Transformers: Earthspark continues the saga of the robots in disguise in Paramount+'s new animated series. The first 10 episodes of Transformers: Earthspark premiere exclusively on Paramount+ today, November 11, in the United States. The series will air on Nickelodeon in other territories, allowing the world over to enjoy even more Transformers.
Set in the same canon as the original Transformers cartoon in the 1980s, Transformers: Earthspark brings the story of the Autobots and the Decepticons to the present day. But the twist is that Earthspark introduces Twitch (Kathreen Khavari) and Thrash (Zeno Robinson), the first Autobots born on Earth, who are called Terrans. Twitch and Thrash become bonded with the Malto family, and Optimus Prime (Alan Tudyk) assigns Bumblebee (Danny Pudi) to train the Terrans as Transformers.
Screen Rant attended the red carpet premiere of Transformers: Earthspark and interviewed the cast and creators of the animated series. Watch the interviews and read sample quotes below:
The Cast And Executive Producers Talk About Transformers: Earthspark
Danny Pudi (Bumblebee)
Screen Rant: Tell me about your version of Bumblebee.
Danny Pudi: I'm basically doing my own voice and using my own experiences as a dad and as a mentor, and putting it into this new generation of Transformers where Bumblebee has to be a mentor towards the next generation. So it's pretty cool. I just get to be myself. I tried to put on some different voices, and they were like, "Just be you. Just be you, Danny." Which is cool.
Cissy Jones (Elita-1)
Elita-1 is a classic O.G. character. Can you tell me about your version of her?
Cissy Jones: Oh my gosh, I'm so excited about her. She's fun, and she's funny, and she's not afraid to laugh a little bit along the way. Which kind of makes me love her all that much more. She gets things done but she also knows how to have a good time.
Sydney Mikayla (Robby Malto)
You play one of the new human characters on the show. Tell me about your character.
Sydney Mikayla: Robby is a kid who's a little bit disgruntled. He doesn't really want to move from his hometown of Philly, and he's really missing his friends. But he goes to Witwicky and he meets these Earthborn Transformers named Terrans. It really changes him. You guys are really gonna see his character arc. He goes from this kid who doesn't feel like he belongs to now feeling like he has a family. Just finding that feeling of belonging.
Zion Broadnax (Mo Malto)
Who is your favorite Transformer?
Zion Brodnax: Favorite? I'm going to have to choose Bumblebee because he's always there. "I'm gonna make sure everything's okay." And he's a classic, so I choose Bumblebee.
Kathreen Khavari (Twitch)
You play one of the new characters in Transformers: Earthspark. Can you tell me about your character?
Kathreen Khavari: Twitch is a new robot. She's a Terran. And she's really excited to be a Transformers robot. She's sort of trying to learn her way around the whole world, and learn about how to transform into her alt mode. She's really excited to be here. She's also trying to learn how to be a human being. Having these emotions she's not really familiar with. She's got a lot to figure out [with] two different worlds.
Zeno Robinson (Thrash)
You play one of the new Transformers on the show. Tell me about him.
Zeno Robinson: Thrash is what's called a Terran. They were born on Earth. It's a new type of Transformers robot. He's fun, he's rambunctious, he's kind of the wild card of the family. He immediately becomes bonded to Robby and Mo, along with his sister, Twitch. They were born together, Thrash and Twitch. They immediately become bonded and become this wonderful family that looks out for each other.
Jon Jon Briones (Alex Malto)
Tell me about your character. He's one of the human characters on the show.
Jon Jon Briones: This reintroduction of the franchise features a family. Prominently, of course, are the two kids, Robby and Mo. And we are the parents, myself and Benni [Lantham]. Alex Malto is a professor, but he is also a very avid fan and very knowledgeable when it comes to Autobots and the Transformers' world.
Martha Marion (Arcee)
Arcee is awesome. She debuted in Transformers: The Movie, the original animated film. What's it like playing this iconic character?
Martha Marion: First of all, I was extremely excited when I learned I was playing this character, and then how she's been adapted for this show. She's sort of small but mighty, like me. Especially as a person who loves to do a lot of comedy, she's got huge heart and huge exuberance. And not always the best decision-making impulses. So it's awesome playing this character, and playing into the comedy, and the heart, and the love, and the adventure.
Michael T. Downey (Wheeljack)
Obviously, Peter Cullen is legendary as Optimus Prime. Have you heard Alan Tudyk's version?
Michael T. Downey: It is on point. It is so good. He brings so much to the character. Of course, Peter Cullen will always be part of the Transformers family. He's doing something else in the Transformers family right now. But Alan is bringing some really, really neat stuff to Optimus. I think people are going to be really excited to hear him.
Sean Kenin Reyes (Soundwave)
Soundwave has probably the most distinctive voice of any of the Transformers. Tell me about your take on his voice.
Sean Kenin Reyes: Well, I'd done some work with the people at Venom. Venom 1 and Venom 2. I'd done some promo work for them doing international promos as Venom. That voice took a lot to learn and get down. It's also a [does the voice] very low voice in that area. So it became something that I was practicing every day, and when I auditioned for this, I was like, "I wonder if they want to go in that direction for it?" It became something I got to do not just in my closet at home but for the show.
Dale Malinowski (Co-Executive Producer)
Megatron is a good guy in the show. Can we ever really trust Megatron?
Dale Malinowski: I feel that we absolutely can. When we were developing Megatron's story arc, we went back to where he started, which was in alliance with Optimus Prime back on Cybertron. So, as a leader, he throughout time and history, adapted his philosophy and his strategy to achieve the goal that he was after. So we were thinking, there's no reason that couldn't happen again as long as he stays true to who he is and what he's after.
Ant Ward (Co-Executive Producer)
What about Transformers: Earthspark makes it different from other Transformers movies and TV shows?
Ant Ward: It's a whole new adventure with a whole new group of bots. We're introducing the Terran bots, who were born on Earth. The war is over between the Autobots and the Decepticons, so it's peacetime. It's wonderful taking those iconic characters and putting them into a whole new scenario and set up.