Ramon Rodriguez May Get Equal Screen Time With The Robots In The Next 'Transformers'

Hollywood has a peculiar way of getting ahead of itself. It's all about that hype train; you want to load in as many passengers as possible while it's at top speed and then sort out the destinations later. Take last week's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and its seemingly inevitable sequel. Director Michael Bay's robot warzone weathered buzz-killing so-so reviews and finished out with a record-breaking $200+ million opening weekend.

So it's no surprise to hear that Bay hopes to expand on breakout "Revenge of the Fallen" star (and last week's Hump Day Hottie) Ramon Rodriguez's role in the next "Transformers" movie. The newcomer certainly turned in a solid performance -- as solid as a one-dimensional blockbuster sidekick can be -- and he continues to align himself with powerful Hollywood players.

Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Bay said that "we went looking for a sidekick in ['Revenge of the Fallen'], Shia’s sidekick, and we find this new kid who really pops on screen. I think he’s going to have a real bright career. It’s great to work with big stars, but it’s always fun to discover people."

If anything, Rodriguez seems humbled by the attention he's been receiving. “I’m coming out of nowhere this summer,” Rodriguez told the paper. “At least that’s how it seems to people. It feels that way to me sometimes too. And it’s been a major education.”

Those who know his background are of course well aware that Rodriguez is not coming out of nowhere. His first gig was in a two episode stint on the popular Denis Leary-led TV series "Rescue Me" and he later played a major role in the canceled ABC series "Day Break."

Rodriguez gets big respect from me for his eight episode run on HBO's "The Wire." That's like the television equivalent of Shakespeare as far as I'm concerned. The only show I've seen where two detectives crack a case while communicating with only a single four letter word. Rodriguez more than held his own playing against one of the series' strongest and most compelling characters, drug dealer stick-up man Omar Little (Michael K. Williams).

Where do you see Ramon Rodriguez in five years? Where do you see him in the third "Transformers"?

Tags michael bay, Ramon Rodriguez, transformers: revenge of the fallen