The latest reboot in the Transformers franchise will be directed by Steven Caple Jr. and is said to have ties to the 1996 animated series Beast Wars: Transformers.
Paramount Pictures is ready to reignite the hugely popular Transformers franchise, and now, some new details have come to light regarding the studio’s approach. Creed 2 director Steven Caple Jr. was recently tapped to helm the project, which has reportedly been given the working title that should fill Cybertron aficionados with excitement; Transformers: Beast Alliance.
Transformers: Beast Alliance takes place in the same continuity as the Bumblebee movie and will be set in the 1990’s. The film will have the flavor of a heist film that will span from Brooklyn to South America.
The title Transformers: Beast Alliance seems to indicate a connection to Beast Wars, which will certainly send longtime Transformers fans into a tizzy. The 1996 animated series is widely regarded as one of the best pieces of Transformers fiction of all time, pitting the Maximals and Predacons (descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons respectively) against each other on prehistoric Earth as they battle for the future of their species.
The studio is reportedly looking to cast “an African-American or a Latino actor” in the lead role, with the character said to be in his “early to mid-twenties.” The movie will also feature a female co-lead who will be the same age “or even slightly older,” with the actress they are looking for should be able to “pass for a native New Yorker.”
Beast Wars has popped up again recently in the Transformers toyline and tie-in media with the sub-line Kingdom. Kingdom is also set to be the final part of the War For Cybertron trilogy on Netflix. It’s a much beloved part of Transformers history, and in some ways it makes perfect sense to reboot the franchise utilizing that slice of the Transformers mythos.
Other Transformers projects in development include a project penned by Independence Day: Resurgence and Zodiac writer James Vanderbilt based on the Beast Wars: Transformers mythology. Paramount and Hasbro’s entertainment studio eOne are also planning to collaborate on a stand-alone animated Transformers prequel movie with Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley. The project will explore the interstellar origins of the Autobots and the Decepticons on their home planet Cybertron, and will specifically revolve around the relationship between rival leaders Optimus Prime and Megatron. Reports have stated that the movie will be “separate and apart” from the live-action movies that have graced the big screen thus far.
Looking to start shooting in late Spring or early Summer for a release, the upcoming untitled Transformers movie is set for release on 24 June 2022.
