“Transformers” is going into Beast Mode. Look out Brooklyn.
On Tuesday, director Steven Caple Jr. and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura shared major changes coming to the seventh installment of the mega-franchise during a virtual event Tuesday to mark the beginning of production.
Based in 1994 Brooklyn, New York, the new film titled “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” features new humans including “In the Heights” star Anthony Ramos and “Judas the Black Messiah” star Dominique Fishback.
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“Rise of the Beasts” will bring back fan favorite Optimus Prime and introduce characters from “Beast Wars,” the 1990s “Transformers” animated series, in the existing Earth battle between the Autobots and evil Decepticons.
“There are different breeds of Transformers,” said Caple Jr.
Prepare for Maximals, creature-like descendants of the world-protecting Autobots, Predacons, descendants of the evil Decepticons and a new movie villain Terrorcons, which will bring the boom to Brooklyn.
“And there are prehistoric animals that travel through time and space, powerful beasts,” he added. “That’s something new we’re dropping onto the table. There are some dope characters that I’m going to introduce.”
“We get to pair everybody up against each other,” vowed Di Bonaventura. “So it becomes a grand finale epic ‘Transformers’ experience.”
From new and returning characters, to more iconic “Transformers” battles, here’s what fans can expect in the “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” coming June 24, 2022.
Every ‘Transformers’ movie: (Including ‘Bumblebee’), definitively ranked
Terrorcons bring new flare, new damage in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’
The new film will feature the ongoing battle between Autobots and Decepticons, but add what Caple Jr. calls “a new flare to the whole thing” – the Terrorcons.
“When (the Terrorcons) disrupt our movie, you’re going to feel it,” he said.
Decepticons will do their damage, as usual.
“But it’s really Terrorcons who are the leading villains,” said Di Bonaventura. The Terrorcons include the fierce Nightbird, a Nissan GTR, and Scourge.
Optimus Prime and new-look Bumblebee to return
Autobot leader Optimus Prime will return as the main hero, with long-time voice actor Peter Cullen. “There was no discussion without him,” said Di Bonaventura. “Peter’s aboard.”
The movie will serve as a backstory to the hero, giving the origins of his Earth-protecting ethos. “I want to discover more about Optimus Prime, dig under the metal,” said Caple Jr.
The film will also feature an off-road Camaro look at fan-favorite Bumblebee. “We’ve never done an off-road version of a transformer. So new territory,” he added.
Other featured Autobots will include the rebel Mirage, who transforms to a Porsche 911.
Fans will see more of the female Transformer Arcee after first appearing in 2018’s “Bumblebee,” transforming to a Ducati 916. “I saw a glimpse of her in ‘Bumblebee,’ I wanted to see more of her,” said Caple Jr.
Maximals will introduce Optimus Primal
The prehistoric Maximals will provide a new protecting force on earth, with its fierce-yet-sage leader Optimus Primal, the fatherly figure of the group.
“Optimus Prime can have philosophical conversations with Optimus Primal,” said Di Bonaventura. “They are on the same plane.”
The group will also include an armored rhino type, Rhinox who “just wants to ram stuff,” he added. “He wants to use that horn. I think he’ll be a fan-favorite.”
The Maximals will battle with their natural enemy the Predacons. “They’re more reptilian in nature, we’ve seen them in other ‘Transformers’ movies, but I really wanted to focus in on them,” said Caple Jr.
Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback bring new Brooklyn cred
Brooklynites Ramos and Fishback bring credibility to the “Rise of the Beasts” Brooklyn backdrop.
“As soon as the movie starts, you’re goin to feel the hip hop culture, you’re going to feel Brooklyn,” said Caple Jr. “We’re trying to recreate that era. We’re going to have a great soundtrack.”
Ramos will play Noah, an electronics wizard who was formerly in the military. While Fishback describes her character Elena as a “researcher of artifacts.”
The film will travel to Peru’s famed 15th century Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. It’s not going to be easy trekking to the famed mountainous region where Caple Jr. and the cast will shoot for six weeks.
“We’re pulling our hairs out” trying to bring the equipment to the location, Caple Jr. said.
“It’s a task to get there. But it is a magical place,” he said.
Some actors and actresses have taken method acting to the extreme, drastically transforming their bodies to better relate to their characters. From Mark Wahlberg to Charlize Theron, here are some of the most drastic celebrity transformations for roles.
Chris Hemsworth may play Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he has to hulk up to play wrestling legend Hulk Hogan in an upcoming Netflix biopic. Hemsworth has been packing on the muscle and he showed off his bulked up biceps and triceps in a tanktop on Instagram: “It’s also national don’t flex day so I thought this super relaxed photo was appropriate.”
Hogan approves. He reshared the Instagram picture of a massive Hemsworth on set of “Thor 4,” writing, “My brother has that Hogan Pump on Jack, looks like he could slam Andre *the Giant) brother.”
To transform into Tammy Faye Bakker for the upcoming biopic “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” Jessica Chastain says she “had something on my face” during “every moment” she played the televangelist. (Andrew Garfield portrays Jim Bakker.)
Chastain told People Magazine she underwent four hours of cosmetics each day, applying prosthetics, wigs and Bakker’s signature makeup.
“I have a dimple in my chin that she didn’t have, so we would seal that up. Her face was more round than mine, so I would have things on my cheeks. (Makeup artists Linda Dowds and Stephanie Ingram’s) expertise just helped me so much with my confidence in playing her,” Chastain said.
Wahlberg, typically ripped, shared in May that he’s “up about 20” pounds in weight — and plans on “going up another 20” for an upcoming film role. The exact movie wasn’t named, but the actor told Jimmy Kimmel that he was planning to put on the pounds to play a fighter-turned-priest. He says he’s working with a professional to gain weight as healthily as possible. “This isn’t something that we’re just going into and we’re just eating pizza and pasta and whatnot,” Wahlberg’s personal chef Lawrence Duran tells USA TODAY.
Bale lost around 60 pounds for his role in “The Machinist” as insomniac Trevor Reznik, who is described as a “walking skeleton” in the script. He told Radio Free Entertainment in 2004 that he only ate “a bit of a coffee and an apple if I felt like it” during his weight transformation. The actor said he didn’t have a doctor monitoring him, but he did speak to a nutritionist beforehand, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Viola Davis has put in her fair share of work to embody different characters in movie roles.
Davis starred as trailblazing blues singer Ma Rainey in Netflix’s 2020 film “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The actress added on some weight and a fat suit to achieve the look.
“I tried to gain as much as I could but (Ma Rainey) was really big, close to 300 pounds,” Davis said at the Toronto International Film Festival. “I got close to 200. Ann Roth, the great costume designer, she said, ‘Viola, what body do you want to look like?’ And the body that I loved — once again I grew up with a lot of big woman that I thought were the most beautiful woman in the word. So for me it was Aretha Franklin. I wanted that body.”
Rami Malek already sports a trim figure, but scaled down even more for his Oscar-winning performance as Freddie Mercury in 2018 biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
De Niro gained 60 pounds to play Italian-American middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta in his decline, after sporting a ripped physique during much of the film. He spent four months in Italy dining at the best pasta restaurants to gain the weight, according to Vanity Fair.
That’s not the first time he’s transofrmed for a role. De Niro dropped 30 pounds to play Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese’s 1976 film “Taxi Driver.”
In 2003 film “Monster,” Theron, right, transformed into serial killer Aileen Wuornos, pulling off “the year’s most astounding screen makeover,” wrote New York Times reviewer Stephen Holden. She co-starred with Christina Ricci, left.
Michael B. Jordan typically looks fit, but he really bulked up for his role as Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed, in the “Rocky” spinoff movies, “Creed” and “Creed 2.”
Natalie Portman, pictured here at the 2020 Oscars, put it serious work to become a ballerina in 2010 psychological thriller “Black Swan.”
Portman shed 20 pounds for the role. “I think it was just the physicality of it all that was the most extreme,” she told Us Magazine. “I mean, I had never gotten that much training – to be doing five-to-eight hours a day of (it) was really a challenge.”
Portman’s “Black Swan” co-star Mila Kunis endured equal physical demands to take on her role in the film.
Kunis also slimmed down to play Portman’s ballerina rival, but advised against it. “I didn’t starve myself,” Kunis said on Howard Stern’s radio show in 2016. “I did do it in the healthiest way possible. I don’t recommend anybody ever doing it.”
Jake Gyllenhaal completely altered his physique to play boxing champion Billy “The Great” Hope in 2015 movie “Southpaw.”
Bradley Cooper packed on almost 40 pounds of pure muscle to play Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in 2015 movie “American Sniper.”
Cooper reflected on his physical transformation to USA TODAY. “Once I put that weight on and I could feel comfortable talking like him — that was very fascinating. His register was higher than mine,” Cooper said. “That was just to get to the place where I could start doing the work. There’s no way I’d ever be able to believe I was him without doing that.”
Hanks played FedEx executive Chuck Noland who has to learn how to survive alone on a deserted island after a crash plane landing. With little food on a deserted island, the actor obviously slimmed down to fit the part.
Brie Larson, pictured here attending the “Just Mercy” premiere, could likely be found in a gym before filmimg “Captain Marvel.”
Hilary Swank has starred in many films such as “Freedom Writers,” “P.S. I Love You” and “Conviction,” but it was her role in “Million Dollar Baby” where she had to make serious lifestyle changes to transform into her character.
Swank only had a few months to look like she had been training all her life for her role as a female boxer. Swank said her training consisted of weight lifting and a whole bunch of eggs in a speech to students at the Loyola Marymount University School of Film & TV.
“I had to eat 60 egg whites in a day and I couldn’t. So every morning I would drink them. I had to eat every hour and a half. So in the night, I had to wake up and drink protein shakes. I put on 23 pounds of muscle,” Swank said.
Here, Zellweger is pictured in a scene from “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” However, in the sequel, “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” Bridget becomes svelte. The actress told USA TODAY why director Sharon Maguire pushed for the change. “Sharon’s explanation was, ‘Let’s let her have this thing that she’d always hoped to achieve in her life, and yet show how little consequence it has on her happiness,’ ” said Zellweger. “She never had a weight problem to my mind. It was just something that she had fixated on.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’: New movie villains Terrorcons to wreak havoc on Brooklyn
