First Look: 'Transformers: The Last Knight' Bringing Classic Autobot Hot Rod To The Big Screen

While it might be far more exciting if Andy Samberg's Hot Rod character was being brought into the Transformers franchise, we'll have to settle for the recent reveal that the classic Autobot Hot Rod will return to the big screen in Transformers: The Last Knight.

Michael Bay revealed the latest addition to the Autobots roster overnight last night on Twitter, but rather than just showing off another vehicle that will turn into a robot in post-production, he actually showed the Autobot form of Hot Rod instead. Check out the Transformers The Last Knight Hot Rod design after the jump.

Here's the artwork that Michael Bay posted to Twitter:

The reason Michael Bay probably didn't just use an image of Hot Rod's vehicle form to introduce him is probably because it appears that he's a new Camaro just like the new design of Bumblebee that we saw not too long ago. As you can see on Hot Rod's chest, the grill and headlights resemble that of the new Camaro. And since the image also describes Hot Rod as Bumblebee's "Brother-in-Arms," it would make sense if they had the same vehicle form.

The personality description lines up with how the character was portrayed in Transformers: The Movie, the animated feature from 1986. In that movie, he as voiced by Judd Nelson, though there's no indication as to who will voice Hot Rod or any of the new Autobots in The Last Knight just yet.

The introduction of Hot Rod might key us into a potentially big even in the sequel as well. There was a time when Optimus Prime was killed off and Hot Rod became the new leader of the Autobots, going by the moniker Rodimus Prime. Is there a chance that we could see Optimus get killed in this film and pass the torch to a new leader? Forbes notes that the death of Optimus at the hands of Megatron was so traumatizing for kids of the era that Hasbro decided to axe plans to kill off G.I. Joe leader Duke at the time. But perhaps since Hasbro has already killed off Duke in the G.I. Joe film franchise, they won't have a problem taking out Optimus Prime on the big screen.

The latest Transformers line-up update revealed the new vehicle form for the Decepticon Onslaught. Previous reveals include the new vehicle form for the Autobot Drift, the police car Decepticon known as Barricade, a new yellow Camaro form for Bumblebee and an all-new character named Squeeks, a cute little Vespa scooter.

Outside of the vehicles, the human cast of the Transformers sequel has Mark Wahlberg returning as Cade Yeager with Josh Duhamel back again as Lieutenant Colonel Lennox along with Tyrese Gibson as his right hand man. New cast members include Isabela Moner, Jerrod Carmichael, Laura Haddock and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

This should be Michael Bay's last time directing a Transformers movie (again) with a script from Iron Man scribes Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down). Transformers: The Last Knight arrives on June 23, 2017.