Transformers Rise of the Beasts updates include a look inside the movie’s cast, its release date, story details, and how it is connected to the overall Transformers franchise. Paramount launched the Transformers film series based on Hasbro’s iconic toys in 2007 with Michael Bay directing and Shia LaBeouf’s Sam Witwicky in the lead. After five entries in the main franchise (the latter two led by Mark Wahlberg), it was decided to take the Autobots in a new direction that will continue in Transformers 7. Most notably, the new Transformers movie will draw from the Beast Wars cartoon for the first time.
After the disappointment of Transformers: The Last Knight, Paramount used Bumblebee as a soft reboot for the Transformers franchise. With a small budget and focus, the movie was a hit, with Hailee Steinfeld as the new lead. Bumblebee gave the studio confidence to continue the franchise forward. Beast Wars resurrected the original Transformers cartoon, and Paramount is hoping it will do the same for the movies, with Transformers 7 adding Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons into the mix. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and how it carries on the legacy of Beast Wars.
The Latest Transformers: Rise of the Beasts News
There were Transformers Rise of the Beasts updates during the Super Bowl in January, and they came in the form of a new character in Mirage. Voiced by Pete Davidson, Mirage is a new Autobot hero in the movie, although he previously appeared in the 1980s cartoon series and the Marvel Comics based on the characters. He also appeared in all three chapters of the Transformers: War for Cybertron cartoon on Netflix. Based on the Super Bowl spot, Mirage will replace Bumblebee as the car connected to the human hero.
So, he is Mirage? He is a complicated Autobot, one who often clashes with his fellow heroes on who is right and wrong in the war with the Decepticons. He has even been considered a Decepticon sympathizer at times, even though he has complete loyalty to Optimus Prime. He also has powers and can create illusions and make himself invisible at times to avoid enemies. He also was a high society class member on Cybertron, but that is likely to change with Davidson voicing him.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Cast
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts updates indicate the human cast is led by Anthony Ramos (Hamilton), who plays an ex-military family man named Noah. Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah) is the second main human character, and she’ll play an artifact researcher named Elena. Luna Lauren Vélez (Dexter) has also been cast in an undisclosed role. All in all, the human cast for Transformers 7 is pretty scant, with a few credited extra roles here and there. However, the roster for new Transformers is quite large, with some old fan-favorite joining in on the fun as well.
In addition to the human characters that have become staples of the Transformers franchise, a lineup of Autobots both old and new will be featured. Peter Cullen returns to voice Optimus Prime in his G1 design, and Bumblebee is of course once again a key character. Mirage, voiced by SNL’s Pete Davidson, is back with a brand-new design, closer to his G1 origins. Arcee also returns, with Liza Koshy (Work It) lending her voice to the character. Wheeljack will also be back, and will be voiced by Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso).
Alongside these Transformers Rise of the Beasts updates is a slew of new Transformers. Nightbird, who will be played by Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose), will be on the Terrorcon side, along with the new big bad villain Scourge (Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones). Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once) will play the Maximal Airazor, and the Maximal Cheetor has been revealed, but no voice actor has been named. The Maximal Rhinox is also in the movie, with David Sobolov voicing him alongside the Terrorcon Battletrap. Finally, the leader of the Maximals, Optimus Primal, will be voiced by none other than Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy).
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Story Details
The announcement of the next movie came with the Transformers Rise of the Beasts updates of its title: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The title is a direct reference to the film adapting the fan-favorite storyline from the Transformers mythos, Beast Wars. This originally referred to a time 300 years after the original Transformers animated show when Autobots and Decepticons were no longer around, and animal-themed Transformers known as Maximals and Predacons took center stage. For Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the emergence of these Transformers, along with Terrorcons, will come in 1994 for a story that starts out based in Brooklyn, New York.
The story will follow a pair of archeologists from Brooklyn, Noah, and Elena, as they get involved with the new Transformer factions: the Maximals, the Predacons, and the Terrorcons. Beyond this premise, however, much of the Rise of the Beasts story remains a mystery.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Release Date
The prequel/sequel Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is officially set to hit theaters on June 9, 2023. Transformers 7 was originally announced with a summer 2022 release date, which appeared easy to hit with production starting in the middle of 2020. Paramount later announced the movie’s release date was delayed, with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts now scheduled for June 9, 2023. This will be five years after Bumblebee was released, so audiences could be quite ready for more Transformers movies by then — especially one that changes up the core formula as much as the Beast Wars adaptation already promises.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Trailer
The new Transformers Rise of the Beasts updates in the trailer reveal a lot about the upcoming movie. The Rise of the Beasts trailer starts with Optimus Prime meeting Optimus Primal, a giant mechanized gorilla, the latter of whom warns the Autobot that there is an impending threat from their past and their future. After revealing Bumblebee, the trailer then takes to the streets to see that Noah’s car, Mirage, has taken complete control and leads him on a wild police chase, complete with decoy holograms. Audiences then get a glimpse of Cheetor, Airazor, and Arcee in action.
Finally, a battle with the new big bad named Scourge is shown, which also sees the Maximal Rhinox in beast form. An all-out battle sequence between the Transformers takes up the last leg of the trailer, promising audiences with the same nail-biting action sequences that they’re used to from the Transformers franchise. Finally, people get a glimpse of Elena, who, through all of this, is trying to remind herself that it’s real.
Is Transformers 7 Connected to Michael Bay’s Films?
With so many new elements in Transformers Rise of the Beasts updates, its connections to Michael Bay’s five movies are unclear. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is confirmed to build on Bumblebee‘s continuity, but Michael Bay’s Transformers movies are also still considered canon. Since the new film takes place more than a decade before Bay’s first Transformers movies, it should have the freedom to avoid directly connecting itself to earlier entries in the franchise. Bumblebee already retconned parts of the mythology he established too, so Transformers 7 could change more about Michael Bay’s Transformers movies when it comes out.
