Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Everything We Know So Far
(Updated 06/05/2023)
It’s been a while since we last checked in with the TRANSFORMERS series. The most recent movie, BUMBLEBEE, came out in 2018, while Michael Bay’s final entry, TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT, was released a year earlier. After the events of the last two years, both feel like they're from a different age.
Now, it's time for another big TRANSFORMERS adventure. BUMBLEBEE was a fresh start for the series. Now that continues with TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS. Here’s everything you need to know about the journey of "Beast Wars" from television to the big screen.
When Does Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Come Out?
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS opens exclusively in movie theatres on June 9.
Watch the New Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Trailer
This new RISE OF THE BEASTS trailer sets up the new TRANSFORMERS movie as a midpoint between the wild excess of Michael Bay's movies and the more restrained BUMBLEBEE.
What is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts About?
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS takes place in 1994, and as the trailer shows, the Transformers themselves look more like Generation One Transformers than the Michael Bay versions.
But that doesn’t even get into the "Beast Wars" of it all. TRANSFORMERS has a large multi-generational following. But within that fandom, a special place exists for its computer-animated spinoff, "Beast Wars." Despite a premise that seemed silly at first glance, "Beast Wars" proved to be a surprisingly deep and mature take on the TRANSFORMERS mythos. It developed new and unique ideas while honoring the original.
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has said that in this movie, Prime is "new to Earth. He doesn't have a connection to earth the way he does when we met him in the Bay films and in the animation series, where he's already a protector of Earth. In this film, it's forming why he has a link to humanity and why he has a link to Earth, and that's emotional."
Director Stephen Caple, Jr. has said that the Maximals — more on them in a moment, but they're the animal-shaped robots in the trailer — are "these prehistoric animals that travel through time and space, and we find them here on Earth. They have a familiar enemy."
Who Is in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts?
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS will feature live-action turns from Anthony Ramos, Luna Lauren, Vélez, and Dominique Fishback.
Which Transformers Are in Rise of the Beasts?
This is a more important question!
On the Autobot side, there are many familiar designs. Optimus Prime, in his Freightliner semi-truck version, is voiced by Prime's long-time voice actor, Peter Cullen. Bumblebee returns, of course. And there's the spy Mirage (Pete Davidson), who transforms into a silver-blue Porsche 964, and the mechanic Wheeljack (Cristo Fernández), who transforms into a 1970s Volkswagen Type 2 bus. Liza Koshy voices the commando Arcee, who transforms into a Ducati 916 motorcycle. Finally (for now) there's the cargo-carrying Stratosphere (John DiMaggio).
Then there are the Maximals. Ron Perlman voices Optimus Primal, the leader of the Maximals who transforms into a gorilla, and Michelle Yeoh voices the falcon Airazor. Rhinox, the rhino tech expert, is voiced by David Sobolov. And there's Cheetor, a young Maximal rookie who transforms into — you got it — a cheetah. No voice actor has been revealed for the character yet.
Finally, everyone is fighting the Terrorcons, led by Scourge, voiced by Peter Dinklage. Like Prime, Scourge also transforms into a semi-truck. David Sobolov has a second role as Battletrap, who transforms into an orange 1980s GMC TopKick C7000 tow truck. and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez voices Nightbird, who transforms into a Nissan Skyline GT-R R33. Finally, there's Tobe Nwigwe voicing Reek.
Are the Decepticons in Rise of the Beasts?
Strictly speaking, Decepticons won't be major players in RISE OF THE BEASTS. Lorenzo Di Bonaventura said last year, "We had somewhat exhausted, I would say, the battle between Decepticons and Autobots. Certainly, we’d explored it in a lot of different ways. So, our hope was, how do we find a new set of villains and a new set of priorities for the villains?"
But we don't know how the movie will present the Maximals backstory or what other flashbacks (or flash-forwards) might be shown. The producer also said, "There are Decepticons in this movie, but it’s really the Terrorcons that are the leading villains."
The main villain in RISE OF THE BEASTS, Peter Dinklage's character Scourge, was a Decepticon when originally created for other Transformers media. Here he's the leader of the Terrorcons — and while that group of mean robots may turn out to be tied to the Decepticons, so far nothing has been revealed. So as more is revealed about the movie, however, we might be surprised.
Is Rise of the Beasts Connected to Other Transformers Movies?
RISE OF THE BEASTS is a direct sequel to BUMBLEBEE, so that part of the answer is easy.
As to how this movie is connected to the five movies made by Michael Bay, well, the answer is more tricky. Technically BEASTS and BUMBLEBEE are prequels to the Michael Bay movies. The first Bay movie takes place in 2007. That said, there are many flashbacks throughout the Bay movies, not to mention a general storyline that doesn't make room for BUMBLEBEE — because the latter movie wasn't conceived until a decade after Bay's first TRANSFORMERS!
The short answer is that continuity doesn't matter too much. Even the Bay movies are pretty loose about story continuity from one installment to the next. History is rewritten more than once in Bay's series. The movies are more about enjoying big robot action in the moment rather than setting up a comprehensive Transformers timeline.
Who Made Transformers: Rise of the Beasts?
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS is directed by Steven Caple Jr, whose last big screen effort was CREED II. So you know the fights will be good! And the training montage, if we are lucky enough to get one.
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS opens on June 9.
All images courtesy of Paramount Pictures.