Beast Wars (Transformers sub-franchise)

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is a 2023 American science fiction action film based on Hasbro's Transformers toy line, and primarily influenced by its Beast Wars sub-franchise. It is the seventh installment in the Transformers film series, serving as a sequel to Bumblebee (2018). The film is directed by Steven Caple Jr. from a screenplay by Joby Harold, Darnell Metayer, Josh Peters, Erich Hoeber, and Jon Hoeber, based on a story by Harold. Michael Bay again serves as producer. The film stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, alongside the voices of Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Pete Davidson, Liza Koshy, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Colman Domingo, Cristo Fernández, Tongayi Chirisa, and returning franchise regulars Peter Cullen, John DiMaggio, and David Sobolov. Set in 1994, the film follows ex-military electronics expert Noah Diaz and artifact researcher Elena Wallace as they help the Autobots and the Maximals protect an artifact known as the Transwarp Key from the villainous Terrorcons. A sequel was being fast-tracked by the studio after the critical and commercial success of Bumblebee after being announced in January 2019. Two additional films were in development the following year with one of them being based on the Beast Wars series in 2020. Caple Jr. was hired as director that November later that year. The film was officially announced months later in 2021 during a virtual presentation as both a Bumblebee sequel and a Beast Wars film in one. Principal photography took place from June to October 2021, with filming locations including Los Angeles, Peru, Montreal, and New York City. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts premiered at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on May 27, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 9, 2023, by Paramount Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics with many deeming it as inferior to the preceding Bumblebee film. It grossed a total of $441.7 million worldwide against a budget of $195–200 million, becoming a box-office disappointment.