The Energon Pub

News Credits: 251 · Tue Sep 10, 2013 6:24 am

Early last month, we discovered an odd casting call that listed Peter Cullen as a "stunt driver". This bit of information then sparked a theory that in the upcoming film, Peter Cullen would not only voice Optimus Prime, but be his holomatter avatar as well. Now is your chance to make that a reality! Change.org has put up a petition that requests the legendary voice actor to make cameos in future Transformers films. At the time of this posting, there are approximately one thousand signatures, with a minimum of twenty thousand required. If you're interested in Peter Cullen making appearances in Transformers films, then by all means, please sign here!

News Credits: 7 · Tue Sep 10, 2013 6:31 am

Why is this even front-page news?

Online Petitions never work and chances are 20% of those existing signatures are at lease five guys goofing around posting gibberish.

Not signing.

News Credits: 1 · Tue Sep 10, 2013 10:31 am

Roadbuster wrote:Online Petitions never work

Not with that attitude, they don't.

News Credits: 21 · Tue Sep 10, 2013 4:34 pm

Peter cullen no frank welker thatsucks

News Credits: 7 · Tue Sep 10, 2013 8:14 pm

That doesn't seem very far from reality.

That would be awesome!

Tue Sep 10, 2013 8:32 pm

Quite frankly it only matters if Bay thinks Peter Cullen deserves a cameo.

Seeing how Pete hasn't even gotten one half second cameo, I'm not too sure Bay's gonna give him a slot.

Knowing Bay, he'll rather give cameo to one his Victoria Secret girlfreinds than doing a fan service.

News Credits: 8 · Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:30 am

a petition wont do a damn thing as long as bay is behind the wheel, we all know he doesnt listen to the fans and takes every opportunity to give us the finger so unless hasbro were to do something this is futile. Plus this isnt fair to all the other long time TF actors and other voice actors involved, i think if you do a voice you should have the option to have an on screen cameo. Even if its just some dude in teh background ordering a burger you should get real screen time. I like cullen and all but im getting tired of him being considered the be all end all of TF voice actors.

Wed Sep 11, 2013 4:32 am

So, make him appear on-camera whether he wants to or not? Riiiiiight. Voice actors like being voice actors. They're not "regular" actors looking for their on-screen break.
Considering there's a bunch of assumptions behind this, it seems reasonable to identify some more:

That petitions work (they really don't - how many canceled TV shows have been brought back due to a "petition"?).
The petition will be sockpuppeted, so will be invalid anyway.
If the "required" number are achieved and he does not appear, it'll be because Bay hates the fans, rather than Cullen not wanting to, a part not being suitable, scheduling issues, or anything else. Dude is 72 years old.
If it occurs, it'll massively steal focus. In a bad way. Like Stan Lee.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:16 pm

Him being Optimus' hologram is literally the most PERFECT cameo ever.

News Credits: 5 · Thu Sep 12, 2013 11:58 am

zwann wrote:Quite frankly it only matters if Bay thinks Peter Cullen deserves a cameo.

Seeing how Pete hasn't even gotten one half second cameo, I'm not too sure Bay's gonna give him a slot.

Knowing Bay, he'll rather give cameo to one his Victoria Secret girlfreinds than doing a fan service.

Ever think that maybe Cullen doesn't necessarily want a cameo? He stated in an interview a while back that he really didn't have any interest in being on screen. So maybe the reason he's never been in the first two movies is he never pushed the subject.

Megatron Wolf wrote: a petition wont do a damn thing as long as bay is behind the wheel, we all know he doesnt listen to the fans and takes every opportunity to give us the finger so unless hasbro were to do something this is futile.

Petitions don't work period. It has nothing to do with Bay being behind the helm. You really need to get over your hate for him and look into other possibilities. And what happens if the minimal isn't reached and he still makes it in? Oh that's right... it will be hasbro. Everything you do like about the movies is some how Hasbro coming to the rescue, but that bad things must be Bay's Fault.

Megatron Wolf wrote: Plus this isnt fair to all the other long time TF actors and other voice actors involved,..

Life isn't fair. And why do the long time voice actors all of a sudden have a right to a cameo? If the producers wanna give the voice actors working on the movie an option then OK. Especially Cullen since when it comes to the movies, he is the dominate voice actor in terms of notability, but i don't seen how voice actors from the energon series all of a sudden have a right to be in the movie.

Megatron Wolf wrote:..i think if you do a voice you should have the option to have an on screen cameo. Even if its just some dude in teh background ordering a burger you should get real screen time.

Things aren't always as easy as that. Voice actors do all there work far away from the sets filming. Usually long after the filmings completed. Maybe there schedule conflicts with filming.. Or maybe the time needed to fly out isn't worth the time for being in the back ground ordering a burger... or maybe they just plain have no interest in having a cameo. I think at times we forget that to many of them its just another voice acting job.

Megatron Wolf wrote:I like cullen and all but im getting tired of him being considered the be all end all of TF voice actors.

Well... That's because he is. Well, him and Frank Wekler. Sorry, but in terms of TF voice actors he is the most popular and the most reconisalbe. Though to be honest, unless they heard him do his voice, 95% of the viewing public wouldn't reconise him anyhow.