The fourth installment of Bay’s adaptation of the beloved childhood cartoon will star an entirely new cast of human characters, ditching the fan-familiar cast of Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson.

Although this may appear to be a series reboot, the voice cast and characteristics of the surviving Autobots and Decepticons will remain the same. Peter Cullen will still be the voice behind Optimus Prime for the end-of-film voice-overs.

The new cast of the film includes Nicola Peltz from “Bates Motel,” Stanley Tuccie from “The Hunger Games” and none other than Mark Wahlberg from “The Fighter.”

While this isn’t confirmed as of yet, internet sources have implied that Wahlberg will be taking the place of Shia Labeouf as the series’ lead character.

Another interesting aspect of “Transformers: Age of Extinction” is that, due to the new poster and teaser image of set photos, along with an especially revealing title, it is being heavily implied that the classic Dinobots will make an appearance. While it isn’t certain if the entire roster of Dinobots are going to show up or just the fan-favorite Grimlock, any long-term fan of the show still has something to be excited about if this brand of Transformers truly is on the horizon.

“Transformers: Age of Extinction” is set to be the first of three new “Transformers” films. Michael Bay plans to hand the “Transformers” project to a new director after this installment, so it will be interesting to see the new franchise develop with an almost entirely new crew.

“Transformers: Age of Extinction” is set to release in theaters June 27, 2014.