The Transformers movie franchise has accumulated over $4.8 billion at the global box office, so Hasbro and Paramount are keeping the Autobot-Decepticon war alive on the big screen. This summer, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts arrives with a globe-trotting adventure inspired by the Beast Wars storyline, which focuses on the mighty Maximals, the evil Terrorcons, and the ferocious Predacons.
The new movie is loosely based on the Beast Wars: Transformers computer-generated T.V. series that ran from 1996 to 1999. It was set in the future, roughly 300 years after the events of the original animated series, and featured the Maximals and Predacons, descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons respectively, trying to return home after crashlanding on an unknown planet. The key elements of the series (which later became a Transformers subfranchise) have been reworked and incorporated into a story set in the 1990s, a few years after the events of Bumblebee (2018).
Bumblebee effectively rebooted the movie continuity to accommodate cartoonier Transformer designs and a more light-hearted and retro sensibility. However, the notable prequel-reboot struggled to dominate the box office. With Transformers: Rise of the Beasts going big and loud again, Hasbro and Paramount aim to convince audiences worldwide that their flagship franchise has enough Energon in it to keep going.
Before we tell you everything we know about Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, be sure to check out our review of the Lego Icons Optimus Prime set if you’re a toy collector. And if you’re planning on rewatching all previous Transformers movies, you might want to check out our list of all the Transformers movies ranked, worst to best once you’re done.
When is the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts release date?
- June 9, 2023
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is scheduled to be released in the United States and the United Kingdom – as well as several other countries – on June 9, 2023, after a year-long delay from June 24, 2022.
Some international territories are getting it a bit earlier though, on June 7 and 8. On the flip side, Australia and New Zealand will have to wait until June 22, and Japan won’t be able to witness the new chapter of the Transformers saga until August 4.
How to watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
When it launches on June 9, 2023, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be exclusive to cinemas. However, the Transformers movies are distributed by Paramount, so it's likely going to turn up on Paramount+ at some point down the line.
As it stands, you can watch Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction, and Bumblebee on Paramount+. Weirdly, the first Transformers and The Last Knight are not on the service.
What is the plot of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts?
After the rest of the Autobots arrived on Earth after the 1987 events of Bumblebee, the conflict with the malicious Decepticons has mostly continued in the shadows. It all changes when an artifact researcher (Dominique Fishback) and an electronics expert from Brooklyn (Anthony Ramos) come across something that brings them into the Transformers’ everlasting war.
Plot specifics haven’t been released by Paramount outside of the trailers, but it appears the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons have all been on Earth for a long time, with the next stage of the Autobot-Decepticon war bringing them back into the fold.
And, of course, we’ve just received confirmation that the “Planet Eater” Unicron plays a huge role in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts after missing his chance to shine in Michael Bay’s Transformers continuity. Since The Last Knight (2017) already set him up and the previous set of live-action movies were frozen right after due to diminishing returns, it appears Paramount and Hasbro want to use him from the get-go to attract as many fans as possible instead of slowly building towards his arrival again.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts trailers
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ teaser trailer hit the Internet on December 1, 2022. You can watch it below:
The second (and main) trailer arrived on April 27, 2023, and gave us a much better look at all the new Transformers coming our way plus the key Autobot players that we all know and love. Thankfully, it also shed some light on the plot and massive scope the filmmakers are aiming for. Check it out here:
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts cast
The main human cast of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts includes Anthony Ramos (Noah Diaz, an ex-military electronics expert), Dominique Fishback (Elena Wallace, an artifact researcher), Lauren Vélez (Mrs. Diaz, Noah’s mother), and Tobe Nwigwe (Reek, a companion of Noah and Elena during their global adventure).
The Autobot voice cast is led by the legendary Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime and Pete Davidson as Mirage. As for Bumblebee, he remains voiceless. They’re joined by Liza Koshy (Arcee), Cristo Fernández (Wheeljack), and John DiMaggio (Stratosphere). On the Maximal side of things, we find Ron Perlman (Optimus Primal), Michelle Yeoh (Airazor), David Sobolov (Rhinox), and Tongayi Chirisa (Cheetor).
Scourge, the leader of the Terrorcons, is voiced by Peter Dinklage. He’s joined by David Sobolov (in his second role in the movie as Battletrap), Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Nightbird), and John DiMaggio (also voicing Transit). Freezer, another Terrorcon, and Scorponok, the famous Predacon, are part of the group of baddies as well, yet we know nothing of the voice acting talent (if any) behind them. However, we’ve just learned that Unicron is voiced by Colman Domingo.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts director, writers, & crew
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has been directed by Steven Caple Jr. (The Land, Creed II). The story was cracked by screenwriter Joby Harold (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Army of the Dead), who then developed the screenplay alongside Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters (Black Mafia Family), plus Erich and Jon Hoeber (The Meg).
The cinematography was handled by Enrique Chediak (The Maze Runner, Bumblebee), and the movie has been scored by Jongnic Bontemps (The Land, Wedding Season). The production design comes from veteran Patrick Tatopoulos (Batman v Superman, Justice League) and Sean Haworth (Terminator: Dark Fate, Sonic the Hedgehog).
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