In the realm of Transformers, leaders Optimus Prime and Megatron frequently are portrayed as lethal adversaries. Optimus heads up the Autobots, while his adversary Megatron commands the Decepticons. And even though the Transformers have been used to share stories in all forms of media – from video games and animation to the live-action movies that populate theaters – these inherent character traits have held true. Which is why it’s instantly disarming at the start of the trailer for Josh Cooley’s animated feature Transformers One to see Optimus Prime (Chris Hemsworth) and Megatron (Brian Tyree Henry) as something else – friends.
The trailer for Transformers One recently arrived online. The movie opens in theaters on September 20, and will serve as an origin story for some of the most recognizable Transformers, including Bumblebee (Keegan-Michael Key). But as you can see in the first official footage from the movie, Transformers One showcases a bit of a buddy cop vibe to it, as it follows Orion Pax (Hemsworth) and D-16 (Henry) on a mission that originally pairs them up, then eventually describes what drives them apart.
Admittedly, it was jarring first seeing the Transformers One trailer as part of the Paramount panel in CinemaCon 2024. Maybe it’s because I grew up on the Michael Bay movies, but Optimus Prime and Megatron always wanted to tear each other’s heads off. Seeing them as buddies took some getting used to. But speaking exclusively with Josh Cooley (Inside Out, Toy Story 4) on behalf of the Transformers One trailer launch, it was that side of Megatron that he was most excited to showcase.
Cooley tells CinemaBlend:
I want the audience to fall in love with Orion Pax and D-16 as brothers at the beginning, knowing that this relationship is going to fall apart. So that the audience is just going, ‘Oh no!’ You just know what's going to happen. … The audience, I think, will finally understand why Megatron is the way he is, but to see how he goes too far. … That's what got me really excited about this movie. Was going, ‘How can this relationship evolve?’ I kept thinking like Cain and Abel. Like, it's biblical. It's huge. It's mythical. It's as big as storytelling.
Stories that big have to start somewhere, and Transformers One appears to be that initial step. Voice actor Scarlett Johansson promised that this animated feature would be unlike anything that fans of the series have seen before, and it struck me how family friendly the tone of the movie was based on the trailer. We also saw additional footage at CinemaCon that expanded on the universe that’s present in this story. Josh Cooley is right, it’s epic in scope. But if you want something grittier, you may have to wait until that eventual Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover that was announced from the stage in Las Vegas.
We’ll have plenty more on Transformers One as we get closer to the movie’s release date in September.
