Dwight Schrute…I mean Rainn Wilson, in for "Transformers 2"

Rainn Wilson, best known as Dwight Schrute on The Office, continues to expand his acting creds.

This summer, he’s starring in The Rocker, about a failed drummer given a second shot at fame, hitting theaters August 1, 2008 . He’s also voicing a part in Dreamworks’ Monsters vs. Aliens, scheduled for a March 27, 2009 release. He’s got a bunch of other projects lined up, as well.  

Now he’s signed on for Dreamworks’ Transformers 2, the sequel to last year’s megahit about a race of alien robots smashing it out on Earth. The movie re-teams director Michael Bay with returning stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro.

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Writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who wrote last year’s Transformers, as well as Ehren Kruger, who wrote the screenplay. Filming began in Los Angeles in recent weeks and is moving to Pennsylvania and then overseas.

Seems like a schrute, I mean shrewd, move on both Wilson’s and Dreamworks‘ part. I’m sure it’ll draw in “The Office” audience, who might not otherwise see a movie like “Transformers 2.”

And I love how Wilson is diversifying his roles, so he’s not caught in the constant nerdy-role cycle. He played a similar role in HBO’s Six Feet Under, my current favorite TV show (I’m just heading into season four).

Image: The Rocker, Fox Atomic, 2008