Summary
- The Transformers One producer explains why the film is not in live-action.
- Transformers One would have cost too much in live-action.
- Making it animated may indicate a promising scale and reinvention for the franchise.
San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Transformers One is an original story film that chronicles the rise of Optimus Prime and Megatron, as they grow up together as friends, before becoming the enemies they are known as later in the series. Transformers One is set for release on September 20.
Per a San Diego Comic-Con where Screen Rant was in attendance, di Bonaventura explains why Transformers One is not live-action. According to the producer, Transformers One would have been far too expensive to make in live-action. Di Bonaventura made a hyperbolic guess that the film would have "probably cost $500 million" if made in live-action. The producer also noted that "there's no human characters," further pushing the team into live-action. Check out the quote from di Bonaventura below:
If we tried to do this live action, it would probably cost $500 million. We were forced into animation. … There’s no human characters.
Why This Transformers Decision Is Promising
The Series Has Plenty Of Animated Success
Di Bonaventura's statement at San Diego Comic Con can be taken as a promising sign for the production. If a live-action version of the story would have cost that much money, it suggests that the scale of the story is vast for the movie. The Transformers One trailers already hint at part of this scale, showing glimpses of the Transformers' visages and the action sequences between the Autobots and Decepticons. Based on di Bonaventura's statement, one can expect even grander action from the full film.
Transformers: Every Version Of Optimus Prime, Ranked
There have been plenty of interpretations of Optimus Prime over the years - but which is the best for the Transformer?
Making an animated feature version of Transformers may also be a good way for the franchise to reset the slump they have been in during recent years. Of the last five Transformers films, only one (Bumblebee) has gotten a fresh Rotten Tomatoes score. Others have reached franchise lows, including 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight, which was the worst-reviewed film of the franchise, at a 16% score by critics. By venturing into a new visual style, Transformers One can help reinvent the franchise and hopefully curb the Rotten Tomatoes score along the way.
RT Critics Score |
RT Audience Score |
|
|---|---|---|
Transformers (2007) |
57% |
85% |
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) |
20% |
57% |
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) |
35% |
55% |
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) |
18% |
50% |
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) |
16% |
43% |
Bumblebee (2018) |
90% |
74% |
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) |
52% |
91% |
Transformers One is also not the Transformers franchise's first foray into animation. The franchise previously released the animated series Transformers: Animated, which ran for three seasons from 2007 to 2009. This series was well-liked by audiences, who gave it an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Between the large scale promised, and the opportunities granted by a new format, hopefully the animated medium will be a good return to roots for the Transformers franchise upon the release of Transformers One.
Transformers One
- Release Date
- September 20, 2024
- Runtime
- 104 Minutes
- Director
- Josh Cooley
Cast
Orion Pax / Optimus Prime
Brian Tyree HenryD-16 / Megatron
WHERE TO WATCH
Transformers One is an animated action-adventure movie that marks the first animated feature-length film for the series in decades. The film will be a prequel to the franchise, and will tell the story of Optimus Prime and Megatron in their early years, how they met, and a closer look at the war on their home planet, Cybertron.
- Writers
- Andrew Barrer, Steve Desmond, Gabriel Ferrari
- Sequel(s)
- Transformers
- Franchise(s)
- Transformers
- Studio(s)
- Entertainment One, Hasbro, Nickelodeon Movies
- Distributor(s)
- Paramount Pictures
- Main Genre
- Animation
Read More From San Diego Comic-Con 2024
Your comment has not been saved