New Images of Nightbird and Wheeljack from Transformers Rise of the Beasts

Nightbird looks like a Star Wars villain.

Sabrblade wrote:Nightbird looks like a Star Wars villain.

I was thinking more of someone from Thanos' crew

Is it just me, or am I the only one who has an allergy towards ALL the human faces they have nowadays?
Wheeljack wearing glasses, some old robots having moustaches or beards etc??

Come on... since when do machines need these crazy human stuff on their face?

It's been going on since like Transformers Prime I believe... all these cute faces and such.
It takes away the essence of robots in my opinion, totally ruined it for me ever since.

Nemesis_1982 wrote:Is it just me, or am I the only one who has an allergy towards ALL the human faces they have nowadays?
Wheeljack wearing glasses, some old robots having moustaches or beards etc??

Come on... since when do machines need these crazy human stuff on their face?

It's been going on since like Transformers Prime I believe... all these cute faces and such.
It takes away the essence of robots in my opinion, totally ruined it for me ever since.

Actually...it's being going on since G1 both Alpha Trion and Scourge are rocking beards and moustaches. We've had almost 40 years of designs so I'm not surprised to see them exploring more in this space.

ZeroWolf wrote:

Nemesis_1982 wrote:Is it just me, or am I the only one who has an allergy towards ALL the human faces they have nowadays?
Wheeljack wearing glasses, some old robots having moustaches or beards etc??

Come on... since when do machines need these crazy human stuff on their face?

It's been going on since like Transformers Prime I believe... all these cute faces and such.
It takes away the essence of robots in my opinion, totally ruined it for me ever since.

Actually...it's being going on since G1 both Alpha Trion and Scourge are rocking beards and moustaches. We've had almost 40 years of designs so I'm not surprised to see them exploring more in this space.

Well, these bots are able to alter themselves as they see fit. Why not let them change their appearance at will?

"I'm tired of the lighty things on the side of my face when I talk...Imma go with something different for a change" (concentrates hard...face changes)

If only it were that easy for all of us. Having someone else do it (plastic surgery) doesn't always end well...(Madonna)

First-Aid wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:

Nemesis_1982 wrote:Is it just me, or am I the only one who has an allergy towards ALL the human faces they have nowadays?
Wheeljack wearing glasses, some old robots having moustaches or beards etc??

Come on... since when do machines need these crazy human stuff on their face?

It's been going on since like Transformers Prime I believe... all these cute faces and such.
It takes away the essence of robots in my opinion, totally ruined it for me ever since.

Actually...it's being going on since G1 both Alpha Trion and Scourge are rocking beards and moustaches. We've had almost 40 years of designs so I'm not surprised to see them exploring more in this space.

Well, these bots are able to alter themselves as they see fit. Why not let them change their appearance at will?

"I'm tired of the lighty things on the side of my face when I talk...Imma go with something different for a change" (concentrates hard...face changes)

If only it were that easy for all of us. Having someone else do it (plastic surgery) doesn't always end well...(Madonna)

There should be a scene in future media where a Transformer does a head swap without the need of a Headmaster partner.

Quantum Surge wrote:

First-Aid wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:

Nemesis_1982 wrote:Is it just me, or am I the only one who has an allergy towards ALL the human faces they have nowadays?
Wheeljack wearing glasses, some old robots having moustaches or beards etc??

Come on... since when do machines need these crazy human stuff on their face?

It's been going on since like Transformers Prime I believe... all these cute faces and such.
It takes away the essence of robots in my opinion, totally ruined it for me ever since.

Actually...it's being going on since G1 both Alpha Trion and Scourge are rocking beards and moustaches. We've had almost 40 years of designs so I'm not surprised to see them exploring more in this space.

Well, these bots are able to alter themselves as they see fit. Why not let them change their appearance at will?

"I'm tired of the lighty things on the side of my face when I talk...Imma go with something different for a change" (concentrates hard...face changes)

If only it were that easy for all of us. Having someone else do it (plastic surgery) doesn't always end well...(Madonna)

There should be a scene in future media where a Transformer does a head swap without the need of a Headmaster partner.

Look no further than 1998:

Sabrblade wrote:

Quantum Surge wrote:

First-Aid wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:

Nemesis_1982 wrote:Is it just me, or am I the only one who has an allergy towards ALL the human faces they have nowadays?
Wheeljack wearing glasses, some old robots having moustaches or beards etc??

Come on... since when do machines need these crazy human stuff on their face?

It's been going on since like Transformers Prime I believe... all these cute faces and such.
It takes away the essence of robots in my opinion, totally ruined it for me ever since.

Actually...it's being going on since G1 both Alpha Trion and Scourge are rocking beards and moustaches. We've had almost 40 years of designs so I'm not surprised to see them exploring more in this space.

Well, these bots are able to alter themselves as they see fit. Why not let them change their appearance at will?

"I'm tired of the lighty things on the side of my face when I talk...Imma go with something different for a change" (concentrates hard...face changes)

If only it were that easy for all of us. Having someone else do it (plastic surgery) doesn't always end well...(Madonna)

There should be a scene in future media where a Transformer does a head swap without the need of a Headmaster partner.

Look no further than 1998:

Yup! That's just prime!

My reasoning is that if they can reformat themselves at will (see TF4 with Prime rescanning and changing on the road), why not facial features?

I believe this confirms that during the delay, Paramount/SkyDance did use thte time to upgrade the CGI.

The statues are going on a world tour

It has already started, but there is still some time to see them.

Interesting. Hope they invested significant time in script rewrites and the character development.

Fortress_Maximus wrote:Interesting. Hope they invested significant time in script rewrites and the character development.

Not a chance, if we go by the director's previous remarks. It's gonna be hot garbage on screen.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Fortress_Maximus wrote:Interesting. Hope they invested significant time in script rewrites and the character development.

Not a chance, if we go by the director's previous remarks. It's gonna be hot garbage on screen.

Is there anyone on this site more cynical than you, RP?

First-Aid wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Fortress_Maximus wrote:Interesting. Hope they invested significant time in script rewrites and the character development.

Not a chance, if we go by the director's previous remarks. It's gonna be hot garbage on screen.

Is there anyone on this site more cynical than you, RP?

I'm just conditioned to have low expectations when it comes to the live action stuff. It's definitely been more miss than hit. Add to it what I've read so far regarding the story, and this thing is DOA. It'll probably look good though. But like the saying goes, it's gonna be all sizzle, no steak.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

First-Aid wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Fortress_Maximus wrote:Interesting. Hope they invested significant time in script rewrites and the character development.

Not a chance, if we go by the director's previous remarks. It's gonna be hot garbage on screen.

Is there anyone on this site more cynical than you, RP?

I'm just conditioned to have low expectations when it comes to the live action stuff. It's definitely been more miss than hit. Add to it what I've read so far regarding the story, and this thing is DOA. It'll probably look good though. But like the saying goes, it's gonna be all sizzle, no steak.

I guess I'm less picky. I enjoy everything new. And I'm not a big fan of expectations with any movies. I don't want the movies to conform to anything, like canon or whatnot. I just want to have fun.

Incidentally, the new D and D movie was a HUGE pile of fun. They NAILED it. It actually felt like my old gaming groups, right down to ridiculous plans that either work despite everyone's worst effort or they fail spectacularly. Plus there was a fat dragon. That was awesome.

First-Aid wrote:I guess I'm less picky. I enjoy everything new.

Even the following when each of them were first new?

• Beast Machines
• The Energon cartoon
• Kiss Players
• The Combiner Wars cartoon
• The Titans Return cartoon
• The Power of the Primes cartoon
• The Siege cartoon
• The Earthrise cartoon

Sabrblade wrote:

First-Aid wrote:I guess I'm less picky. I enjoy everything new.

Even the following when each of them were first new?

• Beast Machines
• The Energon cartoon
• Kiss Players
• The Combiner Wars cartoon
• The Titans Return cartoon
• The Power of the Primes cartoon
• The Siege cartoon
• The Earthrise cartoon

Actually, yeah. I had fun with all of them. Yes, there were some that I enjoyed less (Energon), and I did not get into the Kiss Players at all. I have not seen the Earthspark cartoon yet...waiting to "rent" the DVD; not shelling out for ANOTHER flippin streaming service. Maybe I'm easily amused, but the more new there is, the more I like it. That's probably why I'm so burned out on G1 Redux and Generations and continuously re-doing those characters. It's cool to see those figures again, but they keep redoing the same core characters (not just Prime and Megs). The movies are completely different takes, which is refreshing. I enjoy that.

To each his/her own. I'm glad you're getting enjoyment out of new product along with probably millions of others, otherwise the franchise would lose steam and get less funding from and attention by Hasbro. For every 1 fan like me, there are probably 10 like you, so I'm not worried. I'll just try to get interested in the next project. Just because IMO the new movie will be a steaming pile of ape excrement, doesn't mean the next project (whether it be a show, comic, movie or toyline) won't be good.

Rodimus Prime wrote:To each his/her own. I'm glad you're getting enjoyment out of new product along with probably millions of others, otherwise the franchise would lose steam and get less funding from and attention by Hasbro. For every 1 fan like me, there are probably 10 like you, so I'm not worried. I'll just try to get interested in the next project. Just because IMO the new movie will be a steaming pile of ape excrement, doesn't mean the next project (whether it be a show, comic, movie or toyline) won't be good.

I've said it before, I'll say it again.

TransTech.

First-Aid wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:To each his/her own. I'm glad you're getting enjoyment out of new product along with probably millions of others, otherwise the franchise would lose steam and get less funding from and attention by Hasbro. For every 1 fan like me, there are probably 10 like you, so I'm not worried. I'll just try to get interested in the next project. Just because IMO the new movie will be a steaming pile of ape excrement, doesn't mean the next project (whether it be a show, comic, movie or toyline) won't be good.

I've said it before, I'll say it again.

TransTech.

Would have happened if more people had liked and accepted Beast Machines just the way it was, instead of whining and claiming that it "ruined Beast Wars FOREVER!!"

Sabrblade wrote:

First-Aid wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:To each his/her own. I'm glad you're getting enjoyment out of new product along with probably millions of others, otherwise the franchise would lose steam and get less funding from and attention by Hasbro. For every 1 fan like me, there are probably 10 like you, so I'm not worried. I'll just try to get interested in the next project. Just because IMO the new movie will be a steaming pile of ape excrement, doesn't mean the next project (whether it be a show, comic, movie or toyline) won't be good.

I've said it before, I'll say it again.

TransTech.

Would have happened if more people had liked and accepted Beast Machines just the way it was, instead of whining and claiming that it "ruined Beast Wars FOREVER!!"

I think that was when the serious whininess of the fandom began. I remember the whole Trukk not Munkey thing, but that was when people started acting like entitled little turds. Beast Machines is my wife's second favorite TF series (Prime is her fave). She felt like she was a able to connect with the characters more.

First-Aid wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

First-Aid wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:To each his/her own. I'm glad you're getting enjoyment out of new product along with probably millions of others, otherwise the franchise would lose steam and get less funding from and attention by Hasbro. For every 1 fan like me, there are probably 10 like you, so I'm not worried. I'll just try to get interested in the next project. Just because IMO the new movie will be a steaming pile of ape excrement, doesn't mean the next project (whether it be a show, comic, movie or toyline) won't be good.

I've said it before, I'll say it again.

TransTech.

Would have happened if more people had liked and accepted Beast Machines just the way it was, instead of whining and claiming that it "ruined Beast Wars FOREVER!!"

I think that was when the serious whininess of the fandom began. I remember the whole Trukk not Munkey thing, but that was when people started acting like entitled little turds. Beast Machines is my wife's second favorite TF series (Prime is her fave). She felt like she was a able to connect with the characters more.

The Car Robots toyline also being out at the same time in Japan and appealing to the Western fandom's Geewun nostalgia certainly didn't help things for Beast Machines.

Sabrblade wrote:

First-Aid wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

First-Aid wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:To each his/her own. I'm glad you're getting enjoyment out of new product along with probably millions of others, otherwise the franchise would lose steam and get less funding from and attention by Hasbro. For every 1 fan like me, there are probably 10 like you, so I'm not worried. I'll just try to get interested in the next project. Just because IMO the new movie will be a steaming pile of ape excrement, doesn't mean the next project (whether it be a show, comic, movie or toyline) won't be good.

I've said it before, I'll say it again.

TransTech.

Would have happened if more people had liked and accepted Beast Machines just the way it was, instead of whining and claiming that it "ruined Beast Wars FOREVER!!"

I think that was when the serious whininess of the fandom began. I remember the whole Trukk not Munkey thing, but that was when people started acting like entitled little turds. Beast Machines is my wife's second favorite TF series (Prime is her fave). She felt like she was a able to connect with the characters more.

The Car Robots toyline also being out at the same time in Japan and appealing to the Western fandom's Geewun nostalgia certainly didn't help things for Beast Machines.

Agreed. Anyone who didn't like Beast Machines can take it up with my wife. We'll all attend the wake...

First-Aid wrote:Anyone who didn't like Beast Machines can take it up with my wife.

Feel free to show this post to Mrs. Aid.

As a big fan of Beast Wars, I was disappointed in Beast Machines. I didn't like the character designs, most of the characters themselves, or their development through the story. They got a couple of things right, such as Megatron and his dynamic with Optimus, as well as the ending of the story. But I felt I had to sit through too much junk time and story to get to it. I watched it once in 2009, don't care to see it ever again.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

First-Aid wrote:Anyone who didn't like Beast Machines can take it up with my wife.

Feel free to show this post to Mrs. Aid.

As a big fan of Beast Wars, I was disappointed in Beast Machines. I didn't like the character designs, most of the characters themselves, or their development through the story. They got a couple of things right, such as Megatron and his dynamic with Optimus, as well as the ending of the story. But I felt I had to sit through too much junk time and story to get to it. I watched it once in 2009, don't care to see it ever again.

She says...well, I'm not going to repeat what she said. It's impolite. Let's say it involved a garden hose, a horse, a dinosaur-sized pile of excrement, a branding iron, and a body orifice

My wife rocks.

Besides, the complaints about Beast Machines that killed Transtech were the ones given in 2000. Complaints about Beast Machines that were given in 2009 are irrelevant in this context.

On a related note, people wish that ROTB Optimus Primal had more color besides grey, light gray, dark gray, and gray black. Well, imagine just how colorful his movie model would have been if he had been colored like this (source credit link):

Sabrblade wrote:On a related note, people wish that ROTB Optimus Primal had more color besides grey, light gray, dark gray, and gray black. Well, imagine just how colorful his movie model would have been if he had been colored like this (source credit link):

Probably would have been a bit more appealing to children.

Well, we had warned everyone thinking the Rise of the Beasts film was a full on reboot to temper their expectations since we never had a public confirmation using those words. After all, Hasbro and Paramount are not throwing out their Billion dollar universe away. However, the info we had provided was just an analysis on what was shown, not an actual confirmation, but we have one now, coming from the main producer of the movie no less.

In a lengthy interview with Collider, we see what the themes of the film are, which includes ethnic minorities facing adversity in the 90s and a character arc for Optimus Prime. And it's when discussing Optimus Prime's character arc that we get the confirmation (if anyone needed one):

"But what’s interesting is, and you will appreciate this as a fan, at the end of Bumblebee, Optimus comes to Earth. What he’s experienced is failure, probably for the first time in his life, right? He’s had to retreat, he’s leaving the planet Cybertron. What’s happened to him from that experience? When we meet him in 2007, he’s a particular person, if you would. In 1994, he’s not the same person. He still has growth to do between ‘94 and 2007. So the character arc for Optimus in this, and the fun for the audience is, when you first meet Optimus – and we’ve had this experience because we’ve watched it with audiences and we’ve heard them talk about it – they’re like, “It’s definitely Optimus, but there’s something a little different…” At first, they’re like, “Wait, what, who… what Optimus is this?” And by the end of the movie, Optimus has become the guy that you’ve recognized from the Bay movies. Emotional.”

And speaking of character arcs, here is what was said about the humans characters and their growth in the film:

"It’s hard to say that about Shia [LaBeouf] in the first movie; you know, he goes from being a young man, essentially, to a man, right? In this case, Anthony Ramos and Dominique [Fishback’s] characters are both characters who are trying to find their way in a life, and in a cultural society, that’s not making it the easiest for them. And so, the experience of the movie for those characters is to come to terms, not exactly about who they are, but how to move forward in their lives. It’s an interesting character arc for both of them where they fulfill, to a certain extent, the desire that they were having for themselves."

You can read the full interview between Collider and Lorenzo di Bonaventura here.

Also, in some serendipitous fate, a new poster was recently found for Rise of the Beasts, which references the first Bay film. Here it is below.

Get diBonaventura and Bay to be mostly or completely hands-off Transformers movies, and they might be great. As is, my expectations for this movie just got lowered pretty hard.

Disappointing news, but not surprising. (Pretty much sums up the development of RotB to be honest.)

"It’s hard to say that about Shia [LaBeouf] in the first movie; you know, he goes from being a young man, essentially, to a man, right? [...]"

Sorry-but-not-sorry...

Well, that tanks it.

di Bonaventura wrote:"And by the end of the movie, Optimus has become the guy that you’ve recognized from the Bay movies.”

Murderous?

di Bonaventura wrote:"Emotional.”

Oh! EMOTIONAL! Right. Right.

william-james88 wrote:Also, in some serendipitous fate, a new poster was recently found for Rise of the Beasts, which references the first Bay film. Here is is below.

Um, not seeing it Bud.

~ Grim

So, if that movie is not a reboot, does that means that we will get a TLK sequel at some point that would wrap all the loose ends?

Big Grim wrote:

di Bonaventura wrote:"And by the end of the movie, Optimus has become the guy that you’ve recognized from the Bay movies.”

Murderous?

di Bonaventura wrote:"Emotional.”

Oh! EMOTIONAL! Right. Right.

william-james88 wrote:Also, in some serendipitous fate, a new poster was recently found for Rise of the Beasts, which references the first Bay film. Here is is below.

Um, not seeing it Bud.

~ Grim

Thanks for the heads up, fixed it

I suspect that ROTB, like Bumblebee, will have references to the Bay movies (which we already see in some of the designs, Bee looks a bit more like his 07 design and Prime has swords similar to his Bayverse ones), but the movie doesn’t actually work with the Bayverse timeline. I’m curious if they’ll have the Autobots (minus Bee) leave Earth at the end of the movie since they need to be off-world by the start of 07.

The Bayverse references were some of the only bits I really enjoyed from BB (Simmons, scanning the Camaro), so I’d be glad if we saw some more of those!

What he’s experienced is failure, probably for the first time in his life, right?

Ugh. Because obviously he became the hyper-competent badass leader of the Autobots by being effortlessly perfect from the moment he came online. And clearly he had that whole civil war thing under control until they had to abandon their planet.

How hard is it to make a movie about transforming robots that fight each other? No one is here for humans and their problems.

like it matters

griftimus prime wrote:like it matters

Seems to matter to a lot of people within the fan community who have been debating the issue since TLK bombed.

william-james88 wrote:

griftimus prime wrote:like it matters

Seems to matter to a lot of people within the fan community who have been debating the issue since TLK bombed.

TLK ended en queue de poisson.
There's lots of questions that needs to be answered.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

griftimus prime wrote:like it matters

Seems to matter to a lot of people within the fan community who have been debating the issue since TLK bombed.

TLK ended en queue de poisson.
There's lots of questions that needs to be answered.

It's interesting how this is shaping up. I remember English class, how the definition of an "epic" is starting in the middle of things- "in medias res"- before having a flashback, then finishing the story later. I doubt this was intentional, but maybe.

New character posters for ROTB with Bumblebee, Wheeljack, and Arcee!





Bumblebee’s head design changed a bit from BB, no silver trim on the helmet, the yellow pieces under the eyes, missing a piece on the mouth section, and his ear pieces now sit lower, by his cheeks.

I am LOVING that Arcee.

At least Arcee looks less like a creepy doll now. Not really getting the rage for the producer comments here, he said almost the exact thing before Bumblebee premiered.

Also for all those who want humanless transformers, don't forget we have the prequel to the prequel coming out next year

-Kanrabat- wrote:So, if that movie is not a reboot, does that means that we will get a TLK sequel at some point that would wrap all the loose ends?

Man, I would love that. I wish they would do a sequel to wrap it all up and then we wouldn't have to worry about anything about that universe anymore.

The wording here seems a little vague. Perhaps the new movies a retelling of the Bayverse? That or they are waiting to fully confirm the reboot after the movie fails or succeeds.
Still hyped tho!

I like how everyone thought the Cybertron scenes immediately meant reboot despite the way these robots changed forms rather frequently (and probably moreso than the Aligned continuity), plus Sector 7, the Camaro, and the lack of Megatron meant it wasn't really going to be a reboot despite people's wishful thinking.

Was there any fan out there still thinking Paramount would change Wheeljack's look like they did with Sonic? Well, Hasbro has revealed new character posters today for the film and that includes our first official look at Wheeljack. The new character posters for ROTB also include Bumblebee and Arcee. We thank fellow Seibertronian EvasionModeBumblebee for letting us know of these.

Ah Lorenzo the man who continues to be the sewer that drains the life out of the IP, it's gonna be like GI Joe soon enough as far as the films go, burning good will away till the casual audience doesn't want to see these films anymore, nobody needed "yet another Transformers film" especially not after 16 years.

Wheeljack's lips are whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, the rest of the head is passible ignoring that it's Wheeljack who got the unique treatment of being drastically different from his Bumblebee film counterpart compared to other returning characters but those lips are just ugly, imagine turning a guy with a faceplate who could easily save some budget on synching lines with lip movement into this film's big WTF face design.

Also it just stands out as inconsistent with the other character faces, literally compare him with Prime (even without his faceplate in the trailer), Bee, Arcee and Mirage and he looks drastically different aesthetic wise.

Regardless if the film and the character are good or not I will never not critique the design decisions regarding this, why did we need Steve Urkel as a robot? Hell why do we need to humanize any Transformer's face after a specific irl actor? That crap doesn't age well and it's uncreative stop doing it.

morganprime wrote:How hard is it to make a movie about transforming robots that fight each other? No one is here for humans and their problems.

I mean did you see the trailer and marketing for this movie? Humans are barely focused upon and there's only like 2 main humans in this film as well with no military at all in a major role.

That doesn't mean the movie isn't going to be Not-shit, more robot screentime has not nor will ever automatically mean it's a good film.

2007 was a better film than ROTF despite the latter having more robots and a bit more screentime for them.

What does "Transforming robots that fight each other" mean anyways? There needs to be context that makes it matter that isn't just the equivalent of watching video game fights on youtube, we've had enough mindless robot action a good film needs to for once focus on the Transformers as characters.