Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is moving ahead at Paramount, which has added Michelle Yeoh and Pete Davidson to the cast. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is set in 1994 and the action kicks off when a pair of archeologists from Brooklyn become embroiled in the war between the Maximals, the Predacons, and the Terrorcons.
The film takes inspiration from the Beast Wars iteration of the Transformers franchise, with a few creative liberties. The Beast Wars storyline involves modern-day Earth very minimally, and the cartoon was set in the distant past, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The Maximals are considered to be the descendants of the Autobots in that storyline, and the Autobots are not big players in the conflict, but in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the Autobots will be characters alongside the Maximals.
In addition to a voice cast consisting of Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal and Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, Deadline reports that Yeoh and Davidson will be voicing characters. Yeoh is set to voice the Maximal Airazor, who transforms into a Peregrine Falcon. Davidson will voice Mirage, an Autobot that transforms into a silver-blue Porsche 964. The plot of the film is said to be a "globe-trotting adventure," so there will probably be plenty of action setpieces across the globe. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is also said to be set in the same continuity as 2018's Bumblebee, which effectively rebooted the continuity of the franchise and redesigned the Transformers to be more in line with their appearances in the '80s cartoon.
The franchise has come a long way since the original Michael Bay Transformers movies. The franchise has shifted into more of a nostalgic exercise for fans. Though the original continuity in the films had some Easter Eggs for fans, much of the lore was not the central point in those movies. Now that the live-action Transformers franchise has been around for nearly two decades, the filmmakers are free to use some of the deep cut aspects of the franchise, like the Beast Wars storylines, which are a huge fan-favorite.
It will be interesting to see what Steven Caple Jr. has up his sleeve. Fans will probably be happy to see the Maximals on screen, and both Yeoh and Pearlman are excellent actors, so they'll probably bring the characters to life excellently. Though no trailer has been released yet, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is set to release in the summer of 2023.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hits theaters on June 9, 2023.
Source: Deadline