11 Actors That Almost Got Cast In Transformers

It's no secret that, with the exception of "Bumblebee," the "Transformers" movies aren't very well-reviewed projects. But even if they're largely regarded as cinematic trash, the "Transformers" titles have attracted a wide array of talented actors over the years. The likes of Anthony Hopkins, Frances McDormand, Stanley Tucci, John Malkovich, and Michelle Yeoh (among many others) have had various roles in assorted "Transformers" entries. But even with these cast members in the franchise, the "Transformers" movies haven't secured every actor that various filmmakers wanted. 

Major performers have sometimes passed on roles in titles like "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" or "Transformers: The Last Knight." The sagas of these actors and their brief connections to the "Transformers" mythos vary wildly. Some actors that initially lost out on "Transformers" roles, like Frank Welker or Leonard Nimoy, would eventually secure other parts in subsequent "Transformers" entries. Others, however, gave the saga a hard pass out of avoidance of blockbuster fare or merely not liking the role they were handed. 

There's no shortage of factors that can lead to an actor passing on a potential part in a movie, and "Transformers" entries are no different. Strap on in and prepare to roll out in this breakdown of actors that came close to joining the likes of McDormand and Hopkins as inexplicable parts of one of the most bizarre blockbuster franchises of all-time.

When casting the face of the entire franchise for the first live-action "Transformers" movie, director Michael Bay and company looked to the multimedia saga's past. Peter Cullen was called back into action to be the man behind the voice of Optimus Prime, the fearless mechanical leader he'd previously lent his distinctive vocals to in the 1980s "Transformers" cartoon. Die-hard fans might have expected that Frank Welker would also return for the project, reprising his role as Prime's nemesis Megatron from that same TV program. 

Instead, Hugo Weaving voiced Megatron for 2007's "Transformers" and its two immediate follow-ups. In behind-the-scenes material like the audio commentary for "Transformers," Bay revealed that he felt Welker's voice was a tad too subdued for his vision of Megatron. Thus a more intimidating modern actor, like Weaving, was chosen instead. Welker would later reaffirm that it was Bay and Paramount Pictures who opted to initially go in another direction for Megatron's big-screen voice. 

However, even after this casting snafu, Welker didn't get left entirely behind in the original trilogy of live-action "Transformers" movies. A few years later, he voiced Soundwave in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." Welker eventually lent his pipes to Megatron's resurrected form, Galvatron, in "Transformers: Age of Extinction" and then just straightforward Megatron in "Transformers: The Last Knight." It took roughly a decade, but Welker finally got to reprise one of his most famous characters in a massive live-action blockbuster.

Right after "Superbad" became a pop culture phenomenon in August 2007, Jonah Hill was a hot commodity as a leading man. The world was at his fingertips, and for a moment, it looked like that world wouldn't just include raunchy dudebro antics. It also looked like it might make some room for robots duking it out. 

Back in early 2008, rumors abounded that one of Hill's first big post-"Superbad" roles would be Leo Spritz (Sam Witwicky's dorky college roommate) in a sequel to another summer 2007 smash hit, "Transformers." By May 2008, however, it was confirmed that Hill had passed on the production in favor of other movies like "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." With that, Hill and the "Transformers" saga parted ways. 

For over a decade, the circumstances surrounding Hill's passing on the role remained shrouded in mystery. In April 2021, though, Seth Rogen revealed that he was responsible for convincing Hill to skip "Revenge of the Fallen." Hill had apparently sought out Rogen's advice on whether or not to do the movie. This inspired Rogen to tell Hill that, with his post-"Superbad" clout, the actor could get any project of his own made and didn't need to latch onto a pre-existing franchise. With that, Hill pursued other creative goals, like gearing up for his big dramatic acting break in "Moneyball." After all, why not use all that "Superbad" power for something more than a disposable "Transformers" role?

Jonah Hill wasn't the only late-2000s newbie movie star to briefly fall into the gravitational pull of "Revenge of the Fallen." In February 2022, Robert Pattinson divulged that he auditioned for a key "Revenge of the Fallen" role. This would have been just as "Twilight" was being unleashed, after which Pattinson's life and career were never the same. Though he didn't specify what role he was auditioning for, Pattinson's age circa 2008 means he was likely eyeballed for college-aged goofball Leo Spritz. Years later, Pattinson's only memory of his brief brush with "Revenge of the Fallen" was that he gave one of his very worst auditions ever for the project.

While the folks behind the audition hoped to hear Pattinson speak in his normal voice, Pattinson recalled that he went in a different direction. The future star of "The Batman" instead bamboozled the "Transformers" producers by delivering his lines as a man from Denver, Colorado. That's the kind of bold swing that can pay off big time — just not in this context. The audition went so miserably that the "Transformers" producers even reached out to Pattinson's agent to inquire what went wrong. 

While an awkward experience, missing out on a part in "Revenge of the Fallen" didn't hurt Pattinson's career one bit, as evidenced by subsequent projects like "The Lighthouse." Plus, this anecdote reveals that the actor's penchant for arch accents existed long before the days of "The King" or "The Devil All The Time."

One of the strangest parts of the "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" pre-release news cycle was the fan campaign to get Leonard Nimoy to voice the titular Decepticon baddie The Fallen. Previously the voice of Galvatron in 1986's "The Transformers: The Movie," Nimoy's distinctive pipes were considered perfect for a new Decepticon foe. 

In March 2009, three months before "Revenge of the Fallen" opened," co-screenwriter Roberto Orci responded to a fan question on the speculative casting. Orci said he'd love to see it become a reality and that he'd talked to Nimoy about the part. However, he also confirmed at the time that nothing was finalized. A few days later, Bay echoed this desire to get Nimoy into the movie, while in late April 2009, Nimoy enthusiastically shouted "Call me, Michael!" over the prospect of voicing The Fallen. Given that Bay was Nimoy's actual cousin-in-law (thus giving the production an easy connection to the "Star Trek" legend), the stars seemed perfectly aligned for this casting to come to fruition. 

However, "Candyman" icon Tony Todd would eventually secure the part of The Fallen. Nimoy was not quite done with Bay's "Transformers" movies, however. The esteemed performer would eventually snag the part of Sentinel Prime in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." This was a significantly more prominent character than The Fallen, thus ensuring that Nimoy fans were rewarded for waiting for the actor's debut in this saga. 

At the dawn of 2010, veteran character actor James Avery nonchalantly revealed that he would be joining the voice cast of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon." Back before this project even had an official title, Avery was already set to voice the Autobot known as Silverbolt. If this character had followed its G1 counterpart, Silverbolt would have been a rare live-action movie Autobot with an aerial vehicle mode, rather than transforming into a standard automobile. Avery's presence as Silverbolt was reaffirmed by the actor's team later that summer, seemingly setting the stage for this performer's "Transformers" saga debut.

However, in the final cut of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," there's no trace of Silverbolt as a character, let alone Avery's voice acting. Unlike even past discarded "Transformers" movie characters like Springer, Silverbolt didn't even get toys tied into the movie he was once set to appear in (though this figure did show up in the "Revenge of the Fallen" toy line). The only possible evidence that Silverbolt was ever part of "Dark of the Moon" is his presence in the film's video game tie-in, although the Autobot was voiced there by Bob Dunsworth. To date, no concept art has ever leaked of this movie version of Silverbolt, solidifying the mystery surrounding this abandoned "Dark of the Moon" Autobot. Only Avery's clear enthusiasm for Silverbolt reaffirmed initial plans for the character.

Once Peter Cullen returned as Optimus Prime in the first "Transformers" movie, the floodgates of fan-casting speculation opened. Immediately, "Transformers" nerds everywhere began pondering what other iconic voice actors could reprise their famous robotic roles from earlier "Transformers" media. Once Shockwave was announced as a central character in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," buzz immediately spread that Corey Burton would reprise this role from the original 1980s "Transformers" cartoon. 

In December 2010, though, Burton immediately shot down any hope of him reprising the role. After commenting that he'd been insulted by previous offers to audition for and voice characters in 2007's "Transformers," he revealed that he hadn't been approached to reprise the Shockwave part in "Dark of the Moon." That suited Burton just fine since he had zero fascination with taking on a part in a major Hollywood blockbuster. If such movies bored Burton, then taking on a critical villain role in a Michael Bay feature would have especially frustrated this voice acting legend. 

Even if Burton had reprised the role, he certainly wouldn't have had a lot to do. Burton's original 1980s Shockwave was a chatty fellow, prone to delivering memorably distinctive phrases like "Female Autobots?!? I thought they went extinct!"  The Shockwave of "Dark of the Moon" is a largely silent foe, save for a handful of noises delivered by Frank Welker. 

With 2014's "Transformers: Age of Extinction," the "Transformers" movies got a tune-up. With the principal actors of the first three movies gone, it was time for a new leading man. Initially, Michael Bay eyeballed an actor famous for reviving movie sagas at the box office to anchor a new era of "Transformers" cinema. Dwayne Johnson has openly talked about how he was the first choice to play Cade Yeagar in "Transformers: Age of Extinction." 

This would have been Johnson's second "Transformers" role in the 2010s. Previously, he'd voiced Cliffjumper in select episodes of the TV program "Transformers: Prime." As if the pot couldn't get sweetened any more, Johnson was no stranger to automobile-heavy action sequences thanks to his work in the "Fast and Furious" saga. But even with all that familiarity with "Transformers" and franchise filmmaking, Johnson passed on "Age of Extinction."

This had nothing to do with Johnson's feelings about the script or Bay, though. The actor was just already committed to shooting his passion project, "Hercules," right when cameras would start rolling on "Age of Extinction." Johnson couldn't get out of that fantasy epic, so Mark Wahlberg got the opportunity to headline "Age of Extinction" instead. Given that Johnson would, after "Hercules," anchor such hits as "Moana," "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," and "Hobbs and Shaw," it's fair to say missing out on "Age of Extinction" didn't hurt his career.

In November 2012, word broke about the young actors being eyeballed to anchor "Transformers: Age of Extinction" and possibly its sequels. The names lined up for the film's teenage male and female lead roles included a smattering of folks who'd already anchored major movies or TV shows in the past. One total newcomer, though, was Margaret Qualley. Best known for being the offspring of Andie MacDowell, Qualley didn't have any acting credits to her name up to that point. So obscure was this performer that her last name was even misspelled in news pieces regarding the "Age of Extinction" casting shortlists. But even with a blank IMDb page in late 2012, Qualley was still one of the finalists to play Tessa Yeager. 

Qualley didn't secure that role, however, with Nicola Peltz, who had played Katara in 2010's "The Last Airbender," nabbing the part instead. Losing out on such a high-profile job could have been initially discouraging for Qualley, but she'd quickly rebound with her first acting credits in acclaimed TV shows and movies like "The Nice Guys" and "The Leftovers." Taking on these daring, decidedly un-blockbuster roles led to her current status as a go-to leading lady in often divisive arthouse fare like "The Substance" (which got the longest standing ovation at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival) and "Kinds of Kindness." Qualley absolutely did not need a forgettable role like Tessa to carve out a name for herself.

After winning a best actor Oscar for "The Artist," it seemed like Jean Dujardin was poised to become as big of a movie star in America as he was in his home country of France. However, in the nearly 15 years since "The Artist" became an Oscar darling, the only English-language titles Dujardin has appeared in are "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "The Monuments Men." For a flicker of a moment, though, it appeared that "Transformers: The Last Knight" would become the third post-"Artist" American feature for the French actor.

News broke in April 2016 that a handful of actors, including Dujardin, were in talks for various "The Last Knight" roles. Some of the performers initially attached to the sequel, such as Isabela Moner and Jerrod Carmichael, did end up in the final cast, but Dujardin did not. There was never any indication of what role the actor would have played in the movie if he was cast. However, "The Last Knight" does have a French Autobot named Hot Rod (voiced by Omar Sy), a likely candidate for the famous French Oscar-winner.  With this casting going up in smoke, the worlds of "The Artist" and "Transformers: The Last Knight" were doomed to never meaningfully collide. 

In the final days of July 2017, cameras finally began rolling on "Bumblebee." Helmed by Travis Knight, this was the first live-action "Transformers" movie directed by somebody who wasn't Michael Bay. The franchise was greatly expanding its creative ambitions and that included recruiting a cast almost exclusively separate from the actors dominating previous entries in the series. Among the newcomers initially announced to be joining the "Transformers" saga was Kenneth Choi. A veteran character actor across film and television, Choi is most recognizable for his work on the Fox program "9-1-1," while on film, he's landed roles in genre fare like "Suicide Squad," "Spider-Man: Homecoming," and "Bright."

As late as three months before the release of "Bumblebee," Choi was still listed as part of the movie's cast in news stories. However, when the film finally hit theaters in December 2018, Choi was conspicuously absent from the final cut. It's never been revealed who Choi was supposed to play in "Bumblebee," making it difficult to tell whether or not his character was cut from the film or he was recast with another actor. What is apparent, though, is that Choi couldn't add a "Transformers" supporting turn to his esteemed filmography.

One interesting facet of the "Transformers" movies is that the voices of the various robots can be tweaked and recast up until the last minute. After all, they're digital creations added in post-production. Everything about them is deeply malleable, including their voices. It's why there was intense debate over who would voice The Fallen mere weeks before "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" arrived. This unique quality of the franchise led "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" director Steven Caple Jr. to publicly pontificate on who else could be added to the film's voice cast in December 2022. Though "Beasts" was due out in theaters in six months, Caple Jr. was still hoping that a two-time Oscar winner could potentially join the voice cast.

Yes, Steven Caple Jr. wanted to recruit Mahershala Ali as the voice of a "Rise of the Beasts" robot. It's unclear who he would have voiced, though the booming vocals of Unicron seem a likely candidate for Ali's pipes. This casting never became a reality, possibly because of Ali's pronounced choosiness as a performer in the 2020s. After "Alita: Battle Angel" in February 2019, Ali has only appeared on-screen in two further live-action movies, so some "Transformers" voice work wouldn't likely be enough to lure Ali to the recording booth. Without the "Moonlight" and "Green Book" veteran, Caple had to "settle" for a "Rise of the Beasts" cast comprised of voiceover performers like Michelle Yeoh and Peter Dinklage.