When fans think about the Transformers character Optimus Prime, what comes part and parcel with the whole “truck becomes a robot” thing is the voice of Peter Cullen. The actor has been playing the beloved extraterrestrial hero since the mid-1980s on the Transformers cartoon, and his personal possession of the character was reinforced when he was cast for Michael Bay’s live-action movies. That being recognized, Chris Hemsworth is going to face a great deal of scrutiny for his performance as Optimus in the upcoming animated feature Transformers One – but the Thor star has a plan and a mindset to properly honor the pop culture icon.
Hemsworth was recently asked by Collider about his upcoming performance as Optimus Prime, and it was when asked if he was going to be using his natural Australian accent that he explained his approach to the character. According to Hemsworth, the reason that the Transformer will sound different in Transformers One is because he is far younger than the version we already know. The Extraction actor explains,
No, I mean, we talked about this; the Optimus Prime that you hear on the screen in the films is an older, mature… you know, he’s been around for many, many, many, many years. This is the sort of origin story, so it’s the younger version of him. So there are sort of hints and colorings that hopefully resonate enough with the Optimus Prime we know, but it is a youthful version of him, and different. But he won’t be Australian.
With Chris Hemsworth replacing Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime for Transformers One, one can’t help but be instantly reminded of Chris Pratt being cast as Mario instead of Charles Martinet for the Super Mario Bros Movie. That decision continued to be seen as a controversial one up through the theatrical release of the film this past March… though one can imagine that fan complaints were drowned out by the $1.3 billion that the animated hit made at the box office.
The official title of Transformers One was confirmed by Paramount Pictures this past spring during CinemaCon 2023, and it was simultaneously announced that the voice cast would include Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime, Scarlett Johansson as Elita, Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime and Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion. The film is being directed by Josh Cooley, who made his feature directorial debut in 2019 with Pixar’s Toy Story 4, and a release date has already been set for next summer.
Discussing why he decided to sign on for Transformers One, Chris Hemsworth explained that he had some reservations about doing a voice role, but he was convinced to be a part of the production because of two things: the strength of the script and the enthusiasm of his children. Said Hemsworth,
I love the script. That was one where I was not sure, I hadn’t done animation before, and then I mentioned it to my kids, and they went, ‘Oh yeah, that’s awesome!’ It’s been really fun putting down some of the dialogue and weaving it in with the early days of the animation. It’s cool, it’s exciting. It’s Optimus Prime, come on!
Transformers One will be in theaters on July 19, 2024, and if you’re looking for a more immediate Transformers fix, you can check out Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts, which is now playing in theaters everywhere. You can also dig further into the franchise with our reflection on the best explosions in the Transformers movies, and check out our ranking of all the films.