With just under a year to go before the movie hits theaters, Pete Davidson and Michelle Yeoh have joined the cast for the upcoming movie. Transformers 7: Rise of the Beasts. The action-packed sci-fi movie’s release date was delayed for nearly a year and now comes out on June 9, 2023, instead of last June. Set in 1994 Brooklyn, the live-action film will continue to delve into the ongoing battle between Autobots and Decepticons, with a chaotic rise of the Predacons, Terrorcons, and Maximals factions.
The transformation of a famous toyline transferred to the silver screen means fans can enjoy their favorite Transformers brought to life by skilled actors. Earlier Hamilton and In the Heights star Anthony Ramos as the protagonist who will play Noah, a military veteran who is an expert in technology, and his family at the center of his heart. He is joined by Dominique Fishback, who will play the deuteragonist Elena, an artifact researcher. Transformers stalwart, Peter Cullen, will reprise his role as Optimus Prime, and now the roster is growing again, this time in the voiceover department.
Steven Caple Jr. took to his Instagram to reveal two new cast members for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. In a behind-the-scenes video from a shooting booth, the director revealed that: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘Michelle Yeoh and The Suicide Squad‘s Pete Davidson join the film as Maximal Airazor and Autobot Mirage. Watch the casting reveal video above:
What Transformers 7’s new castings mean for the story
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a sequel to Bumblebee, which was released in 2018 and garnered critical acclaim for its focus on the titular robot’s story and its emphasis on them as real characters compared to Michael Bay’s previous films. Fans of the franchise had an increasingly negative reaction to Bay’s previous films within the franchise, pointing to the lack of depth in the Transformers and the human characters. With Yeoh and Davidson now part of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts‘ cast, it will be interesting to see what kind of tone the new film runs compared to previous films.
Mirage is often described as a cocky character, but in light of Davidson’s casting, his character could bring a mix of this persona with Davidson’s more memorable comedic personality, as seen in The Suicide Squad and The King of Staten Island. Since Airazor is also often seen as a calm and confident member of the Maximals, Yeoh, known for both her action star roles and very down-to-earth demeanor, Yeoh’s casting seems rather fitting. Only time will tell how the two fare in their voiceover roles when Transformers: Rise of the Beasts opens in theaters on June 9, 2023.
Source: Steven Caple Jr/Instagram