Summary
Chris Hemsworth reacts to his upcomingTransformersfranchise role after playing Optimus Prime in the upcoming filmTransformers One.The upcomingTransformersfilmstars Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry as the voices of Optimus Prime and Megatron, respectively, who grow up together as friends before becoming the enemies that they are known as later in the series. The film is set for release on August 04, 2025. In addition to voicing Optimis Prime, Hemsworth is also set to star in the upcomingG.I. JoeandTransformerscrossover film.
Speaking withEntertainment Weekly, Hemsworth reacts to being in both movies. The actor mentioned that he andTransformers Oneproducer Lorenzo di Bonaventura have discussed “where the universe could expand” and whereG.I. JoeandTransformerscould “try something different.” Within that expansion, who exactly Hemsworth would play inG.I.Joewas left unclear. Hemsworth pondered if he would still “play Optimus Prime and then switch over to G.I. Joe” and jokingly wondered “Do I get paid twice?” Check out the full quote from Hemsworth below:
I don’t know yet. I keep getting asked about that. [Producer] Lorenzo [di Bonaventura] had brought it up when I was recording this film … and we started talking about where the universe could expand and how fun it could be. And look, I’m just down for great filmmakers, great scripts, great stories. There’s a lot of potential in this universe, in both the G.I. Joe world and the Transformers world, to recreate, try something different.
[It would be] really fun to give something to audiences that’s a new take and something fresh. I’m not even sure [who I would play]. I was like, “Am I going to be, like, talking to myself? Am I still going to play Optimus Prime and then switch over to G.I. Joe? Do I get paid twice? What’s happening here?” That’s the important question.
How The Transformers Franchise Is Branching Out
Transformers One is fully animated.
From how it sounds in Hemsworth’s quote, the actor’s exact role in the upcomingTransformersandG.I. Joecrossoverhas yet to be fully determined. The fact that Hemsworth is voicing Optimus Primedoes not necessarily indicate that he would need to play the role again in the crossover film. Actor Peter Cullen formerly voiced Optimus, playing the part as recently as 2023 inTransformers: Rise of the Beasts. The actor could return to play Optimus Prime in the next movie, without needing Hemsworth to succeed him.
Transformers Onewill also exist somewhat as a separate entity from the rest of the franchise. Not only is it an origin story, but it is the firstmovie in the modern franchise that began with the Michael Bay movies to be fully animated. Previosuly, there have been severalTransformersanimated TV shows and an animated feature film released in 1986. With the last fewTransformersfilms' reviews suffering, this new animated movie will hopefully be a positive change to the franchise.
The franchise is also branching out by making a combinedTransformersandG.I. Joemovie. The IP has previously made franchise films for each entity, so this will give a chance for those universes to fully combine. How the dual casting of Hemsworth fits into that combination remains to be seen asTransformers Oneprepares for its September release and theG.I. Joecrossover film continues development.
Transformers One
Cast
Transformers One is an animated action-adventure movie that marks the first animated feature-length film for the series in decades. The film will be a prequel to the franchise, and will tell the story of Optimus Prime and Megatron in their early years, how they met, and a closer look at the war on their home planet, Cybertron.
