Transformers‘ first animated movie in almost forty years is getting the all-star cast treatment. While the Transformers franchise has seen plenty of cartoon iterations on television, live-action blockbusters, and video games, it hasn’t seen an animated film since 1984.
Paramount Animation announced the voice cast at CinemaCon, which includes Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime, Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron, Scarlett Johansson as Elita-1, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee, and Fishburne as Alpha Trion. This is definitely a different voice cast than those who have been voicing these characters for years, but it’s a talent-packed cast for sure.
Chris Hemsworth will voice Optimus Prime in the #Transformers animated origin film #CinemaCon pic.twitter.com/82vXtuhXei
— Geek Vibes Nation (@GeekVibesNation) April 27, 2023
Brian Tyree Henry to voice Megatron in the #Transformers animated origin film #CinemaCon pic.twitter.com/5Ucv6ClFll
— Geek Vibes Nation (@GeekVibesNation) April 27, 2023
The new animated movie will take place on Cybertron and detail the story of Optimus and Megatron, who begin as friends and end up in a battle that rivals that of Batman and the Joker or Professor X and Magneto. This time and story setting is something we’ve seen in the comics and in books, but rarely in an animated form – as most iterations concentrate on the actual war, especially when that war leads to Earth. It’ll be nice to actually see the Autobot/Decepticon origin on the big screen.
Scarlett Johansson will voice Elita in the #Transformers animated origin film#CinemaCon pic.twitter.com/4ZfoJpLI9r
— Geek Vibes Nation (@GeekVibesNation) April 27, 2023
Ramsey Naito, the president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon; released a statement:
“I’m so excited and proud to be working with Hasbro and eOne to bring the first animated Transformers movie to theaters for a never-before-told story.”
Josh Cooley will direct from a script penned by Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari. The movie is set to hit theaters on July 19, 2024. In the meantime, the live-action Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will come to theaters on June 9th of this year and Paramount Plus is currently running its animated show, Transformers: Earthspark.
Source: THR