Transformers: Age Of Extinction Adds John Goodman And Ken Watanabe In Voice-Over Roles

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Michael Bay's Transformers: Age of Extinction spent months in pre-production putting together a talented live-action cast, featuring names like Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, T.J. Miller, and Sophia Myles, but now that the film is in post-production and finding stars to voice Auto-bots, the talent level has only grown. It's been officially announced John Goodman and Ken Watanabe have both signed deals to voice two new characters in the new Transformers sequel.

The announcement comes directly from Michael Bay's official website, and actually identifies the roles that Goodman and Watanabe will be playing in the movie (something that has become a bit of a rarity in modern blockbusters). Goodman will be voicing Hound, whom Transformers fans may remember is able to turn into a Jeep or humvee:

Hound Transformers

Watanabe, meanwhile, will be lending his deep Japanese accent to Drift, the Decepticon-turned-Autobot who transformers into a sports car:

Drift Transformers

They will be joining the returning Peter Cullen and Frank Welker, and while Cullen is once again providing the voice for Optimus Prime, this time around Welker is voicing the new character, Galvatron:

Galvatron Transformers

In an official statement about the Transformers: Age of Extinction voice casting, Michael Bay issued an official statement saying,

I am pleased to welcome two gifted and versatile actors, John Goodman and Ken Watanabe, to the world of Transformers. And to reteam with Peter and Frank, who have brought Transformers characters alive from the beginning. I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the best voice talent in the business, and together we will introduce several exciting new robots to fans of the franchise around the world."

The official press release also notes that John DiMaggio (Crosshairs), Mark Ryan (Lockdown), Robert Foxworth (Ratchet) and Reno Wilson (Brains) will also be voicing characters in the movie. You'll be able to see all of their work come together when Transformers: Age of Extinction arrives in theaters on June 27, 2014.

Eric Eisenberg
Eric Eisenberg
Assistant Managing Editor

Eric Eisenberg is the Assistant Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. After graduating Boston University and earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism, he took a part-time job as a staff writer for CinemaBlend, and after six months was offered the opportunity to move to Los Angeles and take on a newly created West Coast Editor position. Over a decade later, he's continuing to advance his interests and expertise. In addition to conducting filmmaker interviews and contributing to the news and feature content of the site, Eric also oversees the Movie Reviews section, writes the the weekend box office report (published Sundays), and is the site's resident Stephen King expert. He has two King-related columns.