Those sentient robots in disguise that first emerged as a Hasbro toy line and cartoon series in the ’80s have became a $5 billion media empire comprised of a beloved 1986 animated film, seven blockbuster Hollywood features, video games, comic books, action figures, t-shirts, board games, bedsheets, belt buckles and backpacks.
The “Transformers” machine is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and it’s powering up for its first all-CG animated film, titled “Transformers One.”
Directed by “Toy Story 4’s” Josh Cooley, “Transformers One” rolls out next month, just in time for the autumnal equinox to herald the start of a new season. The upcoming film is an untold origin story set billions of years prior to the events of the core “Transformers” mythology and centers on the deteriorating relationship between boon companions Orion Pax (aka Optimus Prime) and D-16 (aka Megatron).
Paramount’s glossy prequel production not only explains how two of Cybertron’s finest became mortal enemies but also boasts an A-list vocal cast to bring these magnificent machines to life.
Let’s plug in and upload details for “Transformers One” before another gear grinds!
Related: Transformers movies in order: Chronological and release
TRANSFORMERS ONE RELEASE DATE
“Transformers One” marches defiantly into theaters on Sept. 20, 2024. An unfinished rough cut was screened June 10, 2024 at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, to the delight of “Transformers” fans and animation aficionados.
TRANSFORMERS ONE PLOT
“Transformers One” is the origin story of not only the Autobots and the Decepticons, but of the planet Cybertron as well, and it exists outside the established timeline of director Michael Bay’s “Transformers” films.
It begins with best buddies Orion Pax and D-16 mining Energon while they still had similar dreams and goals but devolves into the contentious rivalry between the Optimus Prime and Megatron we’ve come to know. It’s the tragic tale of good friends once bonded like brothers who began a cataclysmic war that would change the fate of Cybertron forever.
TRANSFORMERS ONE RATING AND RUNTIME
“Transformers One” is rated PG-13 and clocks in at 94 minutes total.
TRANSFORMERS ONE CAST
“Transformers One” has a stellar vocal cast, including Chris Hemsworth (Orion Pax, aka Optimus Prime), Brian Tyree Henry (D-16, aka Megatron), Keegan-Michael Key (B-127, aka Bumblebee), Scarlett Johansson (Elita-1), Laurence Fishburne (Alpha Trion), Jon Hamm (Sentinel Prime) and Steve Buscemi (Starscream).
TRANSFORMERS ONE TRAILERS
Introduced by Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry, a first tantalizing “Transformers One” trailer was dropped by Paramount Pictures on April 18, 2024. It revealed the close ties between Orion Pax and D-16 as lowly worker bots in the bowels of Cybertron who are joined by B-127 and Elita-1 as they escape to the planet’s surface and encounter a fallen Prime, who bestows transformation cogs (T-cogs) upon them. It’s a great intro to the film’s broad humor and polished CG animation style, all accompanied by The Rolling Stones’ 1981 hit “Start Me Up.”
The second “Transformers One” trailer and three extended clips were unveiled by director Josh Cooley on July 25, 2024 during Paramount’s Hall H “Transformers One” panel at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC).
He was joined by Hemsworth, Henry, Key and “Transformers” mega-producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. This 3-minute preview builds upon the footage of the first trailer but offers more of the strong bond between young Optimus Prime and young Megatron, while revealing the two Autobots’ diverging ideologies, which leads to the dawn of the Decepticons.
TRANSFORMERS ONE DIRECTORS, WRITERS AND CREW
This first-ever fully CG-animated “Transformers” film was directed by “Toy Story 4’s” Josh Cooley from a screenplay by Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari, and Michael Sherman. Cooley won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for that touching 2019 sequel to “Toy Story 3.”
Produced by Hasbro Entertainment and Paramount Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures, “Transformers One” is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto, Don Murphy, Michael Bay, Mark Vahradian and Aaron Dem. Hollywood royalty Steven Spielberg acts as executive producer with Brian Goldner, Brian Oliver, Bradley J. Fischer, and Valerii An.
“The origin story is incredibly rich,” di Bonaventura said at SDCC . “If we tried to do this in live action, it would cost us $500 million … You’re really going to get to know the robots in a way that nothing has been able to do before. You know Optimus and Megatron so well, but we’re dealing with Orion Pax and D-16. These guys are different, but we still plant the seeds that get you to the characters you love.”
Animation duties were performed by the wizards at Industrial Light and Magic, and supervised by ILM’s Stephen King and Rob Coleman. The score was composed by Brian Tyler, whose elevating music has been heard in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Abigail,” “Fast Five” and “Iron Man 3.”