Earlier in the week we got our first look at Transformers One, and it is probably didn’t look like what you imagined. The animated film, which is intended to be a film origin story for Optimus Prime (Chris Hemsworth) and Megatron (Brian Tyree Henry) – here respectively known as Orion Pax and D-16 – is dumber than expected and predates the Autobot/Decepticon War that serves as the basis for the franchise. If you’re hesitant after this trailer, director Josh Cooley is here to ease your concerns and also give you more insight into how the film will serve its characters.
Talk to IGN, Cooley explained that the comedic goal of the trailer was partly to help audiences “fall in love with Orion and D-16 as brothers and friends” before things reached fans . “They’re from the same generation and have a very close relationship,” he continued, “(and) something happens on their planet and they both have two different reactions. At the end of this movie, he there are serious issues.
In the case of D-16, these issues involve treating him as if he were not automatically considered a villain. Cooley described the future Megatron as someone who would have to be “very real and fully balanced.” D-16 brings (things) to a place, just a lot of anger, but you understand why. Thanks to Henry’s insight, the team ensured that the audience identified with D-16 and understood where he was coming from before an undescribed event changed their view of Cybertron in a way that leads to a “natural break” with Orion. Cooley hopes that before the credits roll, fans and newcomers will see the conflict between D-16 and Orion as a very real and tragic breakup between old friends.
As for Orion, he is described by Cooley as someone who is motivated, but who does not always use his driving to the best advantage. He will have to discover how to earn the name Optimus Prime and what it really means to be Optimus Prime. “Like everyone, there is a level of maturity that we don’t have unless we’ve been through something. (…) We really take these characters to heart and treat them with the respect they deserve and know where they are going to end up. It’s just a matter of seeing how they do it.
Transformers One hits theaters September 20.
Want more io9 news? Find out when to expect the latest news wonder, Star WarsAnd Star Trek exits, what is the next step for the DC Universe in cinema and televisionand everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
