With "Transformers 3" set to begin filming this May with an eye toward a July 2011 opening, MTV News has learned that a script has been completed and that it features elements from the franchise's core mythology, which stretches back to the early '80s toy line and TV show.

The news comes from franchise co-star Josh Duhamel, who chatted with us at ShoWest in Las Vegas on Thursday. "I read it yesterday," he said of the script. "I think that after reading it, I was really pleasantly surprised and happy. They did a great job."

While Duhamel was understandably tight-lipped about plot details, he did reveal that the script includes new robots and story elements from foundational "Transformers" story lines. "Some really cool stuff happens," he said. "They put a lot of time and thought into this. What I think is really cool is they went back into the history of 'Transformers.' They didn't really make anything up. They're using stuff that actually existed in the story from before."

Duhamel's comments confirm what Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner told MTV News earlier this year. "You're going to see that great core mythology brought to the fore, and Michael [Bay] is hard at work at making this a reality and we're very excited about it," he said.

Does that mean we might catch a glimpse of the Dinobots, those classic robots who morph into dinosaurs? Duhamel paused when asked that question before admitting, "I can't tell you."

He could tell us that after reading the script, he's got his fingers crossed for some more screen time in this third installment of the franchise. "It all depends on what happens in the editing room," he said. "I hope so. I think I've got to butter up Michael Bay a little bit more."

Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

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