Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the next live-action Transformers movie, but is it connected to Michael Bay's Transformers universe? The upcoming entry in the franchise is directed by Steven Caple Jr. and stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback. It will feature the return of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, who have been central to the series since it began. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is also where the Beast Wars story is finally brought to life, but how it connects to previous movies is already under question.

Paramount kicked off its Transformers universe in 2007 with the release of Michael Bay's action blockbuster starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. He stayed with the series for five movies that became wildly successful at the box office. Although LaBeouf eventually exited the series, Mark Wahlberg stepped in to lead two entries in the franchise. Bay's Transformers movies were rarely critical hits, but they did become quite popular around the world and established a complicated history for the Autobots and Decepticons. There were plans for Bay's franchise to continue beyond Transformers: The Last Knight, so is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts related to his films?

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Early details on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts place the movie's events during 1994. This is years before Bay's Transformers movies take place. The decision to set Rise of the Beasts in the past was done so it could build off the most recent entry in the franchise, just not one Bay was involved in. 2018's Bumblebee served as a soft reboot of the franchise, as it gave Bumblebee an origin story. The movie followed the yellow Transformer after he arrived on Earth in 1987 and forged a bond with Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld). It is confirmed that Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is tied to Bumblebee's continuity.

Transformers Rise of the Beasts and Optimus Primal

As for how Transformers: Rise of the Beasts connects to Michael Bay's franchise, producers for the upcoming movie have stated that they chose the 1994 setting to avoid his Transformers movies. The Bay-era stories are still considered canon, as far as we know, but it is a very loose canon at this point. Like any prequel in a larger franchise, Bumblebee retconned previously established details about the series' events. It changed the Transformers' history on Earth, including when Optimus Prime first came to the planet in Bumblebee's post-credits scene. A similar approach to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts would mean that it can exist in the same universe as Bay's Transformers, even if it has the liberty to make some changes to the mythology.

Saying that Transformers: Rise of the Beasts exists in Michael Bay's Transformers universe is one thing, but will the movie actually connect to the future storylines in some way? It has been said that the movie will explain Optimus Prime's connection to humanity and why he became a protector of the planet. However, Paramount and Hasbro have separated themselves from Bay's franchise a bit with the Bumblebee soft reboot. He isn't involved in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts either, so any connections to the original five-film franchise might be minor.

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