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SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime

Posted by D-Maximal_Primal Jan 27, 2023 at 8:40pm CST 84,401 views
Thanks to a heads up from Seibertronian Sabrblade, we have news that the latest SFX Magazine, the February 2023 edition, has an exclusive interview with Alan Tudyk, the voice of Optimus Prime in the Transformers Earthspark. This is Tudyk's first time voicing Optimus Prime, and his awe at being able to voice the legendary Autobot Leader is on full display. This is not his first Transformers experience though, as he played the character of Dutch in Dark of the Moon previously, which he references in his interview. You can read the snipped of interview below, and pick up the Magazine for the full interview!

What goes through your head when you learn that you’re going to be part of such a well-known franchise?

I got an email asking if I wanted to do it. I read it and my brain rejected the idea that I would even be asked to play Optimus Prime. I read it as Prime. I saw Prime and I was like, “Oh, right. There are other Primes.” Because I did [2011 live action film] Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, and there was another Prime [Sentinel]. There was Optimus and then this other guy showed up.

It was like one of the original Primes and so I thought I was like Optometrist Prime or some other, you know, Amazon Prime. I was like, “Cool. I’ll be talking about Transformers. I’ll probably have like two lines an episode and I get to do this cool thing.” It wasn’t until just a few days before I ever had to record that I started working on it and saw that all the lines in the script that were highlighted were Optimus, and I freaked out.

Why?

Like, there’s no way! [Laughs] What are you talking about? I’m more like Uncomfortable Prime, I shouldn’t be… That’s usually my characters that I play: Indecision Prime, left or right? We really had a blast, I came in and worked on it, and we had a really good time. The first time I got to say “Autobots, roll out,” I got chills, literally chills. And then they turned up the heat. And then we continued the session.

What’s been your main take-away for your character?

I would say it’s just so much fun. I love this new iteration; there’s areas of grey here because it’s now after the war, and Megatron and Optimus Prime are working together, but it’s not clean-cut. Some of the Decepticons are still fighting this war, so they’ll capture them and it’s like, “Are they your enemies? Are they your friends? You’re all part of the same species. So what is it?” There’s a question there. It’s about looking after ourselves as a species, which is a good message at any time in history, but working together for the common good.

I also took away how cool the animation has become. From when you first watched it to now, this big animation is so cool, it looks really, really good. It’s very entertaining, there’s a lot to it. There’s a story family, a lot of that part of the story, but then there’s also some really great action.


SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime
SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime

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Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by D-Maximal_Primal Jan 27, 2023
I really do like his version of Optimus Prime. and I am glad he got to do more Transformers. He is more than welcome as Optimus in this show.
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by 84everfan Jan 27, 2023
Loved hearing him in the show I just wish he was Optimus in something that wasn't so terrible.
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by DeathReviews Jan 28, 2023
I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that this guy was also the voice of King Candy in Wreck-it Ralph, and Weaselton in Zootopia. You hear the ghost of both in his Optimus, sometimes...
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by Sabrblade Jan 28, 2023
DeathReviews wrote:I just can't wrap my mind around the fact that this guy was also the voice of King Candy in Wreck-it Ralph, and Weaselton in Zootopia. You hear the ghost of both in his Optimus, sometimes...
Well, G1 Megatron is also the current Scooby-Doo and Curious George. Some people have quite the vocal range.
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by Flashwave Jan 29, 2023
For me, his Optimus lacked the Commanding Confidence of most Primes, that stoic centeredness you were immediately drawn to that you could feel being immediately grounding He might be more in line with the RID01 Prime and I don't remember it, but this didn't feel like the same kind of G1 Prime we have come to expect. Megatron was more that in this show than Prime was. But he mattered where it counted. He had the vision, and I really like this world that Earthspark is building. I look forward to more of it
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by Sabrblade Feb 1, 2023
Season 1 Part 2 trailer:



Sadly, it's region-locked, but a region-free version can be found at the beginning of this video:



And this Den of Geek article reveals three new voice actors:

Keith David is Grimlock
Alfie Allen is Tarantulas
Roger Craig Smith is Breakdown
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by RodimusPrimeUkraine1 Feb 2, 2023
Bumblebee's design has been fixed! Rejoice! (Please note that I will not see your replies because I have not yet found a pirate version of all Earth spark Season 1 and don't want spoilers until 2024.)
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Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by bluecatcinema Feb 2, 2023
Breakdown, Shockwave, Grimlock, and Tarantulas? This is gonna be all sorts of awesome.
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by D-Maximal_Primal Feb 2, 2023
With that Bumblebee design, Megatron having his full con badge, and the Allspark in play, i think this set of episodes will feature some flashbacks and maybe feature Megatron's turn.

This show is gonna make me give a damn about a 2nd Stunticon, isn't it?

Keith David Grimlock is so frikkin cool. Tales from the Hood 2 Satan as Grimlock is such a real win.

Also love that the movie-verse Allspark design finally returns. That was always my favorite Allspark.

Also super happy to see that Tarantulas has just adopted the Transmetal design in full furry mode as his baseline design now. Thank you Nick Roche for making that happen!
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by Bounti76 Mar 1, 2023
If you've been waiting for the second installment of the first Season of Transformers Earthspark, you only have a few more days to wait! The next batch of 8 episodes will start being released this Friday, March 3rd, on the Paramount+ streaming service. Below, please find the press release regarding the show, as well as a teaser trailer and some still shots.

Feb. 1, 2023 – Paramount+ today announced the renewal of the original animated series TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK for a second season, which will follow the Malto family and Terrans on even higher stakes adventures packed with humor, heart and family. Beginning Friday, March 3, the next eight episodes of the first season will be available to stream in the U.S. and Canada, with additional international territories to follow. The first 10 episodes of the 26-episode season premiered in November 2022, and are available to stream exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Korea and France.

Released today, the all-new trailer and artwork showcases more Autobots, more Decepticons and more Terrans! In the next eight TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK season one episodes, the Terrans continue to uncover their powers while they learn to protect themselves against G.H.O.S.T. Twitch, Thrash and the rest of the Malto family will continue to learn what it means to be a Transformers robot, what it means to be human and ultimately what it means to be a family. Making their debut in the series are Keith David (“The Princess and the Frog”) as Grimlock, Alfie Alan (“Game of Thrones”) as Tarantulas and Roger Craig Smith (“Regular Show”) as Breakdown.

“The highly anticipated series TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK premiered with a strong launch on Paramount+, ranking as one of the top five most-watched Kids & Family series,” said Tanya Giles, chief programming officer of Paramount Streaming. “In partnership with Hasbro, eOne and our studio partner Nickelodeon, we’re thrilled to continue telling the story of the Malto family and the new generation of Transformers robots.”

The original animated series will make its weekly debut on Nickelodeon beginning this Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 P.M., ET/PT. In the one-hour premiere, “Secret Legacy,” Robby has trouble adjusting after his family’s big move to the rural town of Witwicky until he and his sister, Mo, discover the first-ever earthborn Transformers. The previously released episodes will continue to debut Fridays on Nickelodeon through March 3.

TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK introduces a new generation of Transformers robots – the first to be born on Earth – and together with the humans who welcome them and care for them, they’ll redefine what it means to be a family. 

The dynamic voice cast of TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK includes Sydney Mikayla (“Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts”) as Robby Malto, Zion Broadnax (“Day Shift”) as Mo Malto, Benny Benni Latham (“Cornerstones: Founding Voices of the Black Church”) as Dot Malto, Jon Jon Briones (“Ratched”) as Alex Malto, Kathreen Khavari (“Dead End: Paranormal Park”) as Twitch, Zeno Robinson (“Big City Greens”) as Thrash, Danny Pudi (“Community”) as Bumblebee, Alan Tudyk (“Resident Alien”) as Optimus Prime, Rory McCann (“Game of Thrones”) as Megatron, Cissy Jones (“The Owl House”) as Elita-1, Diedrich Bader (“Better Things”) as Mandroid, Cyrus Arnold (“Diary of a Wimpy Kid”) as Jawbreaker, Z Infante (“Dead End: Paranormal Park”) as Nightshade and Stephanie Lemelin (“Dawn of the Croods”) as Hashtag. 

TRANSFORMERS: EARTHSPARK is created and co-executive produced by Dale Malinowski (“Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”) and executive produced by Ant Ward (“Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”). The series is developed for television by Claudia Spinelli, senior vice president of Big Kids Animation, Nickelodeon. Production is overseen for Nickelodeon by Mikiel Houser, executive in charge of production, and for eOne by Kari Rosenberg.




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Are you all excited to have new episodes of Earthspark to watch? Not a big fan? Let us know what your thoughts are below!
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by Bumblevivisector Mar 1, 2023
I've no streaming services, so I'm technically excited for the 2-parter Nick will be cable-debuting that same day. Yippie.
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by noctorro Mar 1, 2023
Aren't you guys getting sick and tired of all the streaming services?
Hulu, Netflix, paramount plus, disney plus, apple plus, sony plus.
Can't even torrent the series, it's insane.
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by Immortal Starscream Mar 1, 2023
I'm genuinely looking forward to this one. Also, TARANTULUS? oooo that makes me extra excited. Also Keith David as grimlock, now thats am EXCELLENT voice casting, but the gargoyles and dr facilier memes practically write themselves.
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by DeathReviews Mar 1, 2023
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Am I the only one who thought...

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I mean - I know Hollywood is infamous now for lazily rehashing old ideas, but couldn't they even come up with an original idea for the promo artwork?
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by Big Grim Mar 1, 2023
I'd be interested if I knew where to watch it legally that ain't yet another streaming service.

~ Grim
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by ZeroWolf Mar 1, 2023
Big Grim wrote:I'd be interested if I knew where to watch it legally that ain't yet another streaming service.

~ Grim

It is on Nicktoons at the moment (at least it will be once it stops being Spongebob), Earthspark and Star Trek Prodigy were both on there.
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by PerfectVision Mar 1, 2023
In France,it is diffused on Nickelodeon,you have to pay for it but it is not a streaming service,the usual belgian dubber of Optimus has recently died sadly.
The episode where Swindle fight over an empty truck and the one where arachnamechs lose to wood stick are bizarre,no over intellectuallism.

Mo is devoided of blemishes under the pretexte she is a young child,the writer's virtual daughter.For exemple:Kerrigan in STARCRAFT has the diplomatic immunity.

Meridian is nothing captivating outside maybe his look,pantomy and french dub "oversold,even with low expectations".
2 fondamental errors:
-he modifies his body instead of a secret artificial one with a cockpit more crédible.It makes zero sense and it may spoil a twist where he becomes a monster.No innovation on his sbires while we're at it.
-he receives some help from :CON: and that's hypocritical,also,i don't like the dynamic of the miraculous heroes pets versus the hard working retarded man,i would have suggested that he receives a miracle himself,acting as a surge of power and motivation,"now,he feels like he can succeed".
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by 84everfan Mar 1, 2023
Hollywood doesn't know how "Seasons" of shows work anymore do they
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by bluecatcinema Mar 1, 2023
Nice to see Skullcruncher will be making a return. Being Mandroid's brainwashed minion sure didn't give him much characterisation....
Re: SFX Magazine Interview with Alan Tudyk on Voicing Transformers Earthspark Optimus Prime (view post)
Comment by DeathReviews Mar 1, 2023
84everfan wrote:Hollywood doesn't know how "Seasons" of shows work anymore do they


An interesting observation/truth. 'Seasons' used to have meaning, because TV shows were produced seasonally. With the Fall season being when most shows had their traditional premieres. I remember well - most networks would have big productions introducing each new show. For Saturday cartoons, they had actual TV specials during prime time to show off the new ones. In the streaming age though, that's all out the windows. New shows are introduced on whim, with episodes staggered out and no seeming rhyme or reason to it. And entire seasons are released all at once for 'binge' watching, rather than needing to wait for just one episode per week, stretched out over six months.

So it's good in some ways, bad in others. You can watch it all at once, but the episodes and even entire seasons don't feel as monumental because they're over and done in a flash.
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