There’s a brand-new Transformers film coming to Cineworld cinemas, and it’s fair to say we’re thrilled to bits. Transformers One (released on 11 October) is an origin story that focuses on Optimus Prime and Megatron’s early lives on their native planet of Cybertron, and how they went from being best buddies to the fiercest of enemies. The trailer for Josh Cooley’s movie has been getting rave reviews from critics and fans alike, thanks in no small part to the spectacular animation by the creative geniuses at Industrial Light & Magic. But equally exciting is the cast of actors who’ve been brought in to provide the voices for the Transformers themselves. Join us as we take a closer look at who’s in the movie…
Chris Hemsworth (Orion Pax / Optimus Prime)
Best known for playing the axe-wielding Avenger, Thor, Hemsworth can be heard voicing Orion Pax – aka the young Optimus Prime. Across all of the previous Transformers films, Prime has been played by Peter Cullen, and Hemsworth admits that stepping into the Canadian actor’s boots was a big deal. “I hope he's pleased," he told ComicBook. "That was always my apprehension, or what was nerve wracking about stepping into the role, was to try and just do what Peter Cullen had done. I didn't want to attempt to mimic that. So it was great to be able to have there be more levity, and the playfulness and a sense of humour to the character that we hadn't seen before. But then toward the end of the film, as he becomes Optimus to start to play with the cadence and the vocal quality that we know and love so much that Peter has done. It was a lot of fun."
Brian Tyree Henry (D-16 / Megatron)
Though he’s appeared in a number of big movies – Godzilla x Kong, Joker, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – voicing Optimus Prime’s best-friend-turned-enemy is undoubtedly Brian Tyree Henry’s biggest role to date. And he was excited to embark on this journey into the Transformers’ past. “I really love that we are exploring the origins of who these villains are because it's so easy to label them and put a stamp on them,” he told Collider. “And to be able to be Megatron, who we've always been told is just a Decepticon who was always against Optimus Prime — it’s not true. They were actually best friends. And being able to voice him, that was the one thing that I really wanted to get to the viewers — that you can actually care about him. You can actually laugh with him. He laughed, he actually had a camaraderie, he had a job.”
Scarlett Johansson (Elita-1)
Chris Hemsworth isn’t the only Avenger to be part of the Transformers One cast – Scarlett Johansson (who plays Black Widow in that franchise) also appears in the film, playing Elita-1, the fearless Autobot warrior and love interest of Optimus Prime. “It was so exciting to be a part of this Transformers film as Elita-1," the actress told ComicBook. "I loved the script. It ignites the kid in me. So, I think parents would appreciate that. But, it's also just really fun. The new generation is going to get to experience Transformers in a whole new way. It's going to be awesome."
Laurence Fishburne (Alpha Trion)
Alpha Trion is the oldest and wisest of the Transformers – so who better to play him than Laurence Fishburne, an actor who’s appeared in dozens of films spanning nearly 50 years. Fishburne also has plenty of action movies on his CV, including the likes of The Matrix, Mission: Impossible 3, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Man of Steel. So, we reckon he’ll take to this role like a duck to water.
Steve Buscemi (Starscream)
From Reservoir Dogs to Con Air, The Big Lebowski to Armageddon, Steve Buscemi has appeared in some of our favourite films of the past 30 years. So, we were delighted to hear that he’s in Transformers One – playing Starscream, the leader of a group of warriors known as the Cybertron High Guard. And we weren’t the only ones to be chuffed with his inclusion. After showing a clip of the movie to the audience at San Diego Comic-Con, Josh Cooley asked: "Do you guys know who that was? Steve Buscemi is the voice of Starscream. First choice. We call him up and he says yes... I’m a huge Big Lebowski fan, so this was a dream come true.”
Jon Hamm (Sentinel Prime)
The Mad Men star appears in Transformers One as Sentinel Prime, a staunch Cybertron patriot who mentors Optimus Prime. We loved him in previous movie outings such as Top Gun: Maverick, Baby Driver and Wild Mountain Thyme, so we look forward to seeing what he can do with this role.
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