Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Everything You Need to Know About Transformers 7

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is coming to theaters this June – but a lot of moviegoers may not know it. There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding what's going on with the Transformers franchise right now – and rightly so. Transformers is now on its seventh live-action film in a series that many burned out on after the original trilogy, and there have been some confusing shifts in the larger continuity of the franchise. So before you go on to see Transformers: Rise of the Beasts you may need a few things explained. 

What Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts About?

From Paramount Pictures: 

Set in the 1990s, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on an action-packed, globetrotting adventure as the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons join the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth. Noah (Anthony Ramos), a sharp young guy from Brooklyn, and Elena (Dominique Fishback), an ambitious, talented artifact researcher, are swept up in the conflict as Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and the Autobots face a terrifying new nemesis bent on their destruction named Scourge (Peter Dinklage).

Transformers 7 is actually based on the 1990s hit TV series Beast Wars: Transformers, which ran from 1996-1999. That series used some of the first computer-generated animation seen in a major franchise cartoon and was distinguished by its choice to swap the vehicular forms of the Transformers robots for mechanical animal designs. The story of Beast Wars followed "descendants" of the original Autobots and Decepticons, who gained their animal forms from "The Great Upgrade." 

The leader of the evil "Predacons" names himself after Megatron and leads a hunt for Energon crystals using a transwarp drive and a Golden DIsk to guide his ship; Megatron is pursued by Optimus Primal and his "Maximals" across the cosmos until an accident sends both ships through a transwarp into the ancient past, where they crash land on prehistoric Earth. There, the generations of Transformer conflict continued to be fought, as Megatron tried to both harvest Energon from Earth and escape being marooned on the planet. 

From all appearances in the trailers, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will lean into much of this same Beast Wars lore – including the time travel element. There will also be "Terrorcons" in the movie, a group of evil Transformers who still have vehicular modes, and serve the new big bad villain of the franchise: Unicron. 

How Does Rise of the Beasts Connect to The Other Transformers movies? 

The five Michael Bay Transformers movies (Transformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Transformers: Age of Extinction, and Transformers: The Last Knight)  went on way past their prime (pun). By the time Transformers 5 was in theaters in 2017, entire sweeping shared universe plans were being made – even as the box office returns were waning. 

Suddenly the Transformers movie franchise pivoted away from the BayVerse into a 2018 soft reboot by director Travis Knight, centered around Bumblebee. Bumblebee (2018)  retconned key elements of Bay's Transformers continuity – like having Optimus Prime and the Autobots arrive on Earth in the 1980s, instead of the 2000s (like in the original film), and changing the design of the Transformers to be less "realistic" and more in line with the aesthetic of the G1 cartoons. 

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Cast & Crew Info

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will bring a new human cast, led by Anthony Ramos (Hamilton, West Side Story) and Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah, Swarm). 

The robot characters will be a mix of new and experienced voices, including Transformers icon Peter Cullen once again voicing Optimus Prime. Additional Autobot characters will be voiced by Pete Davidson (Mirage an Autobot spy disguised as a Porsche); Liza Koshy (Arcee, sharpshooter/Ducati motorcycle); Cristo Fernández (Wheeljack, scientist/Volkswagen bus), and John DiMaggio (Stratosphere, Air-Soldier/cargo plane). 

The new Maximals will be voiced by Sons of Anarchy and Hellboy star Ron Perlman (Optimus Primal, a gorilla), Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh (Airazor, a falcon), David Sobolov (Rhinox, a rhinoceros), and Tongayi Chirisa (Cheetor, a cheetah). Terrorcons will be voiced by Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage (Scourge, Terrorcon leader, and Peterbilt logging truck); David Sobolov (Battletrap, an '80s GMC tow truck); Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Nightbird, a "ninja" and Nissan Skyline sports car); John Dimaggio (Transit, a Terrorcon big enough to become an NYC bus). Finally, Fear The Walking Dead star Colman Domingo will voice Unicron, the planet-sized Transformer that devours worlds. 

Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Worth Seeing? 

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts first reactions are in – and they say that this seventh film is a big step in the right direction for the franchise:

 "#Transformers: Rise of the Beasts plays like the ultimate Saturday morning cartoon," Comicbook.com's Brandon Davis writes. "Some dope Transformers action. Anthony Ramos & Pete Davidson are great, even if some of the dialogue is a little clunky. It's a lean, fun movie and a promising start to something exciting... I don't think I can give it a number but I liked it. Could've cut some stuff in the first 20 mins cause it takes a bit to get going but when it does it's really fun."

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has a release date of June 9th.