There have been plenty of Transformers Rise of the Beasts updates that give a full look at the new Transformers movie's cast, new and returning Transformers, story details, and how it is connected to the overall Transformers franchise ahead of the June 2023 release. Paramount launched the Transformers film series based on Hasbro's iconic toys in 2007 with Michael Bay directing and Shia LaBeouf's Sam Witwicky in the lead. After five entries in the main franchise (the latter two led by Mark Wahlberg), it was decided to take the Autobots in a new direction that will continue in Transformers 7. Most notably, the new Transformers movie will draw from the Beast Wars cartoon for the first time.
After the disappointment of Michael Bay's Transformers: The Last Knight, Paramount used Bumblebee as a soft reboot for the Transformers franchise. With a small budget and focus, the movie was a hit, with Hailee Steinfeld as the new lead. Bumblebee gave the studio confidence to continue the franchise forward. Beast Wars resurrected the original Transformers cartoon, and Paramount is hoping it will do the same for the movies, with Transformers 7 adding Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons into the mix. Here's everything we know about the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and how it carries on the legacy of Beast Wars.
The Latest Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts News
Right before the movie hit theaters, the latest Transformers: Rise of the Beasts updates came with a trailer released offering the last look at the movie. This new trailer is the first time that two previously unseen human characters made their first major appearance in a trailer. This includes Tobe Nwigwe's Reek, who is supposed to be one of the core humans helping out the Transformers. Also appearing in the trailer is Michael Kelly in his still unnamed role as someone who looks like a government agent who knows about the Transformers. The trailer also showed a lot of review quotes with several publications praising the new movie.
There were more Transformers: Rise of the Beasts updates in June that included a clip of the movie showing some big moments from the new Transformers movie. The latest footage included a high-speed Transformers chase scene and the moment when Anthony Ramos's Noah met Mirage in the movie. This clip showed Noah in the car when Optimus Prime called for all Autobots to roll out. It was pretty clear this clip was not the official scene, but was highlights of it, as it included the start of the big police chase, a couple of major collisions, and the end where Mirage rolled Noah out of the car, turned into his robot self, and greeted the young man.
Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Release Date
The prequel/sequel Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is officially set to hit theaters on June 9, 2023. Transformers 7 was originally announced with a summer 2022 release date, which appeared easy to hit with production starting in the middle of 2020. Paramount later announced the movie's release date was delayed, with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts now scheduled for June 9, 2023. This will be five years after Bumblebee was released, so audiences could be quite ready for more Transformers movies by then — especially one that changes up the core formula as much as the Beast Wars adaptation already promises. The Rise of the Beasts runtime was also revealed, as the movie will check in at 1 hour and 57 minutes, which is closer to Bumblebee than the original Transformers movies.
Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Cast
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts updates indicate the human cast is led by Anthony Ramos (Hamilton), who plays an ex-military family man named Noah with former Transformers star Mark Wahlberg not returning. Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah) is the second main human character, and she'll play an artifact researcher named Elena. Luna Lauren Vélez (Dexter) has also been cast in an undisclosed role. All in all, the human cast for Transformers 7 is pretty scant, with a few credited extra roles here and there. However, the roster for the new Transformers movie is quite large, with some old fan-favorite joining in on the fun as well.
In addition to the human characters that have become staples of the Transformers franchise, a lineup of Autobots both old and new will be featured. Peter Cullen returns to voice Optimus Prime in his G1 design, and Bumblebee is of course once again a key character. Mirage, voiced by SNL's Pete Davidson, is back with a brand-new design, closer to his G1 origins. Arcee also returns, with Liza Koshy (Work It) lending her voice to the character. Wheeljack will also be back and will be voiced by Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso).
Alongside these Transformers Rise of the Beasts updates is a slew of new Transformers. Nightbird, who will be played by Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose), will be on the Terrorcon side, along with the new big bad villain Scourge (Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones). Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once) will play the Maximal Airazor, and the Maximal Cheetor has been revealed, but no voice actor has been named. The Maximal Rhinox is also in the movie, with David Sobolov voicing him alongside the Terrorcon Battletrap. Finally, the Maximals leader, Optimus Primal, will be voiced by none other than Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy).
Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Story Details
The title Transformers: Rise of the Beasts gave many clues to its story before any trailers or information arrived. The title is a direct reference to the film adapting the fan-favorite storyline from the Transformers mythos, Beast Wars. This originally referred to a time 300 years after the original Transformers animated show when Autobots and Decepticons were no longer around, and animal-themed Transformers known as Maximals and Predacons took center stage.
For Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the emergence of these Transformers, along with Terrorcons, will come in 1994 for a story that starts out based in Brooklyn, New York. The story will follow a pair of archeologists from Brooklyn, Noah, and Elena, as they get involved with the new Transformer factions: the Maximals, the Predacons, and the Terrorcons. Beyond this premise, however, much of the Rise of the Beasts story remains a mystery.
There continue to be smaller Transformers: Rise of the Beasts updates as the release date grows near. Director Steven Caple Jr. promises a huge battle at the end of the movie - one that will feature a "major moment" for the Autobots themselves. According to Caple, this specific scene will redefine the idea of Autobots, and he believes it is a moment that will become a major talking point between fans online after the movie.
We take the term 'Autobot' and bring it to a whole new level. I can't go into any more detail, but it's a very emotionally powerful moment in the third act of the movie that you'll recognize when you see it in a theater.
He said that once this moment happens in the movie, he plans to pay close attention to their reactions on social media, promising that the audience will be "blown away by it when they see it on the big screen." With the movie taking place after Bumblebee but before the Michael Bay Transformers movies, it is unclear how it could possibly change the universe, but Caple promises big things.
Caple also talked a little about Optimus Prime in a recent interview. While the connection between this movie and the original Transformers movies, all of which take place years down the road in the timeline, seems disconnected, Caple said that there will be a moment in this movie where Optimus Prime starts to become the leader that he was in those earlier movies. Caple said that Prime will meet others, including Optimus Primal, who will help him become a better leader, and it is their interactions that influence the leader Prime becomes.
"Everyone has a different motive and agenda. But ultimately, his main goal is to get back home and save his planet. Then we all realize that there's a bigger threat at large. Will he help save the Earth? You get to see Optimus become the Prime that we always knew."
Who The Villain Will Be In The New Transformers Movie
Transformers Rise of the Beasts updates reveal the new movie will bring something completely fresh to the world of the Autobots. This is the first movie where the plot does not include Decepticons as the villains. Instead, the Autobots will team up with the Maximals to battle a brand-new enemy for the movie world. The new villains are the Terrorcons and Pradacons, who will team up to battle the Autobots and their new allies. While old-school Transformers fans know all about the Maximals and Optimus Primal, the main villain will also be an old familiar face.
Scourge leads the villains against the Autobots in Transformers Rise of the Beasts. Scourge made his first appearance in the 1986 release, The Transformers: The Movie. He was, at that time, a Decepticon tracker. However, the new movie has changed him into the leader of the Terrorcons. The new movie also seems like it will take inspiration from the animated series Transformers: Robots in Disguise, as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts updates have shown him as a semi-truck similar to Optimus Prime. Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) voices Scourge in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.
In addition to Scourge, the April 2023 trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts confirmed another threat — Unicron. Like Scourge, Unicron is a recurring Transformers villain who has appeared in multiple iterations. In the original Transformers cartoons, Unicron is a planet-sized Cybertronian capable of untold destruction. Judging by the Rise of the Beasts trailer, very little has been changed about this premise. The emergence of Unicron was a central plot point for Transformers: The Last Knight, which canonically takes place after Rise of the Beasts in the timeline. This both raises serious questions about continuity, and how "soft" the "soft reboot" of the live-action Transformers film series actually is.
Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Trailer
The final trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, released in June 2023, shows a lot of never-before-seen footage, including Noah (Anthony Ramos) sitting inside the office of what looks like a law enforcement agency, with someone mentioning a war and needing the big guys' help. It is unclear how all these new scenes play into the story, as it seems that this happens after Noah has met Mirage and the Transformers. It also includes a nice shot of Optimus Prime saying they will fight this war together. The new trailer also shows a good look at some characters not seen much in any other trailer, including Tobe Nwigwe's Reek and Michael Kelly's still unnamed character.
Prior to this, a full trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was released on April 27, 2023, and gave one of the first in-depth looks at what's to come when the Transformers franchise returns to the big screen in June 2023. ThisTransformers 7 trailer contained multiple new shots of Autobots like Arcee, Bumble, Mirage, and of course Optimus Prime and Optimus Primal. The villains of the movie also got more time to shine, and the trailer showed what appeared to be longstanding Transformers canon ultra-threat Unicron. It also hammered home many of the core themes of the upcoming movie, establishing that — for the Autobots — the stakes have never been higher, so much so that even the mighty Optimus Prime appears to be having doubts and a crisis of confidence.
Before then, the most footage seen of the new Transformers movie after 2022's teaser trailer for Rise of the Beasts came in January 2023. An ad during a Super Bowl spot in offered plenty of footage and the first time hearing the new character in Mirage. Voiced by Pete Davidson, Mirage has been placed as a main Autobot hero in the movie, although he previously appeared in the 1980s cartoon series and the Marvel Comics based on the characters. He also appeared in all three chapters of the Transformers: War for Cybertron cartoon on Netflix. Based on the Super Bowl spot, Mirage will replace Bumblebee as the car connected to the human hero.
There are also some new posters that have come out to promote the new Rise of the Beasts movie. These posters give fans a big look at the new and returning Transformers in the movie. Included are 16 different Rise of the Beasts posters, with everyone from the Autobots like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee to the Maximals and Terrorcons. New characters in the posters include Optimus Primal, Airazor, and Scourge.
Is Transformers 7 Connected To Michael Bay's Films?
With so many new elements in Transformers Rise of the Beasts updates, its connections to Michael Bay's five movies are unclear. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is confirmed to build on Bumblebee's continuity, but Michael Bay's Transformers movies are also still considered canon. Since the new film takes place more than a decade before Bay's first Transformers movies, it should have the freedom to avoid directly connecting itself to earlier entries in the franchise. Bumblebee already retconned parts of the mythology he established too, so Transformers 7 could change more about Michael Bay's Transformers movies when it comes out.
While this is not a Michael Bay Transformers movie, Steven Caple Jr. knew that there might not be a better person to talk to about the movie than Bay himself. He decided not to just live on an island to himself, and he went to Bay and asked for his advice concerning Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Just like how he called Sylvester Stallone and Ryan Coogler when he worked on his Creed movie, he also reached out to Bay about this one. "Monday through Friday, I was prepping for the film, and Saturday, Sunday, I was learning a lot from the visual effects supervisor and calls with Michael Bay. He gave hints and tips on how to accomplish certain things, so you‘ve definitely gotta hit those guys up who’ve done it before me. It helps."
