Jump to content

Transformers One

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Rtkat3 (talk | contribs) at 14:57, 26 July 2024. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the upcoming film. For the 2007 live-action film, see Transformers (film). For the 1986 animated film, see The Transformers: The Movie.
Transformers One
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJosh Cooley
Written by
  • Andrew Barrer
  • Gabriel Ferrari
Based onTransformers
by Hasbro
Produced by
Starring
Music byBrian Tyler
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Transformers One is an upcoming American animated science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line. Directed by Josh Cooley, the ensemble voice cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm. The film depicts the origins and early relationship of Optimus Prime and Megatron and how they forever changed the fate of Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers. It is the franchise's first theatrical animated feature film since The Transformers: The Movie (1986).

In March 2015, following the release of Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Paramount Pictures tasked Akiva Goldsman to set up a writers' room to create ideas for potential future Transformers films. By May 2015, the writing duo of Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari had signed on as writers, and they came up with the idea of an animated prequel that would be set on Cybertron. The film was announced in August 2017, and by April 2020, Cooley had been hired to direct. Animation services were provided by Industrial Light & Magic, and Brian Tyler composed the score.

Transformers One is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on September 20, 2024.

Premise

An origin story set on the planet Cybertron centering around the history of the Transformers race and the relationship between two Cybertronian workers named Orion Pax and D-16 as they go from brothers-in-arms to archenemies as Optimus Prime and Megatron.[2]

Voice cast

Main article: List of Transformers film series cast and characters

Production

Development

Following the release of Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Paramount Pictures tasked Akiva Goldsman, who would later serve as a co-story writer for Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), in March 2015 to work with the film franchise's director, Michael Bay, executive producer, Steven Spielberg, and producer, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, in setting up a "writers' room" to create ideas for potential future Transformers films and spin-off films.[5] After setting up the writer's room, multiple writers were hired to write future installments in the franchise. According to Goldsman, the team would look at various Transformers media created by Hasbro for inspiration; if they found one that interested them, they could submit a treatment, which would then be further developed by the whole team.[6] In late May, the writing team of Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari signed on as writers. According to Deadline Hollywood, one of the ideas that came from the writer's room had the working title Transformers One[7] and would serve as an animated prequel focusing on the Autobot–Decepticon conflict that began on Cybertron.[8][9]

In August 2017, it was reported that an animated Transformers film was officially in the works.[10] Following the release of Bumblebee (2018), di Bonaventura discussed the animated film, clarifying that it was "in the works" and would "tell the whole Cybertron mythology".[11] Bumblebee director Travis Knight additionally expressed interest in the film.[12][13]

Director Josh Cooley

In April 2020, it was reported that former Pixar animator and writer Josh Cooley had been hired to direct the film and was overseeing the script by Barrer and Ferrari. Hasbro Entertainment and Paramount Animation would produce the film.[14] In February 2022, it emerged that the film would be computer-animated.[15] In December 2022, the title was reported to be Transformers: A New Generation, though di Bonaventura later stated in April 2023 that the title had yet to be finalized.[16][17] Later that month, at CinemaCon, the title was officially confirmed as Transformers One.[3] di Bonaventura stated that the plot will center around the origins of the Transformers, and explore the events that lead Optimus and Megatron to go from being brothers-in-arms to becoming enemies.[18] In May, Deadline Hollywood reported that Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman contributed to the screenplay.[19]

Writing

When Cooley first joined the project, Hasbro gave him a bible that covered the lore for the entire franchise.[20] The film's events are set 3 billion years before the live-action film's.[21] Cooley wanted to capture an "epic quality" and grand scale for the film and used the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie and the 1965 novel Dune as points of reference.[22] As there are no human characters in Transformers One as they are in previous films in the franchise, Cooley and the team aimed to "inject more comedy and humanity" into the Transformers themselves. They wanted to make sure that the characters had enough humor and emotion to carry the story on their own.[22] The film depicts how the Transformers gained the ability to transform, an idea Cooley found appealing. He felt that there was fun in seeing the characters learn and adapt to their new powers.[22]

The relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron and the tragedy of their falling out is the emotional core of the film. For Cooley, it was important to show that Megatron was not just a villain. He wanted people who had no knowledge of Transformers to come into the film and not be able to immediately pick up who was going to be good or bad.[20] He took inspiration from several famous brothers-turned-enemies stories from across pop culture when crafting the arc.[23] An original idea for the film was to depict Megtron as a gladiator and have him and Optimus Prime come from different backgrounds. Due to runtime constraints, that idea was scrapped in favour of having the two be bunkmates working as miners instead.[24]

Casting and voice recording

Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry voice Optimus Prime and Megatron.

The voice cast of the film was announced at CinemaCon in April 2023, consisting of Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry as younger versions of Optimus Prime and Megatron, respectively, alongside Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm, and Laurence Fishburne headlining.[3] In April 2024, Steve Buscemi, who had previously voiced Daytrader in The Last Knight, was cast as the film's antagonist, Starscream.[1][25][4] Cooley desired to get a voice cast as impressive as that of The Transformers: The Movie.[23]

Transformers One marks Hemsworth's first animated feature film. The actor joined the project after being impressed with the screenplay.[26] Hemsworth made efforts to not use his regular speaking voice for Optimus Prime.[26] Many of Hemsworth's lines in the film were "riff offs" from what the filmmakers wrote, bringing his charisma and comedy to them. From a fan's point of view, di Bonaventura felt important to respect Cullen's performance while not bringing him back to ensure the audience felt Prime's youth, leading to Hemsworth's casting, who surprised di Bonaventura with his "very strong sense of story".[27] Cooley's desire to harken back to the chattier version of Bumblebee seen in other Transformers media influenced Key's casting, who he had worked with before when directing Pixar's Toy Story 4 (2019).[22] Cooley requested that Key stay close to his regular speaking voice for Bumblebee.[28]

Animation and design

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), who had provided the visual effects for the first six live-action Transformers installments, returned to provide the animation for the film.[29] Cooley directed the studio to create a visual style for the film that was realistic enough to be believable while still looking like it was crafted by human hands.[20]

The designs of the Transformers were heavily influenced by those of the original 1980s animated television series. Cooley said, "They’re really clear and have these great silhouettes. It was important to hit that."[20] In order to make the Transformers feel more human and for the audiences to better connect, the team at ILM was instructed to make them more emotive with their faces and character animation.[30] Measures applied to ensure this included making sure their faces were not covered all of the time and making their eyes more expressive.[22] Cooley felt a grand sense of scale was essential to the Transformers brand. As there are no humans in the film to use as a scale reference, the team looked to the planet of Cybertron instead and aimed to make it feel larger than life.[31]

Music

In May 2024, it was announced that Brian Tyler, who had previously provided the score for the animated television series Transformers: Prime (2010–2013), would compose the score for Transformers One.[32]

Release

Transformers One screened as a work-in-progress at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 10, 2024.[33][34] At the end of the screening, the film received a standing ovation, with audience and social media reactions reportedly being positive.[34] The film is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on September 20, 2024.[35] It was originally scheduled to be released on July 19, 2024,[36] but was initially delayed to September 13,[19] before shifting a week later to avoid competition with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.[35][37]

Marketing

The first trailer for Transformers One was released online on April 18, 2024.[38] It featured a custom introduction from Hemsworth and Henry, and incorporated the song "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones.[38][39] It made its debut via a spacecraft that was launched 125,000 feet above the Earth.[38] Brian Welk of IndieWire felt that the film looked to have appeal for both younger audiences and longtime Transformers fans.[40] Alex Billington of FirstShowing.net found the trailer amusing and felt that the film had promise, though he opined that it seemed to be more geared towards younger audiences than compared to previous Transformers films.[41] Eric Diaz of Nerdist commented that the incorporation of "Start Me Up" gave the film "a very 2000s DreamWorks Animation vibe."[39] A second trailer debuted at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, 2024.[31]

Future

In April 2023, di Bonaventura stated that there is discussion for Transformers One to become a trilogy of films.[18] By June, he confirmed that the story is mapped out to progress over three movies, detailing the progression of the characters into their depiction in the live-action film series. The producer explained that Hemsworth's depiction will grow into the leader depicted in the previous installments, stating that the transition from Hemsworth's voice to Peter Cullen's will make sense within the story.[42]

References

  1. ^ a b Gardner, Chris (April 11, 2024). "Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Brian Tyree Henry Debut Origin Story 'Transformers One'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "Synopsis". Transformers One official website. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Rubin, Rebecca (April 27, 2023). "Transformers Animated Prequel Sets Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and More Voice Cast". Variety. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  4. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony; Grobar, Matt; Sitek, Natalie (July 25, 2024). "Transformers One Ignites Comic-Con With Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry & Keegan-Michael Key: How Two Best Friends Became Immortal Enemies". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 27, 2015). "Paramount Enlisting Akiva Goldsman To Ramp Up 'Transformers' Output". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  6. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 4, 2015). "Akiva Goldsman Explains Transformers Writers Room As Paramount Adds Scribe Pair". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  7. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 27, 2015). "Ant-Man Scribes Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari Join Transformers Writers Room: Cybertron Pic In Offing?". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  8. ^ Myers, Maddy (September 17, 2015). "Transformers Films Getting Animated Spin-Off". The Mary Sue. Abrams Media. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  9. ^ Fischer, Russ (September 17, 2015). "Michael Bay In Talks For Transformers 5; Animated Cybertron Origin Movie Confirmed". /Film. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  10. ^ Lovett, Jamie (August 6, 2017). "New Transformers Animated Movie Is In The Works". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  11. ^ Wakeman, Gregory (December 20, 2018). "Will there be a Bumblebee 2? What's the future for the Transformers universe? Here's what its producer told us". Metro New York. Metro International. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  12. ^ Fiduccia, Christopher (December 28, 2018). "Animated Transformers Movie to Explore the History of Cybertron". Screen Rant. Valnet, Inc. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  13. ^ Scott, Ryan (December 26, 2018). "Animated Transformers Cybertron Movie in the Works". MovieWeb. Watchr Media. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  14. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 30, 2020). "Animated Transformers Prequel Activated; Toy Story 4's Josh Cooley To Direct For Hasbro/eOne & Paramount". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  15. ^ Valentine, Evan (February 16, 2022). "Transformers Confirms New Animated Movie and TV Series in the Works". ComicBook.com. Paramount Global. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  16. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (December 20, 2022). "Twister Sequel Sets Summer 2024 Release Date". Variety. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  17. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (April 23, 2023). "Transformers: A New Generation Is Not the Title of New Animated Film". Collider. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Villei, Matt (April 20, 2023). "Here's What the New Animated Transformers Movie is About [Exclusive]". Collider. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (May 24, 2023). "Transformers One: Paramount Pushes Date For Animated Feature". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 26, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c d Zahed, Ramin (April 18, 2024). "Watch: New Trailer for Paramount's Transformers One, Read Our Exclusive Interview with Director Josh Cooley". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  21. ^ Little, Sarah (July 25, 2024). "When Transformers One Takes Place In The Franchise Timeline". ScreenRant. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d e White, James (April 18, 2024). "Transformers One Trailer Breakdown: Director Josh Cooley On Reinventing Optimus Prime And Megatron". Empire. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Bucksbaum, Sydney (July 23, 2024). "Transformers One director on how 1986 animated movie influenced the new prequel". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  24. ^ Motamayor, Rafael (June 21, 2024). "Transformers One Director Talks Bringing the Franchise to Its 'Old Republic' Era". IndieWire. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  25. ^ Weintraub, Steven; Jones, Tamera (April 18, 2024). "How the World of 'Dune' Influenced 'Transformers One'". Collider. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  26. ^ a b Oddo, Marco Vito (June 15, 2023). "Chris Hemsworth's Optimus Prime Sadly Won't Be Australian in Transformers One". Collider. Archived from the original on June 28, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  27. ^ Lang, Jamie; Keslassy, Elsa (June 11, 2024). "'Transformers One' Producers, Director Discuss the Franchise's First Animated Feature in 40 Years During Backstage Annecy Interview". Variety. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  28. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (December 14, 2023). "Keegan-Michael Key Reveals Exactly What Bumblebee Sounds Like in Transformers One". Collider. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  29. ^ Villei, Matt (April 22, 2023). "The New Transformers Animated Movie Is Partnering With an Industry Giant for the CGI [Exclusive]". Collider. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  30. ^ Boo, Bernard (July 24, 2024). "Transformers One Challenges What We Think We Know About Optimus Prime and Megatron". Den of Geek. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  31. ^ a b Desowitz, Bill (July 25, 2024). "Transformers One Trailer Previews an Emotional Origin Story Through Animation". IndieWire. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  32. ^ "Brian Tyler Scoring Josh Cooley's 'Transformers One'". Film Music Reporter. May 20, 2024. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  33. ^ Taylor, Drew (April 25, 2024). "Annecy 2024's Slate Includes Terry Gilliam and Transformers". TheWrap. Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  34. ^ a b Taylor, Drew (June 10, 2024). "Transformers One Premieres to Joyful Response at Annecy". TheWrap. Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  35. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (April 18, 2024). "'Aang: The Last Airbender' Delayed to 2026, 'Transformers One' Moves Back a Week". Variety. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  36. ^ Romanchick, Shane (January 22, 2022). "New Transformers Animated Movie Release Date Set For 2024". Collider. Valnet, Inc. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  37. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 23, 2024). "DreamWorks Animation's 'The Wild Robot' Will Go One Week Later In The Fall". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  38. ^ a b c Milligan, Mercedes (April 16, 2024). "Transformers One Trailer to Launch … in Space!". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  39. ^ a b Diaz, Eric (April 18, 2024). "Transformers One Trailer Shows Optimus Prime and Megatron as Best Buds". Nerdist. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  40. ^ Welk, Brian (April 18, 2024). "Transformers One Trailer Launches the Autobots Into Space — Literally". IndieWire. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  41. ^ Billington, Alex (April 18, 2024). "Fun Official Trailer for Transformers One Cybertron Origin Story Movie". FirstShowing.net. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  42. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (June 7, 2023). "Transformers One Producer Is Hyped for Chris Hemsworth's Optimus Prime". Collider. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Transformers_One&oldid=1236791948"