According to producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will showcase Optimus Prime like never before.
Speaking with TotalFilm, Bonaventura promised that the upcoming film will feature the Autobots' leader in a way previous Transformer films didn't by giving both Optimus Prime and the main human characters proper story arcs. By expanding on their respective arcs, Bonaventura believes Rise of the Beasts will provide a new experience for fans of the Transformers franchise. "The primary thing that’s happening is both humans have more agency than they’ve ever had in any of our movies. And they both have character arcs," he said. "At the same time, which we’ve never done, we have a character arc for Optimus Prime. And those character arcs are in conflict until they’re in unity. That’s a different experience for a Transformers fan."
Rise of the Beasts is the seventh film in the Transformers franchise and serves as a standalone sequel to 2018's Bumblebee. Heavily influenced by the Beast Wars storyline, the latest sequel is set in 1994, with two Brooklyn archeologists embroiled in an ancient conflict thanks to a globetrotting adventure with Optimus and the Autobots. The conflict ties in with three factions of the Transformers race including the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons.
Optimus Prime Takes on the Maximals in Rise of the Beasts
Peter Cullen reprises his role as the voice of Optimus Prime, having played the character in every live-action film since the original Transformers in 2007. As the leader of the Autobot resistance, Optimus underwent a few notable shifts throughout the series, most notably in 2017's The Last Knight when he turned to the dark side, becoming Nemesis Prime after his brain was corrupted by Quintessa. In Bumblebee, Optimus joined forces with the titular Autobot scout as he battled the Decepticons on Cybertron, later escaping the planet.
Bumblebee returns for Rise of the Beasts. Along with Cullen as Optimus Prime, the film stars Pete Davidson as Mirage, John DiMaggio as Stratosphere, Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal, David Sobolov as Rhinox, and Michelle Yeoh as Airazor, among others. Rise of the Beasts also stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, who star as Noah Diaz and Elena Wallace, respectively. Grammy-nominated singer Tobechukwu "Tobe" Nwigwe plays Reek, Noah and Elena's companion throughout their eventual mission, while Lauren Vélez stars as Noah's mother.
Directed by Steven Caple Jr., Rise of the Beasts is intended to be the first in a new trilogy of Transformers films, with an eighth and ninth film likely to continue the story established in the newest film. Rise of the Beasts is set between the events of 2018's Bumblebee, which is meant to be a soft-reboot, and Michael Bay's original live-action movies. Bay serves as a producer on Rise of the Beasts.
Rise of the Beasts opens in theaters on June 9.
Source: TotalFilm