Current:Home > Stocks'Transformers One': Chris Hemsworth embraces nostalgia as Optimus Prime -WealthMindset Learning
'Transformers One': Chris Hemsworth embraces nostalgia as Optimus Prime
View
Date:2025-04-13 22:42:03
SAN DIEGO – Everyone has an origin story, even “Transformers” arch rivals Optimus Prime and Megatron.
The animated adventure “Transformers One” (in theaters Sept. 20) goes back 3 billion years in franchise lore and acts as the origin story for the two most iconic transforming robots.
“How do two best friends become mortal enemies?” Chris Hemsworth says of the movie's plot during a Thursday presentation at Comic-Con, the pop-culture convention held at the San Diego Convention Center. The “Thor” actor was on hand to introduce clips and a new trailer with co-stars Keegan-Michael Key and Brian Tyree Henry.
Before they became Optimus and Megatron, they were Orion Pax (voiced by Hemsworth) and D-16 (Henry), two miners on the mechanical planet of Cybertron. They’re buds who can’t transform and get caught up in an adventure alongside two others: B-127 (Key) – who eventually becomes fan favorite Bumblebee – and Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson).
Join our Watch Party!Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
“The origin story is incredibly rich and something we thought about for a very long time. If we tried to do this live action, it would probably cost $500 million,” says Lorenzo di Bonaventura, longtime producer of the “Transformers” movies.
Director Josh Cooley (“Toy Story 4”) was given a “Tolkien-length history” of “Transformers” to work with, he says. But he wanted the movie to have “the feeling of what it was like to play with the toys as a kid: nostalgia and joy.”
Hemsworth paid tribute to the “incredible” Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus across media since the 1980s. “The goal was never to mimic. This is the brash young cocky version of Optimus Prime, before he became the all-knowing, omnipresent figure we all know and love.”
Henry gave Megatron a sense of precociousness early on in the movie, so when he turned on Optimus, “you could feel the weight of it,” he says. “Once Megatron happens, damn, there’s no turning back now.
“The loss of friendship is something we all understand, and the idea of friendship is something we all can cherish.”
Cooley promises Easter eggs and familiar characters in “Transformers One” that throw back to 40 years of cartoons, toys and movies, and the supporting voice cast includes Jon Hamm (as Sentinel Prime), Laurence Fishburne (as Alpha Trion) and Steve Buscemi (as Starscream).
The three actors shared some of their own memories as kids. Henry recalled how his parents only bought him “the villain toys” like Megatron and He-Man baddie Skeletor growing up. Hemsworth said he had a few of the figures as a boy in Australia: “We did our best to pull them apart and reassemble them. We all failed, actually.”
And Key, who pleaded with his mom and to dad to let him watch the ‘80s show after school, led the crowd in singing the cartoon’s theme song. “Now we know who’s over 40,” he quipped.
veryGood! (35)
Related
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Suspect arrested in Cleveland shooting that wounded 9
- Kate Middleton Gets a Green Light for Fashionable Look at Royal Parade
- Do Leaked Climate Reports Help or Hurt Public Understanding of Global Warming?
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- See Chris Evans, Justin Bieber and More Celeb Dog Dads With Their Adorable Pups
- CEO predictions, rural voters on the economy and IRS audits
- Two Indicators: The 2% inflation target
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- The number of journalist deaths worldwide rose nearly 50% in 2022 from previous year
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Squid Game Season 2 Gets Ready for the Games to Begin With New Stars and Details
- Minnesota man arrested over the hit-and-run death of his wife
- Maui Has Begun the Process of Managed Retreat. It Wants Big Oil to Pay the Cost of Sea Level Rise.
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Family, friends mourn the death of pro surfer Mikala Jones: Legend
- Zendaya Feeds Tom Holland Ice Cream on Romantic London Stroll, Proving They’re the Coolest Couple
- Powerball jackpot grows to $725 million, 7th largest ever
Recommendation
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
Tesla slashes prices across all its models in a bid to boost sales
Many workers barely recall signing noncompetes, until they try to change jobs
Colorado woman dies after 500-foot fall while climbing at Rocky Mountain National Park
The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
Is a New Below Deck Sailing Yacht Boatmance Brewing? See Chase Make His First Move on Ileisha
Daniel Radcliffe, Jonah Hill and More Famous Dads Celebrating Their First Father's Day in 2023
Ruby Princess cruise ship has left San Francisco after being damaged in dock crash