Transformers: Rise of the Beasts details revealed: characters, cast, locations

The first details on the next film in the Transformers franchise have been revealed via a virtual event to mark the start of production. Drawing on the Beast Wars series, the new film is titled Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and it'll introduce factions beyond the well-worn likes of Autobots and Decepticons.

Rise of the Beasts will feature Maximals, Predacons, and Terracons, alongside returning stalwart Optimus Prime who’ll be seen in his G1 iteration. The lead human characters are Noah, played by Anthony Ramos (In the Heights) and Elena, played by Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah) with director Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II) calling the shots.

Longtime franchise producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura promised a cross between the scale of the Michael Bay movies, and the heart of the recent Bumblebee standalone. “This is a spectacle story,” di Bonaventura says. “We’re going for the full experience our franchise has come to be known for.”

Caple Jr., a self-confessed fan who grew up on Beast Wars, joked that “spectacle and heart” was the film’s new hashtag. “Beast Wars, that was my joint,” he says. “Fans are going to go crazy over this.”

Confirmed Transformers include familiar faces Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, plus Arcee, Mirage, Nightbird, and the new big villain, Scourge. Among the Maximals - who disguise in prehistoric animal form - are Airazor, Rhinox and Optimus Primal.

Rise of the Beasts is set in 1994, with the story evolving out of Brooklyn, New York City. The globe-trotting action will extend to Machu Picchu in Peru.

Ramos and Fishback’s characters are both New Yorkers: Noah’s an ex-military man and an electronics whizz, and Elena is a researcher of artifacts.

Filming’s underway on what’s technically the seventh installment in the film franchise, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will open in cinemas on June 24, 2022. Until then, be sure to check out all the most exciting upcoming movies heading to cinemas