Transformers One trailer turns an origin story into a buddy comedy

The Transformers animated series from 1984 first established an origin story for Optimus Prime and Megatron on their home world of Cybertron. But as originally envisioned, Megatron, the future leader of the evil Decepticons, was only a false friend to Orion Pax, who would go on to become the Autobots’ leader, Optimus Prime. Subsequent incarnations in other media have reconfigured that relationship, but the upcoming animated movie, Transformers One, is the first to take the future rivals and pair them up in a buddy action comedy.

Transformers One | Official Trailer (2024) - Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson

Transformers One‘s first trailer notably depicts Orion’s bond with D-16 (Megatron’s original name) as a genuine friendship, even when the latter is clearly upset with the former. The film isn’t tied to any previous incarnation of the franchise, which is why it has a free hand to redefine one of the core relationships in the entire saga.

D-16 and Orion are clearly positioned as the heroes of this story, alongside Elita-1 and the future Bumblebee, B-127. The trailer also drops some hints that the Transformers’ creators, the Quintessons, may appear. Additionally, it shows fans the first time that these characters gained the ability to transform. What it doesn’t show us is how the friendship between Orion and D-16 became a bitter rivalry. But that gives it something to save for the film!

Chris Hemsworth stars in the film as Orion Pax/Optimus Prime, with Brian Tyree Henry as D-16/Megatron, Scarlett Johansson as Elita-1, Keegan-Michael Key as B-127/Bumblebee, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime, and Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion.

Transformers One was directed by Josh Cooley from a script by Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari, and Bobby Rubio. It will hit theaters on Friday, September 20.