Way back in 2007, a crowd packed into a vibrant, excited theater. The screen blackened as the trailers began. A Mars rover was scouring the planet's surface, when a shadowy, robotic figure crowded its field of vision, and sent its transmission into a broken static. IT WAS THE ONLY WARNING WE WOULD EVER GET, the silver lettering read above the black screen. Then, a silent pause in perfect blackness. TRANSFORMERS, the letters read, and beneath them read "MICHAEL BAY."
Many of the crowds met this with laughter. How could Transformers possibly come to live action? It seemed the joke was on them, as Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen went on to become the fourth highest grossing film domestically in 2009. Now, the Transformers franchise boasts an alarming seven films, a $4.8 billion dollar box office haul, and even critical praise with its most recent installment Bumblebee.
For many that grew up in the 1990s, Transformers was seen as an old cartoon from the 1980s. Long had it been since the show was in the Saturday morning cartoon category. But the incarnation of Transformers that stole that generation's imagination was hallmarked with the advent of fluent, digestible 3D animation. The incarnation, known simply as Beast Wars, featured a litany of jungle animals that transformed from Mechs into primal animals.
Optimus Prime became Optimus Primal, and transformed into a Gorilla instead of an 18-wheeler. Megatron kept his name, and transformed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Autobots became Maximals. Decepticons became Predacons. The battles were visceral, and in 3D CGI. The show was a revolution at the time, complete with solid writing, acting, and a toy line that was just as iconic as its predecessor's. Beast Wars quickly brought Transformers back to its former glory in the Saturday morning cartoon line-up.
With the Transformers franchise seemingly healthier than ever, it seems the time has come for Beast Wars to make its mark on the silver screen. Paramount currently has two projects in the works. The first in being penned by Murder Mystery writer James Vanderbilt, while the second is being written by John Wick Chapter 3 writer Joby Harold. The current word is that James Vanderbilt's script is based on the Beast Wars franchise.
No directors have been attached to the project yet, but with the $4.8 billion dollar success of the previous installments, fans are excited to see a new take on the Transformers universe making it to the silver screen, just like they were in the 1990s.