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Fellow Seibertronian EvasionModeBumblebee, among others, alerted us of new images showing the upcoming deluxe Studio Series Jolt and ROTF Sideswipe. These deluxes are going to be in the same wave as the previously revealed SS 86 Gnaw figure. Jolt is a completely new mold while Sideswipe is a retool of the DOTM SIdeswipe figure we got a few years ago. The molding differences are all in the alt mode since he is no longer a convertible here.
These should be coming out in a couple of months and their preorders were already available when the full waves became available to purchase a month ago on a few sites like BBTS and Entertainment Earth. However, both these toys are called "TBA" in those full wave listings. We don't now when Hasbro will choose to reveal them officially but it should be soon or else we will see these at retail before the reveal.
While many fans were hoping that Garry Chalk would reprise his role as Optimus Primal in the upcoming live action film, as was the case originally for Peter Cullen in the 2007 movie, it seems no amount of petitions will change Paramount's mind. Ron Perlman has been chosen as the voice of Optimus Primal. This is a return for him since he previously voiced Primal in the Power of the Primes series. This info comes to us from Collider.
If you want to see exactly how that would sound, so to the 5:30 mark of this clip.
I hope you are ready because from here on out, there will be coverage for the upcoming 7th live action Transformers film right up until release, and then some. Today, we have news of the name the film will have in Japan and China. In Japan, the title translates to Transformers: Beast Awakening and in China, the title translates to Transformers: Super Warriors Rise. Both logos can be seen below. We also have news that the Moving Picture Company will be doing the special effects for Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts (what we are calling it in English). They are usually tasked with doing CG effects for films with animals so this works with the mentions that the beasts will have some organic aspects to them, like fur and wings, while still being robotic in nature in both modes. They are very excited about this project and are currently hiring for the film. You can find the recruitment message on LinkedIn.
Also for all the Lorenzo Di Bonaventura fans, he made a video for China, on Weibo, announcing the film. You can view the video here.
There has been a lot of talks of reboots by fans, but the truth is Paramount can never commit to that. While the prequel movies like Bumblebee and the upcoming Rise of the Beasts won't directly reference the later (chronologically wise) films aside from Bumblebee's radio voice, face and alt mode choice, they are still part of this broader live action franchise, which has its die hard fans. Steve Caple Jr., the film's director, is very aware of this but and as a G1 fan he will be making this new movie his own thing while still being within the very loose and often contradictory chronology that fans call the Bayverse. The interview below from comicbook.com gives you a sense of how he will be meshing his movie within all this. It talks mainly of Optimus Prime's character and it is our best look yet at how Paramount is juggling this whole franchise and bringing in more classic G1 elements without committing to a full on reboot.
"The main hero is Optimus, as we all know and love," Caple said. "We're bringing Prime back, paying direct homage to Generation One. I care so much about this character that I really wanted to dive into Transformers, and I saw a Bumblebee and I was like, okay, Bumblebee had his own movie, but I want to discover more about Optimus Prime, dig underneath the surface, get underneath the metal, if you would, and like explore who he is and his experience here on earth, you know?"
"I know everyone has been asking like crazy, are we going, G1, are we going to G1?" Caple continued. "The answer is, yes, we are going to G1, the Prime."
The movie takes place about a decade before Michael Bay's Transformers -- and Caple plans to use that as an opportunity to explore a kind of "Year One" approach to Optimus Prime, and give fans a sense of how he became a great leader.
"It's 1994, and in a way, both the animated series and the Bay films treat Optimus the same in the sense of who he is as a leader, what is his drive?" Caple said. "All those things. What we've done is we're bringing it back to where you see how he becomes, what you're familiar with. And that's big new news."
And, yes, it isn't just a question of him spending 10 years on Earth. There's more to it than that, and fans will get to see what his "emotional" tie is to the planet, according to the director.
"When you say got to where he is, you mean 'we need to protect these earthlings and this biological planet,'" Caple explained. "The way to look at it is he's new to earth and he doesn't have a connection to earth the way we met him in the Bay films and the way we met him in the animated series where he's already a protector of Earth. And so in this film, it's forming, why does he have a link to humanity? And why does he have a link to earth? And that's emotional...At the beginning of Bumblebee, we showed, he escaped from Cybertron his home planet. And so in a sense, he's he literally is like an ex-pat here, right? He's landed. He's, he's an alien and he's never been here before. And so it allows us to get underneath say the stoicism of what we're traditionally presented in an Optimus."
Earlier today, Paramount held a virtual event for the upcoming Transformers 7 film. They revealed the title as Transformers: RISE OF THE BEASTS during the event and via this press release. Attending the virtual event were Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Producer), Steven Caple, Jr (Director), actors Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback along with moderator Anthony Brenzican (from Vanity Fair). Here are my notes from today's exciting TRANSFORMERS Production Kickoff Virtual Event Confirmation with Paramount:
Transformers 7 Production kick-off event
Director: Steven Caple, Jr Moderator: Anthony Brenzican Producer: Lorenzo di Bonaventura
Caple talked Beast Wars.
Title of next movie is Transformers Rise of the Beasts
Prehistoric, Predacons
Moderator mentioned Maximals, Predacons and "Terrorcons"? Not sure if he misspoke on Terrorcons.
Lorenzo talked about finding a new set of priorities with this direction.
Going to see new villains and Autobots we've never seen before.
Mentioned that Transformers has a lot of "tribes" and this movie is going to bring a lot of these "tribes" together.
Director mentioned Terrorcons again, so apparently not a mistake earlier. Terrorcons will disrupt the movie.
Difference between Predacons and Terrorcons. Predacons are more reptillian. Building a backstory to Predacons.
Predacons are the natural enemy of the Maximals.
Terrorcons are in opposition to the Autobots.
There will be some Decepticons in the movie.
5 factions mentioned so far.
Terrorcons will threaten everyone.
Rise of the Beast time period will place around 1994.
Sounds like it will still be in the Bayverse. Intentionally setting it in 90s so that it doesn't cut into time period of Bay films.
90s are rich in texture, mentioned music, and energy from the 90s. Director used the word "grit" to describe this era.
Drawing some inspiration from popular 90s films.
Will be a journey!
Lorenzo discussed how they are privileged to be part of this franchise. Access point are the human characters to get access to the Transformers characters.
Locations discussed:
New York City (Brooklyn) ... travel through New York, but Brooklyn is main area.
Peru, jungle, Monchu Pichu (sp?), beautiful landscapes, beautiful people. Incan traditions and how it impacts storyline.
Characters in Transformers Rise of the Beasts
Transformers characters discussed:
Main robot character ... is Optimus Prime, has a much more G1 flair. Cleaner look. Steven: "We are going G1 with Optimus Prime". Bringing the story back to see how (why?) Optimus Prime becomes the leader that we know. He's "new" to Earth. This film is forming why he wants to protect humans. Peter Cullen is returning as Optimus Prime.
Bumblebee as a Classic Z28 Camaro, but with an offroad kit on it. Literally called it Offroad Bumblebee.
Another Autobot ally ... Mirage is a silver Porsche 911 with blue detailing. Why not Jazz??? Rebel of the group. Anti-authority character. Lorenzo said Mirage has always been able to transform into other vehicles. Not sure what he was talking about? Mirage takes a prominence that is significant to the movie.
Arcee is 4th Autobot mentioned. Loyal soldier to Prime. Voice of reason. She transformers into a Motorcycle. Dakatti 916?
Another female Transformer is Nightbird. Vehicle form reminds me of Cybertron Runamuck. Transforms into a GTR. Still a ninja. Looks really cool. She's a Terrorcon. Lorenzo stated that she has had flexible allegiances in the past?
Different villain than Megatron. Big bad this time around is Scourge (but a different version than we've seen before). Leader of the Terrorcons. Looks like it might have a truck form or something. Large crane claw on left hand. Smokestacks behind shoulders with black smoke coming out of them. Sounds like a bounty hunter of sorts. Loves to collect Autobots and Maximals and tears off their faction symbols and wears them. Character design art by "Del Rio".
Beast Wars characters: Airazor. She's the heart of the Maximals. Rustic in design. Aged texture. Looks a bit rusty. Realistic mechanical beasts. Kind of gives me a Beast Machines vibe.
Rhinox is here as well. Looks like Headstrong. Likes to ram things. "Wants to use that horn!"
Optimus Primal as a gorilla. Has a traditional Maximal symbol on his chest. Not sure if that's final or not. Has hair on back of forearms and back of shoulders.
Human characters discussed:
Actors brought into conversation: Anothony Ramos and Dominique Fishback.
Dominique's character: playing Elena, works at a museum, trying to get a leg up in life, boss keeps taking credit for work she does. Intelligent person. Artifact researcher. Sophisticated thinker. New Yorker. If I recall correctly, she mentioned that she got into Transformers because of Shia and the first Michael Bay Transformers film.
Anothy's character: Noah, is from Brooklyn. Sort of like a father figure to his brother. All about taking care of home and family. Ex-military. Trying to find his way after came back home. Lower income. Hustling. Amazing with electronics. Anything electronic can fix. One thing he loves about Noah is his tenacity, heart, and will to never quit. Amazing to see his journey as humans meet Transformers in film. Anthony said Beast Wars was his Transformers.
Recap of characters discussed during today's event:
Anthony Ramos as "Noah"
Dominique Fishback as "Elena"
Optimus Prime
Bumblebee
Arcee
Mirage
Nightbird
Scourge
Airazor
Rhinox
Optimus Primal
Questions from the audience:
Are there practical elements to the film? Practical versus digital elements. Lorenzo says most of these movies are practical with digital effects enhancing the practical. The more you create "real", the more real the CG effects look. Steven: Cheat code for visual is partly the locations / scenery.
Daniel Cribb: What was some of main concerns coming into the legacy of Transformers?
Steven: balancing out what has come before and what he's going to bring to the table. Making sure people are feeling something new / fresh to the table. Something honest. Finding a relatability, a way to connect. Listens, close ear to the ground to hear what people are saying.
Rise of the Beasts will be more of a larger spectacle and not a smaller initimate film like Bumblebee.
Will there be rap music involved in the film? You will feel '94. Hip hop culture. You will feel Brooklyn. Will have a great soundtrack.
Who is your favorite Transformer and why?
Lorenzo: evolved over time. Ironhide originally because his son's favorite character. Bumblebee has been his favorite.
Steven: you haven't met his favorite character yet because it's in Rise of the Beasts. Loves Prime. Ironhide is a cool character. Of course 'Bee. Gonna be some dope characters he's going to introduce in this film.
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS TITLE AND FIRST OFFICIAL PLOT DETAILS CONFIRMED DURING PRODUCTION KICKOFF EVENT!
THE VIRTUAL EVENT FEATURED A CONVERSATION WITH DIRECTOR STEVEN CAPLE JR. AND PRODUCER LORENZO DI BONAVENTURA WITH SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY STARS ANTHONY RAMOS AND DOMINIQUE FISHBACK
LOGLINE: Returning to the action and spectacle that first captured moviegoers around the world 14 years ago with the original Transformers, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure and introduce the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons to the existing battle on earth between Autobots and Decepticons. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film arrives in theatres June 24, 2022.
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS IS IN THEATRES JUNE 24, 2022
Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present
In Association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures
A Don Murphy/Tom DeSanto Production
A di Bonaventura Pictures Production
A Bay Films Production
"TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS"
DIRECTED BY: Steven Caple Jr.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY: Steven Spielberg, Brian Goldner, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Brian Oliver, Bradley J. Fischer, Valerii An
PRODUCED BY: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto & Don Murphy, Michael Bay, Mark Vahradian, Duncan Henderson
Filming for the 7th Transformers film called Beast Alliance is happening very soon. A particular truck was spotted being hauled in Canada heading towards Montreal. From the pictures taken, it looks quite a bit like Optimus Prime. A Bull Bar was put on the front of the truck, most probably as a safety measure to avoid damages during transportation. The photos have since been taken down, making us further think this truck is indeed who we think it is. Speaking of car sightings, a car looking just like Bumblebee has been spotted in Montreal. Coincidence? I think not. The picture from Twitter can be found below. Lastly, we have information that there will indeed be beast bots in this film. Granted, the working title was Beast Alliance, but you never know if that's just a smokescreen or not. This information is all that Protoman was allowed to say in his podcast after his set visit. He walked away happy and is confident many fans will be as well.
Thanks to Seibertronian EvasionModeBumblebee, we were pointed in the direction of Twitter user @morgan_dfx, who posted pictures of a haul of new Kingdom Deluxes, along with Studio Series Wreck-Gar and what appears to be the rumored Bumblebee Movie Starscream repaint of Thrust! This figure appears to be a straight repaint of Starscream, with his color scheme of greens and white homaging Armada Thrust, rather than the maroon and black of G1 Thrust.
It still hasn't been revealed what figure is coming in the wave with Wreck Gar, though this figure seems a good bet.
What do you think about this figure being potentially released? Well you be adding it to your Fall of Cybertron display if it turns out to be legitimate? Let us know what you think below!
With shooting starting soon in Montreal for the 7th live action Transformers movie, we are getting a lot of news and fast. Local casting agencies for extras have asked for cars from 1992-1994 and have sent out e-mails saying that extras in the movie will be in a 1992 setting. This news broke out over the transformersfr.com website.
We also have news that Dexter's Luna Lauren Velez has been cast as the main character's mom. That main character will be played by Anthony Ramos who stars in the recently released In the Heights film. That news comes to us from comicbookmovie.com.
Greetings Seibertronians! YouTube reviewer PrimeVsPrime is back at it again, this time with a video review of the upcoming Studio Series leader class Grindor and Ravage!
Grindor a redeco and slight retool of the previous leader class Blackout. He sports a new, dirter deco to represent his appearance in the forest fight in Revenge of the Fallen. While Grindor's alt mode did not receive any retooling, his helicopter mode has been decoed to emulate the CH-53 Sea Stallion he transformed into in the movie. The most notable feature, however, is Grindor's retooled hands. They now have additional articulation in the wrists and fingers, fixing the main problem many had with Blackout. Grindor also comes with a small Ravage figure, replacing the Scorponok figure that came with Blackout.
Special thanks to fellow Seibertron users O.supreme, and Dominus Prime, for sharing this news with us!
The review is embedded below for your convenience.
What do you think of Grindor? Are you excited for the retooled hands? Will you be getting it for Ravage? Let us know in the Energon Pub forums!
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