Summary

• Director Josh Cooley explains that Transformers One depicts Cyberton in a period of relative peace for the first time.
• Cooley aimed to make it clear why the Transformers want to live in this place while also making it interesting for audiences.
• Transformers One could end up providing interesting contextual information about other movies in the franchise.

Transformers One director Josh Cooley explains how his prequel features a version of Cybertron audiences haven't seen before. After the release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts last year, the franchise, which is based on the iconic Hasbro toy line, is set to return to the world of animation with Cooley's new installment. The movie will take place on the Transformers' home planet of Cybertron, serving as an origin story of sorts for Optimus Prime and Megatron, and chronicling how they go from allies to enemies.

In a recent interview with Screen Rant as the Transformers One release date inches closer, Cooley explains how the film's depiction of Cybertron may be different from what audiences are used to. According to the director, the film will be showing the planet at a time of relative peace. Check out his full comment below:

"Yeah, that was one of the things that got me really excited about this film from the very beginning. We've never seen Cybertron when things are going well. We were always seeing it when it's dying or falling apart or about to blow up, and they have to leave to go to Earth. Knowing that their entire planet is made of metal - which is fascinating, because I've never seen that before on screen and wonder what that looks like - I was excited to to see what that could be. And also just to see what looks like everything's going great.

"We looked at all the different versions of Cybertron, how it's been depicted, and we're going, 'How can we make ours different but also stay true to it? And also cool and someplace you want to be?' Because, actually Cybertron is what's at stake for their entire species. They want to stay there, and they're fighting for it later on. You want to love this place and want to be there as an audience member."

Why Transformers One's Cyberton Change Is So Exciting

Cybertron Has Always Been Crucial To The Entire Franchise

There have now been a host of Transformers movies, both in animation and live-action, that have depicted the planet of Cybertron. Michael Bay's Transformers in 2007 was the first live-action movie to render the home world in a realistic fashion, with Autobots and Decepticons shown battling it out in a civil war. This section of the film is brief, however, and it's basically in keeping with how Cybertron has been depicted in other entries as well – as a war-torn, violent place.

While exciting, these depictions of Cybertron fail to capture exactly why the Transformers want to live there. Various Autobots and Decepticons across a number of films think fondly of their home planet and desire to return, but Transformers One will seemingly be the first movie in the franchise to really explain why the location is held in such high regard. This could actually end up making other movies in the franchise more compelling as it will provide so much more context about the robots' behavior on Earth.

In addition to Cooley's animated movie, the franchise is set to expand on the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ending with a live-action Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover movie.

In addition to the latest Cybertron reveal, the Transformers One cast boasts talent like Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm, Keegan-Michael Key, Brian Tyree Henry, Laurence Fishburne, and Steve Buscemi, making it a particularly exciting entry in the larger saga. It remains to be seen how audiences and critics respond to the film, but it could strike a perfect balance between feeling familiar and fresh. Many questions remain about Transformers One, but an exploration of Cybertron is, by itself, a great way to make the project more compelling.