Bypassing the traditional casting announcement in the trades, Michael Bay took to his official website today to let us all know that John Malkovich, Frances McDormand and Ken Jeong have been cast in Transformers 3. Yes, you heard that right – John Malkovich and Frances McDormand, two fantastic, Oscar-winning actors will now be squaring off against those giant robots from outer space. Jeong, however, seems perfect for this type of film; his scene-stealing performances can be found in both Knocked Up and The Hangover, and I'd look for him to (hopefully) punch up the comedic portions of the third installment.

John Malkovich

Meanwhile, Bay has also announced that the newest Autobot to join Transformers will be a Ferrari 458 Italia, which is one helluva sexy car if you ask me. No word yet on what that Ferrari will turn into, but we do know where Transformers 3 will be filming in about a month from now (that's when pre-shoots begin). Bay announced filming locations in LA, Chicago, Washington DC, Florida, Texas, Africa, Moscow and China.

 
Like you, I'm itching to know who Malkovich and McDormand will be playing, too. I could see them both taking on different types of government officials. Malkovich plays a great villain, so I'd love to see him causing all sorts of trouble for our heroes (as if the Decepticons don't already do that, times a thousand). McDormand, however, could play anything from a high-ranking official to someone's loving mother. Guess we'll see, right?
 
Ferrari 458 Italia to be the newest Autobot Transformer!
 
What do you think about Transformers 3 bringing on these types of top-notch actors? Does that mean this installment may bring a little more substance over special effects?