Michael Bay adds Chinese superstar Li Bingbing to 'Transformers 4'

We may be the biggest movie market in the world, but China is a very close second and will probably surpass us in a few years. Because of that we've seen producers reach out to them in various ways to secure a wider Chinese release, and one way to do that is to cast a major Chinese talent in a key role. Wang Xueqi and Fan Bingbing's additions to Iron Man 3 were specifically to appeal to the Chinese audience, and now Michael Bay is doing the same thing with Transformers 4.

Li Bingbing, best known here in America for playing Ada Wong in Resident Evil: Retribution, has taken an unknown role in Transformers 4. She's just the first of what is expected to be many Chinese actors to join the film, including some from Bay's crazy 'Transformers 4 Chinese Actor Talent Search' reality show which airs this June. No, that's not a misprint. Bay is using a reality show to find actors for the film. Does anybody think it won't just be like the equivalent of WWE's Diva Search competition? Me neither.

Bingbing joins Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, and Sophia Myles in the franchise sequel, which takes place four after the events of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Transformers 4 opens in IMAX 3D on June 27th 2014.