'Transformers: The Last Knight' release date, cast & spoilers news 2016: Stanley Tucci reprises role; film casts its King Arthur

Stanley Tucci is reprising his role as KSI head Joshua Joyce in the upcoming "Transformers: The Last Knight," the fifth installment in Paramount's lucrative live-action "Transformers" series.

According to Variety, the Academy Award winner announced that he is returning to the franchise when he accepted a career tribute at this year's Deauville Film Festival in Paris, France on Saturday, Sept. 3.

Tucci made his "Transformers" debut in "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (2014), in which he played the arrogant head of Kinetic Solutions Incorporated (KSI), the company that had been dissecting Autobots and manufacturing man-made Transformers. KSI was responsible for bringing Galvatron, the secondary antagonist in "Age of Extinction," to life. He was created using metal taken from Megatron and Sentinel Prime, with Joshua aiming to create something similar to Optimus Prime. It was later revealed that Megatron's consciousness was active in Galvatron and that he had been influencing the creation of Galvatron and the other man-made Transformers with the goal of taking the Seed from KSI.

Prior to joining the "Transformers" franchise, Tucci appeared in a long list of films, including "The Lovely Bones" (2009), "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006), "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" (2004), and "The Hunger Games" (2012).

Meanwhile, following reports that "The Last Knight" will feature a King Arthur storyline, it has been confirmed that "The Legend of Hercules" actor Liam Garrigan has been cast in the role of the legendary medieval king. Garrigan also plays the role of King Arthur in the ABC fantasy series "Once Upon A Time."

According to ScreenCrush, "Transformers: The Last Knight" will have Optimus Prime returning to Earth to find an ancient artifact that will enable him to save his home world. Given the King Arthur storyline, it can only be assumed that this artifact is Excalibur, King Arthur's legendary sword.

"Transformers: The Last Knight" is scheduled to premiere on June 23, 2017.