Michael Bay hires new actor for 'Transformers 4'

The name Jack Reynor might not sound familiar now, but you should be well-acquainted by the time "Transformers 4" is released.

Michael Bay revealed on his website Tuesday that he's tapped Reynor to star alongside Mark Wahlberg in the upcoming "Transformers" installment.

"[H]e is an Irish kid that came to America with 30 bucks in his pocket," Bay wrote of Reynor. "I spotted him in a great little Irish movie, 'What Richard Did.' This kid is the real deal."

Bay's latest go-round with the action franchise is slated to arrive in June 2014, and the filmmaker has clarified that it won't be a reboot.

"This movie takes place exactly four years after the war in Chicago," Bay said on his site. "The story makes a very natural transition."

And seeing that this movie will have a brand-new cast, with former franchise star Shia LaBeouf publicly exiting the series, we believe Bay when he says that "this 'Transformers' will feel very different than the last three. We are embarking on a new trilogy."

"Transformers 4" is expected to start filming in the spring.