New Transformers: The Last Knight trailer teases Arthurian mystery

For a thousand years, we’ve kept it hidden,” intones Sir Anthony Hopkins in a new spot for Transformers: The Last Knight, as his character reveals the role of giant robots throughout human history.

Want to know the secret history behind the Transformers?

They’ve always been there during humanity’s most critical moments, according to a new TV spot for June 2017’s blockbuster-in-waiting, Transformers: The Last Knight.

They’ve always been legendary; now you know why. #Transformers pic.twitter.com/VkHFTQ9F1q

— #TRANSFORMERS (@transformers) May 9, 2017

Thus far in the CGI-powered live action movie franchise, Transformers have gone from heroes to villains in the public eye, having been implicated in costly battles that have ravaged cityscapes as two factions have battled for our blue planet.

Medieval Europe, samurai-era Japan, US social reform, at World War hotspots, and on the moon, the Transformers have been deeply involved in steering key moments in human history. Especially the moments that involve guns, swords, and explosions, it would seem.

“They have been here forever, in the shadows,” explains Hopkins’ Sir Edmund Burton, a historian who understands the true role of Transformers over the years; “To protect Earth from what was destined to arrive.”

Michael Bay directs Transformers: The Last Knight, just as he did the franchise’s four films that preceded it, and since 2007’s Transformers, the movies have generated over $3.7 billion worldwide.

For this fifth franchise entry, Mark Wahlberg leads a cast of returning characters as Cade Yeagar, the film’s human hero.

Isabela Moner, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Stanely Tucci and John Turturro are also involved after previous Transformers outings, as are Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, and John Goodman, who voice key robot characters.

The film is scheduled for a June 23 release.