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Greetings Seibertronians! Fellow Seibertron user, EvasionModeBumblebee has informed us of a recent update to the Hasbro Pulse Unboxed blog! The update concerns an interview with one of the people responsible for the recent Studio Series Devastator combiner, toy engineer Mike B. He shares his thoughts on the process that created the behemoth that is Devastator, from initial planning to conception, to production. He also deals with the question of the time frame the toys were released in.
One of the more intriguing comments is made when asked about the size of the components and which size class they would be:
Mike B wrote:Last was the upper torso and lower torso. We actually thought of two options for this. (1) Scavenger being a Commander scale figure and Overload a Voyager or (2) Scavenger a Leader scale and Overload a Leader scale. We decided to proceed with option 2 of both Leader scales to fit in our existing scales, but more importantly for strength and stability. Having the lower torso as a Leader scale with more mass helped to improve the stability of Devastator.
This shows us that while Commander class has so far been only for WfC toys (Siege Jetfire and Earthrise Sky Lynx), we could still yet see the sizing in other lines.
Through out the blog is various pictures showing the design work that went into Devastator, but they served the best pictures and comments till last.
Working hard or hardly working?
The face you make when Devastator might actually have a good idea
When Devastator thinks he's all big
One of our more productive brainstorming sessions
Check out the rest of the blog for more information on Devastator!
What do you think of this bestial combiner? Have you made him up now? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!
That doesn't mean we're done with Siege stories, however. Seibertron is proud to exclusively bring to you an interview/Q&A with actor Shawn Hawkins, who voiced Mirage in the Siege cartoon! Read on to find out what he knew about Mirage prior to voicing him, how he feels about the Transformers fandom, and find out the 'bot he originally auditioned to voice before landing the role of the disappearing Autobot illusionist, Mirage!
Shawn Hawkins: Taylor! What a great surprise to wake up to this morning! Huge thank you to you and Ryan for having me on!
Taylor: It's our pleasure! So, Shawn, Tell us a little about yourself, your career, and how you came to voice acting. Is it a main focus of your career?
Shawn: Yeah so I’m originally from Upstate New York where I started in music. Ever since I was a kid I had a guitar in my hand and ended up playing in a few bands around New York. Then I went to college in Nashville, TN for music and business and ended up touring with some bands up and down the east coast. But at one point I just knew I wanted to get back in to acting. I had been a part of some theatre in high school but was interested in film and TV. So I ended up joining the theatre department at my college and then moving to Los Angeles right out of school. It was the best decision I ever made but it was definitely a big move. I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of some really fun and creative projects in my time here. A lot of indie film work and some television stuff as well, but voice acting was something I always wanted to do. I would make voices, probably just like everyone else as a kid but for me it continued and continued haha. I did some smaller (voiceover) stuff along the way but finally got this audition for Transformers WFC and I was sold. It was an absolute blast and I’m so thankful to have been a part of it. Sharing it all with the fans has been an incredible pleasure in my life!
Taylor: What was the audition process like for the Siege series? Did you read or audition just in general, or did you always know you'd be playing Mirage specifically?
Shawn: So I originally auditioned for the role of Bumblebee. We weren't told at the time what the project was. It had a code name and character code names but I knew reading it that it sounded a lot like Transformers. Of course, then I found out it was and that I was up for Bumblebee. Then after a few callbacks, they ended up giving me Mirage. And I am so incredibly thankful they did. I feel right at home with Mirage and I love his role in the series. As well as his role with the fans! I’m excited to share the next two seasons with you all and see what unfolds!
Taylor: How much did you know about Transformers before landing the role of Mirage? How much do you know now?
Shawn: Oh man! Well I grew up watching some G1 and saw all the Bay movies but I didn’t dive in until taking on Mirage. Now I’m learning things everyday. And it is mainly thanks to the fans! The Transformers community has been so welcoming and supportive. I am amazed at the interaction we get to have together. I wouldn’t trade it for the world and I look forward to many more meaningful interactions over the years. But yes, my capacity for Transformers material just keeps growing haha!
Taylor: How much interaction have you had with Transformers fans since the series aired? Were you a fan yourself before you got the role?
Shawn: Oh man! A ton!! I love it more than anything. Getting to meet all the fans and hear their stories. I actually pride myself on running a really interactive Instagram account where I connect with the fans on a daily basis, run giveaways and answer questions. If you’d love to connect, hit me up @shawn_hawkins. I was a fan before but not to the extent that I am now. It’s a whole new ball game!
Taylor: What did you know about the character of Mirage from the original cartoon series? Did you ever listen to the original voice actor to get a feel for his interpretation of the character?
Shawn: Well I knew he was the elite and also walked both sides of the fence. I knew that I was diving in deep because Mirage had such a unique voice in the original cartoon and I wanted to live up to that but also bring my own spin to it. Our sound engineer for WFC brought some great ideas and feedback to the table in a way that made me feel comfortable and confident with what I was bringing to set. For me I envisioned him sounding a little younger and I think the WFC team did as well. It was like watching this spunky rich kid who thought he knew more than everyone else but also sometimes.. he did. Haha! I loved it. And from what I’ve heard so far, the fans have been happy with the interpretation. I can’t ever predict that but I just brought my heart and soul to it and I always said, “There’s a reason I’m here on this mission... maybe this is it!!”
Taylor: What kind of direction were you given for the character? How is direction given for voice acting? Is the director in the studio with you when you record?
Shawn: Yeah so the direction was great. The VO director, Phil Bache, the engineer and the rest of the team had a really great idea of what they wanted already which made my job a lot easier. So we would go over individual lines and what they meant and I would just give a couple takes of each that were my interpretation of that. And we would go back and forth until we got something we were happy with. But yes, the director was always in the room and the guidance was top notch. I felt incredibly comfortable and free to play as well which is something you really appreciate as a voice actor.
Taylor: What's next for Mirage? Do you know if you'll be reprising him in the follow-up series to Siege?
Shawn: What’s next?! Well I’ve got some things on the plate. I don’t know what I’m allowed to say but I believe you’ll be seeing more Mirage in the near future! I am so stoked for the next two seasons to air and to celebrate with the fans. Other than that I’ve got a few smaller projects in the works and I’m also launching a Youtube channel for the Transformers fans and community. I’m incredibly excited to share that with you all. Be sure to check me out on Instagram @shawn_hawkins for when that drops and more cool Mirage stuff!
Taylor: What's next for you professionally?
Shawn: Professionally, I’m going to take a nice vacation haha. We have planned to go visit some family in Sedona Arizona here in October to just relax and reconnect. I keep myself pretty busy all the time so remembering to relax is important for me. But lots of cool things. I’m working on that Youtube channel and I also oversee a couple small businesses as well as audition regularly here in LA. There are a few films and shows on the horizon so I will have to keep you all posted! Thank you guys so much for having me and keep up the awesome work you’re doing at Seibertron! Such a pleasure to chat with you and connect with the fans.
And as for keeping connected with fans, Shawn has some exciting news for you, Seibertronians!
We wanted to do a special GIVEAWAY with everyone who keeps up with Seibertron. I will be giving away a signed Mirage figure from the WFC Netflix series to one lucky winner. If you’d like a shot at winning this you just have to follow Seiberton (Instagram @seibertroncom) and go over and give a follow to @shawn_hawkins. After you follow me, shoot me a DM with the word SEIBERTRON! So stoked to get to meet you guys and good luck with the giveaway! We will run this for two weeks from the date of posting. Much love to you all and thanks for letting me be a part of your world! )
Many thanks to Shawn for your time and talent, and willingness to share with us some fun insights into the world of a Transformers voice actor!
We had a whole fanfare of upcoming movie news for a while until everyone was burnt out of the unreliable nature of the news (even though it was coming from the producer) to the point that most movie news sites chose to just stop reporting anything unless there was something truly concrete. Well, we actually have some concrete news now. We learn through Variety that two script writers are currently writing two different scripts that are meant to become the next Transformers films in the franchise. Variety states that these two films are in active development. One of the scripts is written by Joby Harold who wrote the Guy Ritchie King Arthur film, and who also wrote the script for the DCEU Flash film Warner Bros has yet to deliver. The other script is written by James Vanderbilt whose most recent films are the Adam Sandler Netflix movie Murder Mystery, The Meg and Independence Day Resurgence.
Hasbro has a question for you. To celebrate the Transformers franchise's 35th anniversary Hasbro is launching a year-long campaign asking fans how they are "More than Meets the Eye". To kick off the celebration they have a special video from Angela Bassett (Shatter in Bumblebee) where she explains how she's "More" and is asking fans to do the same across social media using #MorethanMeetstheEye.
HASBRO REVEALS ‘MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE’ CAMPAIGN IN CELEBRATION OF TRANSFORMERS 35TH ANNIVERSARY
Angela Bassett Kicks-Off Campaign - Activating Fans, Celebrities and Creatives
to Showcase How They’re MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
PAWTUCKET, RI – April 29, 2019 – In honor of the 35th anniversary of the TRANSFORMERS franchise, Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) today revealed a new brand campaign that celebrates how we’re all MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE. The MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE campaign will activate fans, celebrities and the creative minds behind the TRANSFORMERS franchise to embrace and showcase how they are MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE through videos. For 35 years MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE has been associated with the TRANSFORMERS brand and is reinforced across all elements of the franchise.
To kick off the campaign, a video featuring Angela Bassett, who starred in 2018’s critically acclaimed BUMBLEBEE film, debuted revealing how she is MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE. In the video, Bassett mentions that besides being a Golden Globe Award recipient, she is also a graduate of Yale College and Yale University. In BUMBLEBEE, Bassett voiced the Decepticon character SHATTER.
The MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE video campaign will be promoted throughout 2019 – with new videos dropping every month. Fans can expect to see familiar faces – both new and old – who have greatly impacted the franchise over the last 35 years. From individuals involved in the creation of the 1986 Transformers animated movie, to Transformers game designers and comic book creators, a wide variety of people have been tapped to contribute to this campaign.
Each video that is part of this campaign will feature the same call to action – “how are you MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE.” Using #MorethanMeetstheEye, we’re asking fans to post videos to social networks that showcase how they are MORE. Whether it’s a hidden talent, a charitable passion, or a hobby, we’re looking to hear how they are MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE.
About Hasbro Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to Creating the World's Best Play Experiences. From toys and games to television, movies, digital gaming and consumer products, Hasbro offers a variety of ways for audiences to experience its iconic brands, including NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY ALIVE and MAGIC: THE GATHERING, as well as premier partner brands. Through its entertainment labels, Allspark Pictures and Allspark Animation, the Company is building its brands globally through great storytelling and content on all screens. Hasbro is committed to making the world a better place for children and their families through corporate social responsibility and philanthropy. Hasbro ranked No. 5 on the 2018 100 Best Corporate Citizens list by CR Magazine, and has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere Institute for the past seven years. Learn more at http://www.hasbro.com, and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro) and Instagram (@Hasbro).
Anyone who had hopes up for a "Live Action" Beast Wars film may want to tone down some expectations. With the Bumblebee movie opening in Japan, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura was back for some more interviews. While the latest interview is in Japanese, and certain aspects may be lost in translation, there are some key points that we can get from it.
Mainly, that they way Paramount is set to do a Beast Wars film would not be financially viable. The estimates for a full running time Beast Wars live action film would be $450 Million USD. And Lorenzo was quick to point out that investors would not pay that. This does not mean that there couldn't be a Beast Wars themed segment or elements in another film. The fact that Paramount is also unsure about the interest in a Beast Wars themed movie from the general public is also an issue.
You can read the full interview from The River here and translate it for yourself and let us know what you derive from it.
Transformers Artist and friend to the site, Robby Musso has dropped us a line to let us know that he has shared several of his original line art drawings for the Transformers Titans Returns Box Images that he worked on! He shared the images on his Facebook account and we have mirrored them here in all their glory for you to feast your eyes on:
Broadside
Blitzwing
Brawn
Astrotrain
Bumblebee
Alpha Trion
Chase
Kickback
Megatron
Overlord
Octane
Optimus Prime
Sky Shadow
Gnaw
What do you think of this work? Do you have a favourite piece? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!
Following on from the news earlier about new guests joining the TFcon in Los Angeles in March, We have received word from TFcon that another voice actor has signed up to appear. This time it's Dan Gilvezan! Who performed voice acting duties for several G1 characters like Bumblebee himself. He was also Spiderman in the Spiderman and his Amazing Friends cartoon.
Here's the full press release:
TFcon wrote:TFcon is very happy to announce Dan Gilvezan the voices of Bumblebee, Goldbug, Hot Spot, Outback, Rollbar, Scamper, Skids and Snapdragon in Transformers Generation 1 will be joining the G1 Reunion event happening at TFcon Los Angeles 2019. He is also known for his role as Spider-Man in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.
Dan will be taking part in autograph sessions with the attendees of America’s largest fan-run Transformers convention on both Saturday and Sunday of the convention. Please check the TFcon website for the full guest signing schedule prior to the event for exact times. Dan Gilvezan is presented by Ages Three and Up.
Will you be attending this convention? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews.
With Bumblebee getting praise from critics and fans alike, Paramount and Hasbro are both looking to continue the live action film franchise and not waste a minute. Lorenzo Di Bonaventura has provided us with the very first details for the next Transformers film. You can read the quotes he gave to Slash Film below, but the major take away is that the next film will be a BIG Transformers film rather than a smaller character based film, and while it will be going a different direction than where the Michael Bay movies left us (i.e. probably no Unicron), it will not be a full on reboot. The fact that we get both appearances of Simmons and Bumblebee's Camaro mode in the Bumblebee movie is proof enough that what came before will not be fully ignored going forward, but the goal is still to give fans something new.
Take that as you will. Oh and Lorenzo also states clearly why he is not a fan of Unicron (which may give us a hint as to why the only live action TF film to have Unicron was the worst in the series so far).
“Reboot, I always hate that word because for one, I’m not sure I really understand what it means.” “We are going to do another big Transformers movie. It is going to be different than the ones that we’ve done before.”
“It’s not like we look at the elements of what we did before and go, ‘Well, let’s not do this’ or ‘Let’s not do that'.” “It’s more about how do you evolve the experience for the fans. Let the fan have a new experience.”
“When we did the first movie, at first there was a lot of pushback that we weren’t doing it the way it was done before." “My feeling was always that if we’d done it, you would’ve gone, ‘Well, I’ve already seen it.’ So how do you evolve things forward is I think the hardest thing because you’ve got to retain why people love it, but at the same time if you give them the same experience, they’re going to be bored with it.”
“Okay, I’m going to be controversial.” “I’m not a fan of Unicron. It’s too big. It’s so big it’s beyond any sort of relatable thing I think, for me personally. That doesn’t mean it’s not going to be in the series someday. I don’t know that I’ve thought much about it honestly because we’ve been focused on this movie.”
“I think we’ve learned something in this movie about tone that I would think the next big Transformers movie is going to have.” “It’s not like we’re going to copy it but we’ve learned something. There’s more freedom than I think we originally thought in terms of what we can do.”
Here is a massive spoiler, Bumblebee has a speaking role in the movie. While he will be beeping and buzzing throughout most of it, it seems he will be speaking at some aprts, like in the begining or on the Cybertron sequence. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura spoke with IGN to reveal this exclusive info, also confirming that Bumblebee's mythology is being reset with this film.
"Since we were approaching this as an origin story, we felt that it was appropriate that you got to hear his voice," di Bonaventura said of the character who thus far has only been able to communicate using existing media. "That’s the simple logic that we employed. The longer term implication of that is different. But the short-term implication of that is, since we really are resetting the mythology, essentially, of who Bumblebee is. And so, that seemed to us to be the appropriate, to get the chance to hear what he sounds like."
The voice actor in question will be Dylan O'Brien from Maze Runner and Teen Wolf. Here is what di Bonaventura had to say:
"Dylan has that great quality in his voice of youthful exuberance, and also sort of trustworthiness," the producer explained. "I think those are the two qualities that we wanted Bumblebee to have."
"Thankfully, we’ve showed it to a few audiences, and people seem to think that it’d be right and an appropriate voice," he said. "You never know, obviously that can be a sensitive thing for people. But it turns out, they imagine his voice that way."
We have a pair of news for you regarding the upcoming Bumblebee movie today.
The first news is regarding Hailee Sheinfeld and her new song 'Back to Life', which is set to be playing in the Bumblebee movie coming out in December. Steinfeld hosted this years MTV EMA Awards, and during the show, she performed her new song for the first time.
To make this Awards show even better, it aired a brand new TV spot for the Bumblebee movie, a 1-minute long commercial in Spanish. This new TV spot mostly reuses scenes we have seen in other trailers, but it does contain some new scenes. Among the new things are a few more scenes of the Cybertron setting, including what appears to be Thundercracker getting smacked down by Optimus Prime. We also see a shot of Bumblebee attempting to toilet paper a house, and not really getting the idea. It does appear to be a shortened version of our standard 2 minute commercials, which lines up with the news of a final trailer getting ready to drop here soon.
Check out both videos below, and let us know what you think of them in the comments section below!
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