Transformers 7, now officially titled Rise of the Beasts, will see the return of Optimus Prime with a new G1-inspired design. Though Michael Bay’s Transformers films were titans at the box office, they drew some criticism for their overly complicated CGI robot designs, which strayed significantly from the characters’ classic looks. That issue was fixed in 2018’s Bumblebee, and it sounds like Optimus Prime will now be getting a new G1 treatment in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which will be directed by Steven Caple, Jr.
As the name implies, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will adapt elements of the Transformers: Beast Wars cartoon, bringing new factions to the live-action franchise like the Predacons, Maximals, and Terrorcons. The film will be set in 1994, placing it midway between Bumblebee, which was set in 1987, and Bay’s modern-set films. From what’s been announced, it seems that the new film will pull heavily from Bumblebee’s (slightly) smaller-scale, retro-styled approach, rather than the blockbuster bombast of the Bay films. For old-school Transformers fans, that’s great news.
As part of Transformers 7’s loyalty to the old days, the film will feature a new look for Optimus Prime inspired by the character’s original G1 design. Paramount has also announced that Peter Cullen, who voiced Optimus in the original cartoon and throughout Bay’s films, will reprise his role in Rise of the Beasts. According to the studio, the new movie will explore more of the Optimus Prime character, including how and why he decided to start fighting alongside humanity.
After Transformers: The Last Knight was met with dismal reviews and a drastically diminished box office performance compared to its predecessors, it seemed that most moviegoers had gotten their fill of the franchise. Despite that apparent burnout, 2018’s Bumblebee managed to restore interest in the series, earning high praise for its more contained story and similarities to the original Transformers cartoon. Knowing that the film is continuing from where Bumblebee left off, Rise of the Beasts has a lot of potential. And bringing back an old-school version of Optimus Prime is another big step in the right direction.
According to Paramount, the Rise of the Beasts Optimus design will be somewhat new, but it will presumably stay pretty close to the character’s look in Bumblebee, which itself pulled heavily from G1. Bumblebee even featured a peek at Optimus in disguise as a semi-truck on Earth, which once again stayed very true to his original cartoon appearance. If Transformers: Rise of the Beasts can continue the goodwill of Bumblebee by paying homage to the franchise’s heyday, while also introducing new and exciting action, Transformers could be heading back to the top of the box office.
Source: Paramount