Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Reveals New Plot Details

Maximals and Terrorcons and Predacons, oh my! Transformers: Rise of the Beasts doesn't roll out in theaters until June 9th, but a new plot synopsis teases the '90s-set globetrotting adventure follow-up to 2018's Bumblebee. The new movie introduces the Maximals, an ancient race of robot beasts — simian warrior Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman), the soaring Airazor (Michelle Yeoh), the majestic Cheetor (Tongayi Chirisa), and the armor-plated Rhinox (David Sobolov) — who escape their homeworld when the villainous Unicron (Colman Domingo) sends its minions to destroy the Maximals' planet. This beast war brings the Maximals to Earth with two new Transformers factions not yet seen on screen: the Terrorcons and Predacons. 

In Rise of the Beasts, "We introduce a lot of new heroes and villains in this film that are going to blow the minds of diehard fans," says Transformers franchise producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Inspired by the Beast Wars storyline, the new movie is "chock full of robots we haven't seen in a movie before. That's one of the great things about Transformers: The lore is based on what happened back on Cybertron, which gives us a lot of leeway to explore the universe at large. So in this movie, we're bringing in the Maximals for the very first time."

The official synopsis states: "It's 1994, the era of hip hop and Air Jordans, and in his lively Brooklyn neighborhood, former U.S. Army private Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) is doing his best to help support his family. But he just can't catch a break. In a series of events, Noah finds himself behind the wheel of the wisecracking Autobot Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson), who reveals the existence of three fellow Autobots in hiding: Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), Bumblebee, and Arcee (voiced by Liza Koshy).

"Meanwhile, at an archeological museum on Ellis Island, 25-year-old researcher Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) unknowingly triggers an alien beacon hidden within an ancient statuette. Heeding its call, Noah and the Autobots arrive just as the evil Terrorcon Scourge (voiced by Peter Dinklage) and his slithering robotic Sweeps attack. When Scourge escapes with a mysterious artifact capable of summoning Unicron (voiced by Colman Domingo), an entity of unimaginable size and destructive force, Noah and Elena join forces with the Autobots to try and prevent Earth's annihilation. But even the mighty Autobots are unprepared for the powerful new faction of Transformers beings they encounter on their mission: the Maximals — an astonishing group of robot beasts that might hold the key to reuniting the Autobots with their home world of Cybertron."

Paramount Pictures goes on to describe the seventh live-action Transformers movie as "a spectacular, action-filled theatrical experience" that "introduces awe-inspiring new characters from the Transformers mythology for the first time on the big screen, while revealing beloved favorites in a way they've never been seen before. Returning to the jaw-dropping excitement that captured the hearts and imagination of moviegoers around the world, this epic adventure takes audiences on a globetrotting quest from 1990s New York to the primordial jungles of Peru to the furthest reaches of the universe."

Early audiences seem to agree: the first Rise of the Beasts reactions have praised the new movie as an action-packed blast and "the best Transformers movie" yet. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts opens only in theaters June 9th.