Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has seemingly finished a key stage of its filming with director Steven Caple Jr (whose past credits include The Land and Creed II) putting out a social media post showing off a very impressive looking Optimus Prime alongside a simple caption: “That’s a wrap.”
Rise of the Beasts, due in June 2022, is the seventh movie in the live-action Transformers series, and will release 15 years after the Michael Bay directed debut instalment, 2007’s Transformers. It is said to be a sequel to 2018’s Bumblebee, which was set in the 1980s, and its action will take place in the year 1994. Autobot leader Optimus Prime was barely featured in Bumblebee, but is set to assume a larger role in Rise of the Beasts, and this new glimpse of the ‘bot’s truck mode is impressive. I mean, there’s no denying it: that is Optimus Prime.
No doubt this Optimus is, again, much closer to his 'G1' incarnation of the 1980s comics and cartoons than the flame-clad brute of the Bay movies (check out this toy for an idea of his robot mode). He'll be voiced, as is largely standard with Optimus Prime performances, by Peter Cullen, the same actor who brought the character to life in the '80s. As with all Transformers movies, much of the robot action in Rise of the Beasts will be generated with computer graphics - so this “wrap” will mean the on-location filming and the practical effects, with studio and post-production work to come.
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Whereas previous Transformers movies have focused on the factions of the Autobots and (Megatron-led) Decepticons, Rise of the Beasts will feature the Maximals, Predacons and Terrorcons, names which will be familiar to fans of the Transformers’ Beast Wars line. Yep, that means robot animals are on the cards, with Ron Perlman voicing the ape-like Optimus Primal and Rhinox and Cheetor set to appear. I’m sure you can work out their animal modes… right?
Human characters in Rise of the Beasts include ex-military man Noah, played by Hamilton star Anthony Ramos, and museum scientist Elena, who’s played by Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah, Project Power). Other robotic characters across the various factions include the Autobots Mirage, Arcee, Wheeljack and Bumblebee, and the Terrorcons Scourge and Nightbird. Scourge, in a lot of Transformers media, appears like an evil Optimus Prime (albeit not Nemesis Prime, who’s a whole other character), and does indeed have a truck mode in Rise of the Beasts.
The original, animated The Transformers: The Movie of 1986 is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2021 with a fancy new box set (which I may have bought, because how can you not?). Remind yourself of how cool that oh-so-’80s film is (c’mon, give it the respect it deserves), with the 30th anniversary trailer below (cos it seems they’ve not bothered with a new 35th anniversary trailer, for shame).
Topics: TV And Film, Transformers