Transformers Oneis the latest installment of theTransformersfranchise. Unlike the previous recent blockbusters in the franchise, however, the film won’t be live-action — it will be entirely animated. As it turns out, there’s a very good reason for that. According toScreenRant, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, producer ofTransformers One, explained why the film is animated, rather than live-action. “If we tried to do this [in] live-action,it would probably cost $500 million. We were forced into animation,” di Bonaventura explained. “There’s no human characters,” he said bluntly.
Transformers One
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.
Transformers Onepresents a unique challenge for filmmakers because of its fantastical setting. The live-action films were major blockbusters, but, for the most part, they were still set on modern-day Earth and featured a human cast with major contributions to the story. The lack of humans and the Cybertronian setting means that the CGI costs would be astronomical hadTransformers Oneopted to film in live-action. Production would likely be akin toAvatar: The Way of Water— a film that still includes human protagonists and practical settings — featuring plenty of mo-cap work and more and taking many years.
Exclusive: Longtime Transformers Mastermind Lorenzo di Bonaventura Talks Rise of the Beasts
The producer on the Transformers films spoke with MovieWeb about Unicron, Optimus Prime, Scourge, G.I. Joe, and pictures of his hat.
Transformers Has Dabbled in Animation and Live Action
AlthoughTransformersbegan as a toyline that later became an animated franchise,its theatrical offerings have been chiefly live-action— and this has led to some drawbacks. To some fans' consternation, live-action has required the human characters to take center stage. While the Transformers themselves are certainly main characters, some fan-favorite characters have gotten short-shifted due technological and budgetary restrictions.
Transformers One Director Explains Why Megatron’s Origin Was Changed
Transformers One director Josh Cooley explains why the film has dropped Megatron’s backstory as a gladiator on Cybertron.
Transformers Onewas previously reported to be a standalone adventure with no ties to previous continuities. However,recent reports from Hall Hat San Diego Comic Con indicate thatTransformers Onewill connect with the live-action film continuity. The film is set to take place about three billion years before the events of any of the movies, though, making it a very early prequel for the franchise.
Transformers Onewill feature an all-star voice cast. While Peter Cullen won’t be returning to the role of Optimus Prime, Chris Hemsworth is ready to take over. In addition,Steve Buscemi was recently revealed as Starscream, the villain of the piece. Additional voices include Bryan Tyree Henry as Megatron, Scarlett Johansson as Elita, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee, Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, and Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime.Transformers Onehits theaters this September 20.
