Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Teaser poster
Directed by	Steven Caple Jr.
Screenplay by	Joby Harold Darnell Metayer Josh Peters Erich Hoeber Jon Hoeber
Story by	Joby Harold
Based on	Transformers by Hasbro
Produced by	Don Murphy Tom DeSanto Lorenzo di Bonaventura Michael Bay Mark Vahradian Duncan Henderson
Starring	Anthony Ramos Dominique Fishback Luna Lauren Vélez Tobe Nwigwe
Cinematography	Enrique Chediak
Edited by	Stuart Levy[1] Brett M. Reed
Music by	Jongnic Bontemps
Production companies	Skydance[2] Entertainment One Di Bonaventura Pictures New Republic Pictures[2] Bay Films[3]
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	June 9, 2023 (2023-06-09) (United States)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$200 million[4]

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is an upcoming American science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line and primarily influenced by the Beast Wars storyline. The film is the seventh installment in the Transformers film series and a stand-alone sequel to Bumblebee (2018).^[5] The film is directed by Steven Caple Jr. from a screenplay by Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber, and Jon Hoeber. It will star Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback as well the voice talents of Peter Cullen, Ron Perlman, and Peter Dinklage. The film will center around three factions of Transformers tied to Earth's past. With the setting being in 1994 Brooklyn, New York City, parts of Peru such as Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Tarapoto, San Martín.^[6]

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on June 9, 2023, by Paramount Pictures.

Premise

In the year 1994, a pair of human archaeologists from Brooklyn come into an ancient conflict through a globe-trotting adventure with the Autobots that ties in with three factions of the Transformers race: the Maximals, the Predacons and the Terrorcons.^[7]

Cast

Humans

• Anthony Ramos as Noah Diaz, an ex-military electronics expert who lives with his family in Brooklyn, trying to support them.^[8][9]
• Dominique Fishback as Elena Wallace, an artifact researcher at a museum whose boss keeps taking credit for her work.^[8][10]
• Luna Lauren Vélez as Noah's mother.^[11]
• Tobe Nwigwe as Reek, a companion of Noah and Elena during their global trek.^[12][13][14]

Transformers

• Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobot resistance who transforms into a 1987 Freightliner FLA semi truck.^[15]
• Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal, the leader of the Maximals who transforms into a gorilla.^[3]
• Peter Dinklage as Scourge, the leader of the Terrorcons and a trophy hunter, who transforms into a black Peterbilt 359 logging semi truck.^[16]
• Bumblebee, an Autobot scout who transforms into a modified yellow and black second-generation 1970s Classic Chevrolet Camaro with all-terrain extensions.
• Pete Davidson as Mirage, an Autobot spy who transforms into a silver-blue Porsche 964.^[16][17] and can project virtual reality images of himself.
• Liza Koshy as Arcee, a Female Autobot commando who transforms into a red-white Ducati 916 motorcycle.^[12]
• Cristo Fernández as Wheeljack, an Autobot scientist and mechanic who transforms into a brown and white 1970s Volkswagen Type 2 panel bus.^[12]
• John DiMaggio as:
  • Stratosphere, an Autobot Air-Soldier who transforms into a cargo plane, that provides transportation for the Autobots in their global adventure.^[12]
  • Transit, a Transformer of an unknown faction that transforms into a School bus.^[18]
• Michelle Yeoh as Airazor, a Maximal who transforms into a peregrine falcon.^[16][17]
• Cheetor, a Maximal rookie who transforms into a cheetah.
• David Sobolov as:
  • Rhinox, a Maximal tech expert and second in command who transforms into a rhinoceros.^[16]
  • Battletrap, a Terrorcon who transforms into an orange 1980s GMC TopKick C7000 tow truck.^[19]
• Michaela Jaé Rodriguez as Nightbird, a Female Terrorcon who transforms into a Nissan Skyline GT-R R33.^[16][20]

Production

Development

In December 2018, when asked about the future of the Transformers franchise, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura stated that another big Transformers movie "would be produced and that it would be "different than the ones that we've done before". He described the process as more of an "evolution", saying that there is more freedom to create and what they can do with it. After the success of Bumblebee, he acknowledged that the series will make some changes in tone and style, inspired by the film.^[21]

Director Travis Knight said his goal was to return to his animation studio Laika,^[22] though he acknowledged that he has a few ideas for a Bumblebee sequel.^[23] John Cena expressed interest in reprising his role in a sequel.^[24] Writer Christina Hodson said that "[she] knows where [she wants] to go with the next one".^[25] In late January 2019, a sequel was announced, due to the film's international box office performance.^[26] In March, di Bonaventura confirmed they were developing a script for a Bumblebee sequel.^[27]

In January 2020, Paramount Pictures was reportedly working on two different Transformers films, one written by James Vanderbilt and another written by Joby Harold.^[28] In November, Steven Caple Jr. was hired to direct Harold's script.^[29] On February, it was revealed that the film was going under the working title Transformers: Beast Alliance, hinting the introduction of characters from the Beast Wars franchise.^[30]

During a virtual event held by Paramount in June, di Bonaventura and Caple revealed the official title as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (revealing to be both a Bumblebee sequel and Beast Wars film in one),^[5] and confirming that it would feature the Terrorcons, the Maximals, and the Predacons.^[2] The visual effects for the Transformers and Beast Wars characters were provided by the Moving Picture Company, rather than Industrial Light and Magic from the previous installments.^[31] The film's tone and action were heavily influenced by Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).^[32]

Casting

(top): Peter Cullen, Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage and Pete Davidson provide the voices for Optimus Prime, Optimus Primal, Scourge and Mirage.
(bottom): Michelle Yeoh, John DiMaggio, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez and Liza Koshy voices Airazor, Stratosphere and Transit, Nightbird and Arcee.

In April 2021, Anthony Ramos was cast for the lead role in the film.^[33] Later that month, Dominique Fishback was cast opposite Ramos.^[34] It was also revealed that Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters had been hired to rewrite Harold's screenplay.^[34] Ultimately, Harold, Metayer, Peters, along with Erich and Jon Hoeber received screenplay credit, with Harold solely receiving story credit, while Ken Nolan, Tony Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor, and Vanderbilt received "additional literary material" credit off-screen.^[35]

In June, actress Lauren Vélez revealed that she has a role in the sequel.^[36] In the same month, Peter Cullen was confirmed to return as Optimus Prime for the film,^[5] and Ron Perlman was announced to be reprising his role as Optimus Primal from the Power of the Primes web series a week later.^[3] In July, Tobe Nwigwe revealed that he had a role in the film.^[37] In October 2022, Caple Jr. revealed that Michelle Yeoh and Pete Davidson will voice Airazor and Mirage, respectively, in the film.^[17]

On December 1, 2022, additional members of the voice cast were announced, consisting of Peter Dinklage as the film's antagonist Scourge, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez as the female Terrorcon Nightbird, Liza Koshy and Cristo Fernández as Arcee and Wheeljack, replacing both Grey DeLisle and Steve Blum from Bumblebee and returning voice actors John DiMaggio and David Sobolov from previous installments in newer roles.^[19] DiMaggio voices both Stratosphere, an Autobot that originated from the toyline of Revenge of the Fallen and the Dark of the Moon video game from 2009-2011, and Transit, a Transformer that turns into a School Bus.^[19][38] While Sobolov, being the sole cast member from the Beast Wars animated series voices both the Maximal Rhinox and the Terrorcon Battletrap.^[39][19]

Caple revealed that more members of the voice cast will be revealed in the coming months and expressed interest to bring Mahershala Ali to provide voice work.^[40]

Filming

Principal photography began on June 7, 2021, in Los Angeles.^[41] Filming also took place at Machu Picchu,^[5] Montreal^[42] and Brooklyn. On October 20, it was announced that filming had officially wrapped.^[43]

Music

Jongnic Bontemps will provide the film's score, after previously working with Caple on his directorial debut, The Land. Bontemps is the first person of color to compose for a live-action Transformers film, and the third composer in the series after Steve Jablonsky and Dario Marianelli.^[44]

Release

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on June 9, 2023, by Paramount Pictures. The film was delayed from its initial release date of June 24, 2022.^[45]

Marketing

Paramount showed some footage from the film at their Cinemacon presentation in April 2022.^[46] A teaser trailer was released on December 1, 2022.^[47] During an interview with BET, Caple discusses on him handpicking the trailer's song, a remix of Juicy by The Notorious B.I.G. due to the album, Ready to Die released during the period of the film's setting, that captures the feeling of New York as suggested by both Ramos and Fishback.^[48] The teaser trailer on YouTube broke records in its first 24 hours with 238 million views in Paramount's history, topping a record that was previously held by Top Gun Maverick, and 494 Million views and impressions on social media sites like Twitter and TikTok, surpassing the view count of different trailers for other films released in the same week such as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Super Mario Bros Movie, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.^[49]

Future

In February 2022, the film was announced to be the first entry of three new installments in the Transformers series.^[50][51]

References

External links

• Official website
• Transformers: Rise of the Beasts at IMDb