Animated Transformers prequel in the works at Paramount

[TigerClaw]

An animated Transformers prequel is in the works at Paramount. It'll be directed by Toy Story 4 director Josh Cooley.
https://deadline.com/2020/04/transfo...ey-1202921100/

[Leo656]

That movie kinda sucked, that doesn't bode well.

[neatoman]

The film is separate and apart from the live-action Transformers film series and the Bumblebee spinoff, and those movies continue on a fast track.

Then what the **** is it a prequel to? The Beast Wars comic where Optimus is a Bat?

[Leo656]

It's kinda like Transformers and X-Men are in a competition for "Most Broken Long-Running Film Series" or something.

I think Transformers "wins" simply because there's more than just one-and-a-half watchable X-Men movies. There's like, two.

[neatoman]

Ugh, yeah. This movie series just sucks. Each movie is way longer than it needs to be, the premise is overly complicated for each, the actual plot is too simple, the characters are annoying or flat and Bay's cinematography is nausiating. I haven't watched Bumblebee but I really don't care enough to.

Anyway, I used to be into the Transformers franchise a few years ago but lost interest when I realised how much squandered potential it really is.

I mean really, think about this. The franchise is about alien robots who can turn into anything, imagine what you can do with that concept. Space adventures to various crazy planets, the robots adopting increasingly strange forms, humans advancing technology due to their influence, many different aliens being connected through them, etc, etc, etc. The possibilities of what Transformers can be used for are nearly endless.

But what are most Transformers stories about? Two factions of robots going to modern day earth, turning into vehicles and other modern machinery, engaging in a stupid resource war. Not that there aren't Transformers stories that do take advantage of what the premise really offers but that seems to be what most are content doing, a war for resources in a mundane setting.

At the very least, come up with some villains who are not just Decepticons or Unicron. I like the Joker but I'd still want Batman fighting Penguin, Scarecrow, Ra's Al Ghul, Bane, Mr Freeze, Penguin, Riddler, Hugo Strange, Two-Face, Deadshot, Hush, Killer Croc, Ventriloquist, Clayface and anything new they can throw our way.

[Leo656]

I kinda tapped out when I noticed that the movies didn't even pay attention to each other.

They all blur together in my head, and I skipped the last couple entirely, but once out of deference to my wife I watched a couple of them on DVR, and at the end of one of them Optimus Prime is all like, "We willl always be here to protect you, humans," or something like that. And then in the very next film, the very first time we see Optimus he's all like, "HUMANS! I'LL KILL YOU!" And I was like "Yeah, wow, this is some straight-ahead garbage storytelling." I can't even remember much from the rest of the movie because between that and the lengthy explanation on why the skeevy dude was allowed to f*ck the teenage girl, the movie had already lost me.

I mean, technically they lost me by putting "Transformers" in the title. But you know what I mean.

I agree with you wholeheartedly, amigo. I admit I was never more than the most casual of casual Transformers observers, but on paper the premise is fantastic and very intriguing. I've always loved the basic idea despite never owning any of the toys or watching more than a couple of episodes here and there of the original show. And I LOVE the "Devastation" video game. So I very strongly agree with you that such a terrific premise really, REALLY deserves a lot better execution than what we've been given in films. Films are supposed to be "iconic", and the Transformers film series has been... whatever the opposite of that word is.

[Wildcat]

They might mean it’s a prequel to Transformers in general showing us the origins of both sides and it’s just poorly worded in the article.

I hope the coronavirus does not affect the live action Beast Wars. Delay it as much as needed but please do not cancel it. It’s the TF movie I’ve always wanted.

[Andrew NDB]

Watched 1-3. 1 was OK but I don't even remember anything that happened in 2 or 3. Avoided Bumblebee.

[Autbot_Benz]

all of you guys who "avoided" Bumblebee you missed out. G1 designs a decent story. No Bay anything in it. Also hailee steinfeld is easy on the eyes too

[Leo656]

I mean, it looked alright, I just didn't care about it. Partly because I completely expect them to f*ck everything up again eventually anyway. I'unno, like I said "casual" doesn't even quite do it with regards to my Transformers involvement. I can see myself watching it one day, but I feel very little urgency to do so.

Like, on any given day I could watch Bumblebee for the first time, or Speed Racer for the 30th. And I'm sorry but when your opponent is Speed Racer that's not a battle you're likely to win if I'm the one reffing it.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Autbot_Benz

all of you guys who "avoided" Bumblebee you missed out. G1 designs a decent story. No Bay anything in it. Also hailee steinfeld is easy on the eyes too

Hailee is good people. Was great in "True Grit."

Originally Posted by Leo656

I mean, it looked alright, I just didn't care about it. Partly because I completely expect them to f*ck everything up again eventually anyway. I'unno, like I said "casual" doesn't even quite do it with regards to my Transformers involvement. I can see myself watching it one day, but I feel very little urgency to do so.

Like, on any given day I could watch Bumblebee for the first time, or Speed Racer for the 30th. And I'm sorry but when your opponent is Speed Racer that's not a battle you're likely to win if I'm the one reffing it.

It'd be one thing if 2-5 or 6 or whatever seemed to learn any lessons from what didn't work, instead of doubling down on the suck. By Bumblebee, all goodwill was surely gone.

[Leo656]

Seems like a very fair assessment.

This sh*t just kicked in so all of a sudden I wanna see Speed Racer team up with the Transformers. Like DUDE, the Mammoth Car as a f*cking Decepticon. Just for starters.

WHY HAS NOBODY DONE THIS?!?!?!?!

[drgon78]

Bumblebee was great and the only live action Transformer movie even worth seeing.

Since this animated one will be directed by the same person as Toy Story 4 I will say not interested.

[The Deadman]

We need a buddy cop type Transformers movie where Optimus and Megatron are forced to team up and fight crime.

[Leo656]

Originally Posted by The Deadman

We need a buddy cop type Transformers movie where Optimus and Megatron are forced to team up and fight crime.

Haha, we must shop at the same "store".

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Wildcat

They might mean it’s a prequel to Transformers in general showing us the origins of both sides and it’s just poorly worded in the article.

I hope the coronavirus does not affect the live action Beast Wars. Delay it as much as needed but please do not cancel it. It’s the TF movie I’ve always wanted.

A "general" prequel is no prequel at all. If I write a Dracula story that "takes place before the book" and it ends with Carfax Abbey getting destroyed before Drac has a chance to buy it, then it doesn't "take place before the book", does it? A prequel needs to keep continuity straight.

[Leo656]

Dude, what if Speed Racer was like, a prequel To Transformers? Like what if the Mach 5 was an Autobot, y'know? An' like we just never saw it on-camera, y'know what I mean? But he was like, like a scout, y'know, like a scout for the other Autobots, just kinda hangin' out like Bumblebee did an' sh*t, except he had buzz-saws for a face and was perfectly willing to be a silent aid to Speed on his quest to dominate the World Racing Circuit, since they got to go on all kinds of crazy adventures and sh*t with spy rings and gangsters and monkeys and Car Acrobatic Teams and crazy sh*t like that. That would be awesome.

That does it. Later on, f*ck-face, I'm off to conquer the world with this incredible idea that nobody but me was stupid or wasted enough to ever think of before. Joke's on you, Nancy!

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by The Deadman

We need a buddy cop type Transformers movie where Optimus and Megatron are forced to team up and fight crime.

I'd pay a lot for such movie.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by The Deadman

We need a buddy cop type Transformers movie where Optimus and Megatron are forced to team up and fight crime.

Originally Posted by Leo656

Haha, we must shop at the same "store".

Originally Posted by Sumac

I'd pay a lot for such movie.

The weird thing is that in looking up that clip, I found out that there really is a sequel to the Passion of the Christ in the works. Not sure if it'll be a buddy cop movie co-starring Chris Tucker, though I'd be let down if it wasn't.

Originally Posted by Leo656

Dude, what if Speed Racer was like, a prequel To Transformers? Like what if the Mach 5 was an Autobot, y'know? An' like we just never saw it on-camera, y'know what I mean? But he was like, like a scout, y'know, like a scout for the other Autobots, just kinda hangin' out like Bumblebee did an' sh*t, except he had buzz-saws for a face and was perfectly willing to be a silent aid to Speed on his quest to dominate the World Racing Circuit, since they got to go on all kinds of crazy adventures and sh*t with spy rings and gangsters and monkeys and Car Acrobatic Teams and crazy sh*t like that. That would be awesome.

That does it. Later on, f*ck-face, I'm off to conquer the world with this incredible idea that nobody but me was stupid or wasted enough to ever think of before. Joke's on you, Nancy!

I'd totally believe it if it was the Fred Wolf Speed Racer.

[sdp]

So there is a Beast Wars live action movie in development? Awesome, I couldn't remember if it had been announced or not, let's hope it doesn't get stuck in development hell.

I'm not into transformers but I watched the first movie and it was fine, didn't love it either but it's likely the incarnation that has kept my attention the most. Have only watched a few g1 episodes and the first 3 or 4 animated episodes. Beast Wars on the other hand all the way.

Originally Posted by neatoman

https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2...tronsplash.jpg