In a bit of inspired casting, Leonard Nimoy will lend his distinctive voice to the role of Sentinel Prime, predecessor of Optimus Prime, in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. He's the Cybertronian whose wrecked body is discovered on the moon by Apollo 11 astronauts in the terrific teaser trailer that debuted back in December (you can watch it again below).

Director Michael Bay tells Entertainment Weekly that he'd actually considered approaching Nimoy for the second Transformers film, but wasn't sure he could pay enough. “I was too scared to ask him,” he says. “Plus, he’s married to Susan Bay, who’s a cousin of mine. So I had to be careful. I’ve met him at family functions. But he told me, ‘I would be honored. I’m glad to be back!’”

The veteran actor, who of course is best known for his portrayal of Spock in the Star Trek television and movie franchises, is no stranger to The Transformers -- he provided the voice of Galvatron in 1986's The Transformers: The Movie.

Starring Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Malkovich and John Turturro, Transformers: Dark of the Moon opens in 3D on July 1.

The Autobots Bumblebee, Ratchet, Ironhide and Sideswipe led by Optimus Prime, are back in action, taking on the evil Decepticons, who are determined to avenge their defeat in 2009′s Transformers Revenge of the Fallen. In this new movie, the Autobots and Decepticons become involved in a perilous space race between the U.S. and Russia, and once again human Sam Witwicky has to come to the aid of his robot friends. There’s new characters too, including a new villain in the form of Shockwave, a longtime Transformers character who rules Cybertron while the Autobots and Decepticons battle it out on Earth.