Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Originally Had a Much More Depressing Ending

Over the course of the main Transformers films, audiences witnessed some dark and dour encounters with the otherworldly characters, while prequel films Bumblebee and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts have attempted to inject a bit more levity into the franchise. Despite the most recent film offering humor mixed with gravitas, director of Rise of the Beasts Steven Caple Jr. recently confirmed that the original version of his movie included tragic endings for beloved characters, but noticed that it lacked an uplifting and empowering ending, resulting in changes being made to those characters’ fates. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is currently in theaters.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Caple confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that his original movie featured Optimus Prime teleporting himself off the planet and, while Mirage suffered fatal damage and was ultimately revived in the film’s mid-credits scene, his sacrifice was a bit more permanent initially.

“There were a few things I learned, but one major one was that after 2020, people definitely wanted happier endings. I wanted to do something more uplifting, but I also had a darker version of this film,” the filmmaker expressed. “There was a version of the film where Prime went up into space. I think you guys are gonna see this in the deleted cuts, too, but when he actually destroyed the [Transwarp] Key, he got sucked up into the portal and ended up with Unicron. And then there was also a moment where Mirage didn’t come back. So I personally thought that movie was good; we were still getting pretty good ratings around that, but something was missing. And when I realized there wasn’t an applause or a cheer at the victory, it just felt a little down. So we wanted to see the heroes win: Optimus Prime, Noah, Elena.”

Caple went on to recall how test screenings helped him shape the theatrical cut, because even though different audiences will have different reactions each time, he wanted to ensure the final product had something for everyone.

“And so I went back and made sure that we had these victories throughout because it just felt a little sad,” Caple recalled. “And overall, you find out what jokes land and what jokes don’t. It’s always tough because it’s a different crowd each time. Some people laugh at the Marky Mark joke, but then some people don’t. So you never know with the audience, but for a movie that’s going to be seen all over the world, I wanted there to be something for everybody. So we just kept that idea alive throughout, and the test screenings really helped with that.”

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is currently in theaters.

Which ending do you prefer? Let us know in the comments!