Are you ready for a new Transformers movie? Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is in production now and thanks to a special media event, we know quite a bit about what to expect from the 7th film in the franchise.
If you’re a longtime fan, the title should be a good hint at what’s to come. Rise of the Beasts will introduce Transformers: Beast Wars lore into the live-action films for the first time–meaning there will be robots that transform into animals instead of vehicles. For those that don’t closely follow the various animated incarnations of the property, that shouldn’t seem like too much of a logical leap. After all, we’ve already seen Dinobots in the films.
You won’t get the chance to watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts until 2022, but to get you properly excited for what’s to come, take a look below at everything we know so far about the film.
Who is making the movie?
The film is being directed by Steven Caple Jr., who most recently helmed 2018’s Creed II. He’s also directed episodes of the TV series Grown-ish, as well as the show Class.
The script for Rise of the Beasts comes from Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters, both of whom are making their feature film debut. The project is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto & Don Murphy, Michael Bay, Mark Vahradian, and Duncan Henderson.
Is it filming?
Production on the film has officially begun.
Where in the Transformers movie timeline does it take place?
Rise of the Beasts is set in 1994, placing it 7 years after the events of Bumblebee but a long time before Michael Bay’s first Transformers movie.
Where is it set?
The new film is largely set in New York City, with Brooklyn playing a key role as the home to the human characters. However, the film will also travel to Machu Picchu in Peru.
What’s it about?
Whereas Bumblebee was a much smaller scale film than the rest of the Transformers movies, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura said Rise of the Beasts was a “spectacle,” much like Michael Bay’s installments in the franchise. “We’re going for the full experience that I think our franchise has come to be known for,” he explained.
That spectacle will largely be an Optimus Prime story, according to di Bonaventura. Much like Bumblebee was a platform for that titular robot, Rise of the Beasts will focus heavily on Prime, who is once more voiced by Peter Cullen. “The way we look at it, he’s new to Earth,” the producer explained during the media event. “He doesn’t have a connection to Earth the way we met him in the Bay films and the way we met him in the animation series where he’s already a protector of Earth.”
In this film, he will build that bond with the planet he and his fellow Autobots come to protect. That will no doubt be largely due to the human characters he meets in the film (after all what’s a Transformers movie without robots and humans becoming best friends and saving the world together?).
In doing so, he will come up against a new opposing force. While the Decepticons figure into the movie they aren’t the primary villain. That honor goes to the Terrorcons, a group of animal inspired robots introduced in the original cartoon.
Beyond the Autobots and the Terrorcons, there’s also the Beast Wars influence in the film, which will be heavy.
What is Beast Wars?
The Beast Wars animated series launched in 1996 to promote the line of Transformers toys. The difference between this group of robots and traditional Transformers was that they changed into robotic animals, rather than vehicles. As such, the story didn’t center on Autobots and Decepticons. Instead, it was based on their descendants the Maximals and the Predacons.
The series lasted three seasons and was eventually followed by Beast Machines and a number of comic books.
Which robots are in it?
Now that you have an idea of the story and what including Beast Wars means to the new movie, let’s talk about the robots you’ll be seeing. There are five announced factions in Rise of the Beasts–Autobots, Terrorcons, Decepticons, Maximals, and Predacons. Thus far, though, none of the Decepticons or Predacons have been revealed. So we are going to set those aside. Here are the robots we know so far and what they’ll be transforming into.
Autobots:
- Optimus Prime transforms into a semi-truck, based on his G1 design
- Arcee transforms into a Ducati motorcycle
- Mirage transforms into a Porsche 911
Maximals:
- Optimus Primal transforms into an ape
- Airazor transforms into a bird
- Rhinox transforms into a rhinoceros
Terrorcons:
- Scourge
- Nightbird transforms into a Nissan GT-R
Who are the humans?
Only two human characters have been introduced so far. Elena, played by The Deuce alum Dominique Fishback, is an artifact researcher working in a museum. It will be revealed that her boss has a habit of taking credit for her work and that she’s looking for a way to step out on her own.
The other main character is Noah. He’s played by In the Heights star Anthony Ramos. Noah is a former military member who has returned home to his low-income neighborhood in Brooklyn. He’s a master at repairing electronics, which should give some indication about how we’ll see him bonding with Transformers in the film.
When will it be released?
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hits theaters on June 24, 2022.
