Transformers: Optimus Prime, Megatron, and More Feature on Royal Mail Stamps
Last month marked 15 years since Transformers hit theatres, and the movie was re-released in honor of the anniversary. However, long before the Hasbro toys were turned into a live-action movie franchise, they were a beloved 1980s cartoon. In honor of the long Transformers history, everyone's favorite transforming alien robots are getting their own royal stamps. According to BBC, Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee are among 13 characters from the television series that will appear on the stamps for Royal Mail.
The decision to showcase Transformers on the stamps in the U.K. is meant to be a "celebration of British involvement in the franchise over the decades." The main set of eight stamps will come in pairs and feature original illustrations of an Autobot and Decepticon in battle. Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Starscream, Grimlock, Shockwave, Arcee, and Soundwave will be featured in the main set. A fun bonus is the stamps with be printed with hidden ink, so when they are shone under a UV light, you can see each character's faction logos and names in the Cybertronian alphabet. You can check out the stamps below:
As for the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the movie is set to be a live-action adaptation of the fan-favorite Transformers: Beast Wars series. The movie is set to be helmed by Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II) and the lineup of Transformers characters is expected to include Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Mirage, Arcee, Wheeljack, Scourge, and Nightbird. The plot of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will see the rebooted franchise timeline of Bumblebee move to 1994 Brooklyn, where "a pair of archaeologists from Brooklyn come into an ancient conflict through a globe-trotting adventure that ties in with three factions of Transformers: the Maximals, the Predacons and the Terrorcons."
"We wanted to give the audience a lot of new," producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura previously explained. "We have exhausted I would say the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons. How do we find a new set of villains and priorities, saving the world is left to the Autobots and in this case the Maximals. Part of the new news, 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."
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is expected to debut in theaters on June 9, 2023.