After years of producing live-action blockbusters, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the producer of the Transformers franchise, has delved back into the Cybertron mythology's history for an animated prequel, which premiered at the Transformers Metrobase in Universal Beijing Resort on Sept. 24 and is set for a nationwide release in China on Sept. 27. 

A still from "Transformers One." [Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures]

"I wanted to make this story because the core mythology of it is so strong," said di Bonaventura when discussing the idea behind the new animated blockbuster "Transformers One."

"Transformers One" tells the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, revealing how two worker bots' relationship changed over time and impacted the fate of Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers.  

This animated prequel's own creation story started back in 2015. At the time, Paramount Pictures assigned Akiva Goldsman the task of collaborating with the film franchise's director Michael Bay, executive producer Steven Spielberg and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to establish a writers' room aimed at generating ideas for future Transformers films. One of the concepts that emerged from this brainstorming session was titled "Transformers One," envisioned as an animation that would explore the initial Autobot-Decepticon conflict on Cybertron. By August 2017, the project was officially announced and the script was in the works. In 2020, Josh Cooley, Pixar alumnus and a die-hard Transformers fan, was hired to direct.

Di Bonaventura said he loved Cooley's previous work, but, most importantly, when he sat down with Cooley to discuss the script he found that they were both moved by the same overarching storyline: two best friends turned mortal enemies.

"That's the thing he wanted to focus on. I had seen his most recent animated film at that point, 'Toy Story 4' (2019), which was obviously an amazing film. He knew his craft, but the key was understanding what that was about. Interestingly enough, he has a brother, and the two of them took very different directions in their lives – one is filmmaker, one is a cop. So, he was able to use that personal experience on top of it," di Bonaventura revealed.

A Chinese poster for "Transformers One." [Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures]

Going down the animated route to tell Optimus Prime and Megatron's creation story was a tactical move, with di Bonaventura stating that using animation does not only offer a different experience for the audience and "level of creativity" compared to the franchise's live-action installments, but also was a budget-conscious consideration. "This particular story would probably cost $500 million if you tried to do it in live-action. So, in a way, you had no choice but to do it in animation. Having now seen the film and feeling how successful it is, I'm really happy," he beamed. Animation was provided by Industrial Light & Magic and was influenced by Generation 1 and Art Deco. 

"The great news for us in this was that all the animators are really hardcore 'Transformers' fans. So, they were bringing their own understanding of the characters, of the series and of the movies to this experience. They were able to help us elevate the whole storytelling."

Their hard work has paid off. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 125 critics' reviews have been positive and the audience score has been as high as 98%. 

Although the box office performance for the animated film within the Chinese market remains to be seen, the "Transformers" series is evergreen and has garnered a substantial Chinese fan base since its introduction into China in 1987, with its popularity sustained through cartoons, movies and toys. Reflecting China's fast-growing film market, the previous seven live-action installments have collectively grossed more than 7 billion yuan ($1 billion) in this country alone.

The China premiere for "Transformers One" was held at Transformers Metrobase at Universal Beijing Resort in Beijing, Sept. 24, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures]

Di Bonaventura said he hopes hardcore fans will love this new animated film because part of the reason for making this origin story is to please the fans, going on to say that during production they intentionally stayed very true to the mythology. 

But there's one thing that die-hard fans of the Transformers movies may not be pleased with: the replacement of who is voicing Optimus Prime. Previously having the deep, iconic voice of Peter Cullen, Optimus Prime in "Transformers One" is voiced by Chris Hemsworth. Di Bonaventura explained the decision, saying that he's "wanted to work with Chris for a long time" and that he feels Hemsworth is a good fit for the role. "His voice has both the innocence of a younger man and the timbre of a hero. "

With the voice of Optimus Prime's younger self decided on, they had to find the right match for Megatron's younger version, and they eventually came to the versatile actor Brian Tyree Henry. In addition, di Bonaventura added, "I think one of the exciting things in this particular movie for the audience is that we have a very strong female character that Scarlett Johansson is playing. It's the first time we've really had a female Transformer character that stands up against any of the males."

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