Anthony Hopkins is such a serious actor that he can bring a bit of gravitas to even the most frivolous of films. For proof of this, look no further than the Thor franchise, where his turn as the irascible Odin lent instant credibility to a superhero story that could easily have come off as silly/campy.
According to Entertainment Weekly, he’ll soon do the same for Michael Bay’s Transformers: The Last Knight, the fifth film in the franchise that pits oversized metamorphosing robots against one another as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. As others have pointed out, hearing Hopkins voice emanate from a skyscraper-sized robot would be quite an experience, but, unsurprisingly, it looks like the actor will be playing an actual human being. What sort of human being remains a mystery, however, as the details of his role are still pretty well under wraps.
At this point, there are plenty of moviegoers whose eyes will roll at the mere mention of Michael Bay, so getting Hopkins really was a coup if this project is looking to make a play for those interested something beyond the typical “popcorn flick” experience. It should help with the critics as well, as the franchise’s first four films were all rated “rotten” on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
The message below was posted to the film’s Facebook page earlier today and those associated with the film seem pretty excited to have him on board.
The role adds to a busy slate for the 79-year-old Hopkins, who recently filmed HBO’s Westworld and will also appear in the upcoming thriller Collide, as well as in Thor: Ragnarok. We probably speak for most movie fans when we say that we hope the actor never slows down.
Transformers: The Last Knight hits theaters June 23, 2017, and also stars Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, and Isabela Moner (Growing Up Fisher).
