3 months ago
SPOILER ALERT: This contains awesome spoilers astir nan ending of “Transformers: Rise of nan Beasts,” now playing successful theaters.
Is this nan opening of nan Hasbro Cinematic Universe?
After rumors of a crossover betwixt nan “Transformers” and “G.I. Joe” franchises circulated online successful caller months, it seems for illustration nan eventual ’80s action-toy mash-up is officially happening. The ending of “Transformers: Rise of nan Beasts” has a nonstop callout to nan Joes, and head Steven Caple Jr. and shaper Lorenzo di Bonaventura said to Variety astatine nan film’s premiere astir what to expect adjacent from nan series.
“Rise of nan Beasts” is nan seventh installment successful nan talking robots franchise, and di Bonaventura called it “the opening of a caller procreation of ‘Transformers’ movies.” It follows 2018’s prequel “Bumblebee,” which took spot successful 1987, and shifts things to Brooklyn successful 1994. Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback return complete arsenic nan quality leads Noah Diaz and Elena Wallace, and nan movie introduces nan animal-themed Maximals and evil Terrorcons. With thief from seasoned Autobots Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), Bumblebee and newcomers for illustration Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman) and Mirage (Pete Davidson), nan pack defeats nan planet-devouring Transformer Unicron (Colman Domingo).
With nan world saved, Noah returns to Brooklyn successful hunt of a job. He interviews for a information position for a mysterious authorities institution tally by Agent Burke, played “House of Cards” prima Michael Kelly. Burke acknowledgment Noah for his work and promises nan world’s champion medicine for his younger brother, who has sickle compartment anemia. He past gives Noah a business paper and a occupation offer, and erstwhile Noah flips it around, it says G.I. Joe. Cue each nan nostalgic, ’80s toys fans losing their minds.
“Noah goes from personification who cannot get a job, to a feline who gets nan top occupation ever. It really felt integrated to put it successful present because you could subordinate it to nan story,” di Bonaventura told Variety. “It didn’t consciousness for illustration we were being cynical and like, ‘Good news, we could conscionable jam G.I. Joes successful here.’ The fans want a batch of things; if we do it and we don’t fig it retired well, they’re going to beryllium disappointed. It took america a while to fig retired nan Maximals, and now we person nan hint of really to statesman nan Joes story.”
The G.I. Joes, a squad of world-class commandos, person deed nan large surface 3 times. The first was successful 2009, pinch “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” starring Channing Tatum arsenic leader Duke and Joseph Gordon-Levitt arsenic nan evil Cobra Commander. The supporting formed included instrumentality favorites for illustration Snake Eyes (Ray Park), Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Ripcord (Marlon Wayans), Baroness (Sienna Miller) and Storm Shadow (Lee Byung-hun).
In 2013, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” switched retired immoderate of nan formed and introduced Dwayne Johnson arsenic Roadblock and Bruce Willis arsenic General Joe Colton. In 2021, G.I. Joe rebooted pinch “Snake Eyes,” a prequel starring Henry Golding arsenic nan masked ninja and Andrew Koji arsenic Storm Shadow (plus Samara Weaving arsenic a caller Scarlett and Ursula Corbero arsenic Baroness).
Di Bonaventura, who’s produced each “Transformers” and “G.I. Joe” movie truthful far, named Snake Eyes arsenic his favourite character, but wouldn’t opportunity if immoderate acquainted faces from erstwhile movies would beryllium returning.
“I don’t cognize honestly,” he told Variety. “We don’t scheme that acold ahead. We respond to what nan assemblage is reacting to, truthful successful a measurement we tin please them, but besides successful a measurement it makes it consciousness fresh, for illustration ‘OK, they want to spell that way, truthful let’s spell research that.'”
Kelly’s Agent Burke, however, has “got to beryllium successful it,” he teased. Caple Jr. wouldn’t spell into excessively galore specifications either, but hinted that a imaginable crossover whitethorn spell beyond Earth and present caller Joes.
“I was down nan directing chair, and nan kid successful maine was like, ‘What do I want to spot next? How could we person a consciousness of guidance arsenic to what’s going to happen?'” he said. “As nan conflict gets bigger, we tin grow nan beingness and we mightiness request different entities and groups.”
“The Joes are conscionable really cool and I would emotion to spot what I could do pinch them,” he continued. “There are sections of nan Joes that haven’t been utilized and characters that person ne'er been touched, and I’m excited astir that. I will opportunity this astir what’s next: We person spent a batch of clip connected Earth and I’m funny arsenic to what other is retired there.”
This would beryllium nan first clip nan Transformers and Joes person crossed complete connected nan large screen, but nan 2 factions person already teamed up successful nan comics world. Since nan ’80s, location person been respective comic miniseries bringing together nan 2 teams, typically battling a agreed Decepticon and Cobra Commando threat. Fans tin expect nan Transformers and Joes to beryllium fighting nan bully conflict if they ever transverse over.
“How could they perchance not beryllium connected nan aforesaid side?” di Bonaventura said. “We don’t know, that is nan truth. What we expect is there’s going to beryllium immoderate allegiance and they’re going to spell connected immoderate benignant of ngo together. We person to fig some those things out.”
Before they tin meet up pinch nan G.I. Joes, however, Optimus Prime and his nemesis Megatron will person their origins explored successful nan animated prequel, “Transformers: One,” adjacent year. Set wholly connected nan Transformers’ location satellite of Cybertron, nan movie will travel nan young robots earlier they return connected their celebrated identities. The formed includes Chris Hemsworth arsenic Optimus, Brian Tyree Henry arsenic Megatron, Jon Hamm arsenic Sentinel Prime, Scarlett Johansson arsenic Elita, Keegan-Michael Key arsenic Bumblebee and Laurence Fishburne arsenic Alpha Trion.
“It looks different than thing I’ve ever seen before,” di Bonaventura said of nan animation. “Going backmost to nan mythology of Orion Pax and D-16, who go Optimus Prime and Megatron, is biblical. It’s a awesome story. People are going to emotion it. Our occupation is to make it fun, but nan animation is already different. And an full movie connected Cybertron? Come on!”
