Post Michael Bay’s exit, the Transformer franchise has notably struggled to reach back to the heights it once attained under the American auteur’s direction. And with Rise of the Beasts becoming the biggest financial disappointment in the franchise, Paramount is now moving past Peter Cullen, who has been Optimus Prime’s voice since the beginning.
Since voicing the character first in the American-Japanese animated show The Transformers, Cullen returned to voice the iconic figure in every medium. But this will not be the case for the forthcoming animated movie Transformers One, for which Paramount is bringing in some big guns.
Paramount Is Revamping the Franchise by Banking on Major A-Listers
Hollywood is no stranger to bringing in high-profile actors to voice prominent characters in animation, and Paramount is going the same route for Transformer One. Unfortunately for fans, Peter Cullen will not be returning to voice Optimus Prime for the first time since playing him back in the ’80s animated show, as we’ll be getting Marvel Star Chris Hemsworth as the new voice.
Alongside Hemsworth, several other biggies, including Laurence Fishburne and Scarlett Johansson, will also lend their voices in the upcoming show. Although no particular reason has been made public about why Cullen was let go, it’s evident that Paramount is adamant about breathing new life into the IP by banking on major A-listers. And moving forward without the wisdom and decisive nature of Cullen’s voice, we might notice a major tonal shift in the franchise.
It Might’ve Been Peter Cullen’s Decision to Pass the Torch to Chris Hemsworth
While the exclusion of Peter Cullen has reasonably led fans to cry foul, it’s very much possible that it might be Cullen himself, who decided to pass the torch to Hemsworth. A few years back, one of the producers of Transformers, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, explained that without Cullen, there is no Optimus Prime, assuring fans that Cullen will keep playing Prime as long he wants to. Bonaventura said, (via Comicbook.com)
“Peter Cullen brought this character to life with his amazing voice back in 1984. Is he returning? Absolutely. There’s, there’s no discussion without him really, you know, unless he didn’t want it. That would be the only way he would not be in here,”
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Following Bonaventura’s statements, it seems very probable that Cullen might’ve decided to part ways with the role himself, which is reasonable following his age. But it’ll be interesting to see how Hemsworth will approach the role, as Hemsworth has some big shoes to fill.
Transformers One is slated for a release on 13 September 2024.
