The first look is literally out of this world.
Scheduled for September 20 theatrical release, the first trailer of the highly anticipated origin story of iconic characters Optimus Prime and Megatron was sent into space—an unprecedented feat in cinematic history! Paramount, pushing boundaries yet again, launched the first-ever fully CGI-animated Transformers film aboard a weather balloon into space.
The trailer was unveiled on April 18, with a live-streamed countdown and journey into outer space. Launched at 6 a.m. P.T., the craft reached its peak at 125,000 feet above the Earth one hour later and then revealed voice actors Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry’s introduction video.
‘Transformers One’: The Untold Origin Story of Optimus Prime and Megatron
“We’re really the first movie trailer to be shot up into space?” asks Brian Henry, to which Chris Hemsworth responds, “Yeah, the first one.”
Broadcast on Paramount Pictures’ YouTube channel, the trailer teased the story of Orion Pax and D-16, evolving from allies to archenemies, eventually known as Optimus Prime and Megatron. Directed by Josh Cooley, this marks the first animated Transformers film in nearly four decades.
Voiced by Chris Hemsworth (Orion Pax) and Brian Henry (D-16), the film follows their journey from Cybertron to becoming giant transformer warriors, offering a youthful spin on the animated aesthetics compared to previous Transformers movies. In addition to the two voice actors, the stellar cast includes Scarlett Johansson as Elita-1, Keegan-Michael Key as B-127 (better known as Bumblebee), Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime, Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, and Steve Buscemi in a yet-to-be-revealed role, speculated to be either a villain or a pivotal character possibly tied to the conflict between Optimus Prime and Megatron.
Originally set for release on September 13, Transformers One’s premiere has been pushed to September 20, distancing it from the highly anticipated Beetlejuice Beetlejuice release. It will coincide instead with DreamWorks Animation/Universal’s Wild Robot. This change also comes after the positive reception Transformers One received at CinemaCon last week.
Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy, Michael Bay, Mark Vahradian, Tom DeSanto, and Aaron Dem, Transformers One is definitely a must-watch for both longtime and newcomers to the Transformers universe.
What do you think caused the intense rivalry between Optimus Prime and Megatron? Save the date: September 20th for you to find out!
Cover image credit: @transformersmovie
