More of Transformers 2 Voice Cast

Thanks to Carnivac (and also supported by TFW2005 thread), much of the voice cast for the various Transformers has been verified. Many of the robots in the movie don't have lines and it turns out some of the information we had was incorrect (not really surprised considering how little attention the voice cast gets).

I wish Paramount would release the credit list (like they did for Star Trek) so have something definitive to link to to clear up any probable confusion on who did what in the movie.

Likely voice cast: (but some not officially confirmed) (clicking their names brings you to their IMDB.com profile)
Arcee - Grey DeLisle (not Susan Blu)
The Fallen - Tony Todd
Jetfire - Mark Ryan (not John Turturro)
Mudflap - Reno Wilson
Skids & Wheelie - Tom Kenny
Soundwave & Devastator - Frank Welker
Sideswipe - Andre Sogliuzzo (not Jason Griffith)
The Doctor (Scalpel) - John DiCrosta
an ancient Prime - Kevin Michael Richardson
Demolisher - remains unknown

Its worth hitting up the profiles for these actors because of the long careers many of these actors have had. Even if you don't know the name, chances are you will recognize the face or their work. As far as Transformers connections, Kevin Michael Richardson voiced Omega Supreme in Transformers: Animated, Reno Wilson voiced Frenzy in the first movie; Mark Ryan also voices Bumblebee in the movies and Ironhide in the video game. Tom Kenny (other than being SpongeBob SquarePants) also voice Isaac Sumdac, Starscream, various Seekers, Scrapper and more for Transformers: Animated. Of course Frank Welker (G1's Megatron, Soundwave, Galavatron, Rumble and more) doesn't really need an introduction to Transfans but his storied career is massive and covers work you would have never had thought had anything to do with him.

Bay: Obama in Film

From Digital Spy, Michael Bay had a chance to meet US President Barack Obama and learned that he admires his work. Thanks to Chris for the link.

Bay said: "The Obama thing? I met him in an airport where he was carrying his bag by himself and we talked about movies and apparently he likes my movies. So I figured we'll just put him in."

The director joked that he was able to include the up-to-date reference because he had only completed making the film last Wednesday [6/10].

I should add that this doesn't mean that Obama filmed a scene; it just means that the movie makes a reference to him or maybe uses TV footage to indicate he is the current president in the movie. Since most movies were filmed last year (before the election) they normally wouldn't be able to make that kind of reference but since Bay didn't finished editing until last week, he had more flexibility to add that in.

More Reviews; Variety Confirms Todd As Fallen?

Variety has posted its review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen from the London premiere of the movie. As part of that, they posted a partial cast list that seems to confirm that Tony Todd is the voice of The Fallen. It also shows that Anthony Anderson voices Jolt. While Todd's deep voice is perfect for Fallen, not sure about Jolt who I don't think even has lines in the movie so I can't help but wonder if Variety's list is from IMDB which is not 100% accurate. Thanks to Jennie for the link and Carnivac for the reminder.

Now on to few more reviews.

Variety Review

With machines that are impressively more lifelike, and characters that are more and more like machines, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" takes the franchise to a vastly superior level of artificial intelligence. As for human intelligence, it's primarily at the service of an enhanced arsenal of special effects, which helmer Michael Bay deploys like a general launching his very own shock-and-awe campaign on the senses. Otherwise, little seems new compared to the first installment, except that this version is longer, louder, and perhaps "more than your eye can meet" in one sitting. It will reap similar B.O. rewards worldwide.

But the true stars here are the Transformers themselves, who continually steal the spotlight from the flesh-and-blood cast, even in scenes of tragic death or comic relief usually reserved for real actors.

The Hollywood Reporter

With its intelligence at the level of the simple-minded, however, the film is not likely to attract moviegoers who seek something more than a screen filled with kaleidoscopes of colored metal. Fan boys will no doubt love it, but for the uninitiated it's loud, tedious and, at 147 minutes, way too long.

Empire Online (3/5)

Devastator..lumbers up the dusty colossus, a shot tilts up to its mid-section, revealing two wrecking balls dangling down. Yes, Michael Bay...has one-upped himself: Decepticon testicles. If the thought of that gag makes you laugh, chances are you’ll have a ball with Revenge Of The Fallen. If not… well, Bay really doesn’t care. His first and only sequel since Bad Boys 2 is, like that film, marked by swaggering confidence, wild excess and a string of bad-taste jokes. ...The plot, meanwhile, is as baffling as before, not only bringing back the abstruse Allspark but throwing in a new MacGuffin called the ‘Matrix of Leadership’. It tries harder to be funny but is actually less so.

What saves it, just about, are the effects. At times the frame is so packed with whirring cogs and twirling cranks that you could replicate the effect by staring at the innards of a domestic appliance, but when these CG moto-men from another world duke it out, the images are often so screwy it’s impossible to do anything but sit and stare. The Shanghai-set opening sequence is lunatic fun, with Optimus Prime leaping onto the face of a colossal, rampaging unicycle and ordering it to, “Pull over”. And while Prime’s later forest face-off against a trio of Decepticons suffers by comparison to a recent film’s spar between a big ape and three dinosaurs, there are more flawlessly rendered money shots in the last 40 minutes alone than in a dozen less ambitious blockbusters.

Arcee and Sideswipe Voice Actors

Chris (who has provided TF news in the past) is reporting that he has learned that Susan Blu is the voice of Arcee and Jason Griffith is the voice of Sideswipe in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Oddly enough, despite all the premieres, the voice actors is something no one is catching so don't have direct proof. However, both are experienced voice actors with a long list of credits.

Susan Blu has multiple Transformers ties. The primary for Transfans is the voice of Arcee in the animated Transformers: The Movie and the third season of the TV series and also did a voice in Beast Wars, and reprised Arcee for Transformers: Animated. She was also voice director of Beast Wars and TF: Animated. Jason Griffith is most notable for his role as Sonic for the cartoons and video games and this would be his first work for anything Transformers related.

Neil Kaplan Cast in Video Game

From TFW2005, Neil Kaplan's facebook page reveals he has been cast as the voice of Long Haul and Protectobot (essentially a Ratchet repaint) in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game.

I am THRILLED to announce my return to the "Transformers Universe". This summer you can find my work on "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen". This brilliant video game is from the geniuses at Activision. I play both sides of the fence as Decepticon - Long Haul and Autobot - Protectobot. So... I can help you save or destroy the Earth. Just try to let me know ahead of time... nothing worse than tearing down what was meant to be saved.

Kaplan's credits are long, sticking mostly to video games with some cartoon work including being the voice of Optimus Prime for the Transformers: Robots in Disguise cartoons back in 2001. Keep in mind that doing a voice in the game doesn't necessarily mean he is doing a voice in the movie or that Long Haul even has any lines in the movie. Thanks to Scorpio for the link.

Tony Todd Cast In Transformers 2

The official Tony Todd website has revealed that the actor has been cast in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

If you watch movies and television on even a semi-regular basis you probably recognize the face. His most recent roles included playing CIA Director in the first season of Chuck (before getting blown up), playing the dictator in just finished season of 24, Candyman from those movies and a just really long list of credits. He is part of that large group of character actors that helps keep the Hollywood engine running, just plugging away working and yet rarely gives the proper credit for their efforts.

The note from the site:

We've been waiting to announce this for a little bit and here it is:
Tony will be taking part in this summers biggest blockbuster ...

TRANSFORMERS 2 !

Now who he is going to play is still under wraps, but we can say...
don't look for him because you wont see the man himself...!!
Thats all we can say for now!
This is going to be one helluva a summer !!

That indicates the deep voiced actor is playing a Transformer, which one is the question. He sounds like a Decepticon to me, possibly one of the Constructicons (my guess is Mixmaster). Congrats to Tony, hopefully not a Decepticon (alternate suggestion is Sideswipe) or it will just be a one movie role. More than likely Tony recorded his voice work months ago.

"General" Morshower Talks TF2

Glenn Morshower (24's Aaron Pierce) talks Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with IGN. Morshower was in the first film as Colonel Sharp that died during Blackout's assault. Now he is going to appear in the film as a new character that shares his namesake.

Said Morshower, "You know, I did the first one and a lot of people died and we were part of the team that was killed. But even though a lot of people died, that didn't seem to bother them. They wanted to bring me back. And then Michael Bay said, 'Well, you'll be playing a completely different character. But don't tell me now if you want to do it [yet]. I'm going to send you the script.'"

Morshower than explained the big surprise in store for him. "He sent it to me and I looked at the name of the character… The name of the character is General Morshower. He named the character my name." In his follow up conversation with Bay, Morshower recalled, "[Bay] goes, 'You don't mind, do you? We think your name is really different, really cool.' I went, 'What do I care? It's mine!' So I went in and played General Morshower."

The actor then revealed, "I just saw about thirty minutes of the film last week. It's tremendous! You will love it. I think it's even better than the first. So June 24th!"

Cool news. As a fan of the actor it is nice to see him return to the film. Hopefully this will be the start of a running joke for the franchise of seeing what role the great character actor will have next. Thanks to Y2G for the link.

Welker is Officially Cast in Transformers 2

Ugo Movie Blog is reporting that legendary voice actor Frank Welker has been officially cast in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as Soundwave. The news is from an interview with Roberto Orci as he was promoting Star Trek. Soundwave is a character Welker originated for all three seasons of the 1980s cartoons or G1 cartoon as sometimes referred to that ran from about 1984-1987.

Jordan Hoffman: Who’s voicing Soundwave in Transformers?
Roberto Orci: Welker.

Jordan Hoffman: That’s official?
Roberto Orci: I think so.

Jordan Hoffman: Uh oh.
Roberto Orci: Might be something I just told you for the first time, but I think so.

Fantastic news for die hard Transformer fans who have been trying to get our favorite voices cast in the movie.

Nimoy to Bay: Just Ask

Last week, Michael Bay indicated he is open to casting Leonard Nimoy as a voice in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but "I just feel kind of bad about asking him. Like ‘I can’t pay you that much? But would you do this voice?" and maybe use his mother as a go between.

Today, IESB asked Nimoy if he would be willing to do a voice in the movie. Sadly a video of the exchange could not be posted due to a press embargo on Star Trek stuff in the states until May 7th. This is usually done by the studios so that there is a huge amount of talk about the movie before the critical opening weekend and most sites are not going to breach it for fear of losing access. It is also a way to contain bad reviews but that isn't an issue in this case as Star Trek reviews have been glowing.

I am paraphrasing our conversation. Nimoy was in a great mood, laughing and having a good time and said he would be perfectly willing to do a voice in the Transformers sequel, all Michael has to do is ask - but has he?

IESB asked Nimoy straight out if Michael Bay has contacted him yet regarding the voice work, Bay has said he may use his mother as a go between if need be.

Nimoy said he had just seen Bay's mother and she didn't say anything. He doesn't think she wants to be the go between. Nimoy said that he's not hard to get ahold of, if Michael wants to get ahold of him, he can.

Since it is voice work which can be done in a day or so under experienced hands, Bay still has plenty of time to cast who he wants when he wants. Of course with the world premiere now schedule just six weeks away the clock is ticking.

Bay Talks Potential Nimoy Casting

MTV once again, this time talking to Transformers 2 director Michael Bay about voice casting, specifically casting his cousin, Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek's Spock) in the sequel.

“I’m still not done with all the voices,” Bay explained to us recently when we brought up “Revenge of the Fallen” robot casting for the film.

As loyal fans of the robots-in-disguise remember, Mr. Spock himself - Leonard Nimoy - was the voice of characters like Galvatron in the 1986 cartoon “Transformers: The Movie.” And “Revenge” writer Roberto Orci has said that he’d like to see Nimoy return for the summer blockbuster.

“You know, he’s related to me,” laughed Bay. “And now that you are filming this, maybe you can send it to him.”

“[Nimoy] is married to Susan Bay, who’s a cousin to me,” Michael explained, saying that he’s afraid of insulting his relative with the mere pittance allotted to pay his voice actors. “I just feel kind of bad about asking him. Like ‘I can’t pay you that much? But would you do this voice?’”

So Michael hasn’t worked up the nerve yet to ask his famous cousin – who appears in next month’s “Star Trek” – to lend him his vocal talents. Instead, the pair have been using a third relative as a go-between.

“Would he do it?” Bay asked. “He suggested to my mom that he might do it.”

Mike Patton To Voice Mixmaster

MovieWeb.com is reporting that they have confirmed that Mike Patton has been cast to voice Decepticon Constructicon Mixmaster. Mixmaster will form the head of the gestault. He is the lead singer of Faith No More and producer for multiple artists (wiki here). Thanks to Gregory for the link.

Rumors about musician Mike Patton's involvement in the highly anticipated summer sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen were confirmed today by a "close" friend of the singer (who may or may not live in Philadelphia). More of a cameo than a leading robot, Patton will lend his unique vocal talents to Mixmaster, one of the seven Decepticons that form to create Devastator. He is a concrete mixing truck that serves as the left leg of this gigantically awesome robot.

While Patton's participation in the film was 100% confirmed, the "source" didn't seem quite so positive about the actual robot he would be playing, at times calling him a dump truck (which is actually Long Haul). Either way, he will voice one of the seven vehicles that form Devastator. Patton is said to have landed the gig after producers heard his voice work on the video game The Darkness. This is a big year for the prolific singer, as his score for Crank: High Voltage will be released this coming Tuesday. And he is currently in the midst of embarking on a European reunion tour with his former band Faith No More.

Welker Tapped As Soundwave

Every now and then Michael Bay likes to drop in on his forums and cause some havoc by answering a question is such a way as to lead to more questions. Not this time though. Bay has indicated he is going to please many die-hard Transfans.

I think I'm going to pursue Frank on Soundwave.

Michael

If "persue" becomes a contract for the movie, that means that finally Frank Welker will get to reprise a Transformer role in the movie. Welker is the legendary voice behind Megatron, Soundwave, Frenzy, Ravage, Ratbat and more. His overall voice career is extensive and probably includes some of your favorite childhood characters in other cartoons and movies. Hopefully once Welker has signed on the dotted line, Bay will provide an update. Thanks to Ty for the link.

Weaving Confirms Return

While promoting his latest movie Last Ride in Australia, Hugo Weaving, according to AdelaideNow revealed that he has signed on to return as the voice of Megatron for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Thanks to gameon91 and Ty for the link.

``I’ve already done it,’’ Weaving says, adding Bay had told him to keep the news hush-hush. ``He’s over in LA and we were working on the video split sort of thing and I had this strange conversation where he seemed to imply it was all a big secret. So there you go. I’ve given you the secret scoop.’’

So how is Megatron resurrected?

`I think in the last one, doesn’t Optimus Prime pick up a little bit of, a little shard of the cube, or the thing that’s left, and he takes it with him. Maybe there’s something there… but I don’t know,’’ he laughs.

Two Casting Notes

Via TFW2005, its being reported that Steve Tom and Katie Lowes have been cast in minor supporting roles for Transformers 2.

Steve will play the CEO of McClaren Robotics and Katie (pretty) was cast as the resident assistant at Sam's dorm. Transformer tech plus a robotics company cannot lead to good things I am betting.

Mark Ryan Confirmed for TF2

While it has been assumed that the return of Bumblebee meant that Mark Ryan would return as his voice, it is always nice to get it confirmed by the actor. According to Siebertron.com:

"I can confirm that I am working on Transformers 2 - Revenge Of The Fallen and have been given the same job on set, voicing the Autobots for the actors, and have already done some voiceover work in the studio as well. It’s a privilege to work with the cast and crew again, it's very exciting and we are having a great time. I cannot comment on details about the film or the script, but there are some new characters that fans will love."

In other words he will return in the exact same capacity as he was in the first movie where he read off Transformer lines during filming to help the actors while filming and probably useful in getting timing and the like down for the CGI work that follows.

Mark Ryan will also be at the San Diego Comic-Con for a panel to discuss his new graphic novel "The Pilgrim" and also be available to sign autographs.

Transformers 2 Is Voight-less

In an interview with Collider.com, Jon Voight said he will NOT be in Transformers 2, contradicting a statement that he would be from Tyrese. I guess at that point Tyrese thought he was still going to be in it but that changed as since then Voight accepted the role of the villain for season 7 of 24 which will occupy an unknown amount of his time. This begs the question of who his "replacement" will be for the purpose of access to military assets.

The interview was conducted after the 2008 Saturn Awards where Transformers won Best Special Effects. The video interview is here. Thanks to Russell for the link and post title.

The highlights:
- "I am not in Transformers 2."
- Started 24 work that day, joined the show because fan of the show and Kiefer Sutherland.
- Knocked out by the finished work on Transformers and not surprised by its success.
- Impressed by the CGI, "fantastic, just fantastic."
- Praised Michael Bay for his work, "attention to detail...impressive imagination, a great sense of humor. He's got enormous personality on the set. It gets great results, gets everyone going..."

Transform Nate Party

In an attempt to get cast in Transfomers 2, Nathan Barilka has taken a rather novel approach of starting his own website TransformNate.com. In that regard he has bought an ad in The Hollywood Reporter (how much did that cost?) inviting all cast and crew to The Happy Ending Bar on June 26th, 2008 at 9:00pm. The bar is located on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, CA. The party is also a fundraiser for Spondylitis, which is a form of inflammatory arthritis along the spine and other related joints.

Today is the planned last day of the Princeton shoot in New Jersey so whether they will even be in Hollywood tomorrow is unknown. I am guessing the planned hiatus starts tomorrow but so far no information has leaked to verify that.

I wish Nate the best of luck and hopes he is able to get a role in the movie.

Kym Whitley in Transfomers?

At the BET awards yesterday, it was revealed that Kym Whitley (The Hustle, The Boondocks) will be in Transformers. From AP, "Actress-comedian Kym Whitley, who revealed she'll be appearing in a small role in the upcoming "Transformers" sequel, donned a tight purple shirt that read 'Barack Obama 08' in glittery black letters." As the norm now, what her role is, when, where and the usual details are unknown. Thanks to Charl Huntress for the link.

Beetlejuice in Transformers?

In a report from Ben:

I just got back from the Princeton set and I thought I'd fill you in on what I saw there. The scene I saw had Shia, Megan (who was driving), Ramon, and I think Isabel in the silver Saturn [Astra] as something that appeared to be Frenzy attacking them. Also, I've included a picture. You may notice a certain Beetlejuice from the Howard Stern Show on the set. I don't know what that means...

-Ben

I don't know what it means either. Lester "Beetlejuice" Green (on the steps in the background) is a frequent Howard Stern Show guest and Wack Pack member with a small film career that includes voice work. Does he have a role in Transformers 2? Doing a voice? Maybe he was just visiting the set? Many questions, no answers.

As for the Astra, at least now we know who supposed to be in the car as it is driven and hits a lamp post.

Thanks to Ben for the picture and report.

Update:
As commenters have pointed out, it’s possible that his role is from the original little person casting call that for Philly but adapted to Princeton. An added note is Ben heard that tomorrow is the day Rainn Wilson is supposed to be on set for his Professor role.

Shia Busted Smoking and Casting Notes

While we where enjoying images of possible Transformers from The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, apparently Shia LaBeouf was nearly kicked out for smoking and setting off smoke alarms. At least according the National Enquirer. Thanks "DamagedMech" for the link.

Sounds like Indiana Jones oughtta whip the butt of young “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” co-star SHIA LABEOUF, who triggered a big stink during location filming of new flick “Transformers 2” when he snuck a cigarette in the men’s john at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – setting off blaring smoke detector alarms!

LaBeouf snuffed the cig just as museum guards burst in – but they spotted his soggy butt floating in the toilet bowl.

He endured a stern lecture, topped by a warning he’d be ejected from the museum if he lit up again.

The kid lucked out: In February, he was nabbed for illegal smoking on a Burbank sidewalk and fined 500 BUCK$$!

Update: Forgot to add my take...which is I don't really care. Sure its the enquirer so this may not be true but Shia is a known smoke-holic. I think smoking is a nasty habit (mostly because of the stench that gets into everything) but each their own. As long as the movie is good he can set off all the smoke detectors he wants as far as I am concerned.
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In casting news, IMDB has updated to reflect that Samantha Smith will reprise her role of Sarah Lennox, wife to Duhamel's Captain Lennox. Also Sean Krishnan as been added as Yakov and Zhubin Rahbar as "Officer." The usual who, what, when, wheres are not available. Thanks to linariel for noticing the additions.

Update: As someone reminded me, IMDB is like Wikipedia, its open for editing so these casting notes could be incorrect but then pretty much anything and everything about this movie is ultimatly speculation until the movie comes out.