Rollin’ out like an old cab, over Freightliner.
The live-action Transformers franchise of Michael Bay has been subject to a lot of criticism, particularly from those who grew up watching the animated 1980’s saga. One of the main complaints was that both the Autobots and Decepticons were not like their predecessors. The new Transformers movie is currently being filmed without Bay. This video of an OG Optimus Prime riding in a red cab-over rig suggests that G1 fans have cause to rejoice.
This glimpse is courtesy of TikTok user . Although it’s not the greatest video quality, it was filmed on a Brooklyn street. We hear someone with a prominent New York accent mention this in the video overlay. Although the semi-truck looks very much like the original Optimus Prime (though we don’t see any Autobot symbols) and the silver stripe angles up similar to the Ford Torino in Starsky & Hutch, the red semi-truck is certainly not the original Optimus Prime. This video is undoubtedly legit.
The official synopsis of the movie at the Internet Movie Database is not yet available, but we do know that it’s called Transformers – Rise of the Beasts. Numerous reports claim that the movie will be set in the middle of the 1990s. It will also add Beast Wars and Transformers elements. Beast Wars was a successful sequel to the animated series. It featured transforming cars being replaced by animals. It is not clear how the two worlds will merge, but IMDB lists voice credits both for Optimus Prime and his Beast Wars counterpart Optimus Primal.
The original Optimus Prime was based upon the Freightliner FLT cab over truck, which was in production for decades. Prime will not be making his first live-action, big-screen appearance as a G1-esque, cab-over. 2014’s Transformers : Age Of Extinction showed Prime disguised in an old Freightliner-themed Freightliner-themed rig, painted white. Prime was revealed in Bumblebee‘s final scene. This video suggests that the new film will be a Bumblebee continuation.
Transformers will be in theaters by 2022.