Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Reveals New Look at the Maximals

Paramount Pictures is rolling out a look at new Transformers millions of years in the making. This summer's Transformers: Rise of the Beasts introduces a new breed of shape-shifting sentient robots: the Maximals, robots in disguise as animals instead of vehicles. Their leader, the gorilla-like Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman), is allied with the speedy Cheetor, who transforms into a cheetah; the robo-rhinoceros Rhinox (David Sobolov); and the high-flying falcon Airazor (Michelle Yeoh). Along with Autobots Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen), Bumblebee, Arcee (Liza Koshy), Wheeljack (Cristo Fernández), Stratosphere (John DiMaggio), and Mirage (Pete Davidson), the Maximals maximize into beast mode to battle Scourge (Peter Dinklage) and the villainous Terrorcons.  

Below, Paramount and Entertainment One have revealed a new look at the hero Transformers of Rise of the Beasts, rolling out in theaters June 9th.

"We have exhausted, I would say, the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons," franchise producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura said of the seventh installment of the live-action movie franchise that originated with Michael Bay's live-action Transformers in 2007. "Saving the world is left to the Autobots, and in this case, the Maximals. If you've seen the other movies, you're going to see villains you've never seen before and a lot of elements we've never done before."

Caught in the middle of this beast war between the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons are the Autobots' human allies: ex-military electronics expert Noah (Anthony Ramos) and artifact researcher Elena (Dominique Fishback). Following the 1980s-set Bumblebee in 2018, Rise of the Beasts takes place in the 1990s — the decade that spawned the CG-animated series Beast Wars: Transformers.

"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?" director Steven Caple Jr. said during a Paramount presentation. "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 news."

Caple continued: "The main hero is Optimus, as we all know and love. 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. I saw Bumblebee and I was like, 'Okay, Bumblebee had his own movie, but I want to discover more about Optimus Prime.'" Rise of the Beasts will "dig underneath the surface, get underneath the metal, if you would, and explore who he is and his experience here on Earth."

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts opens only in theaters June 9th.