The New Faction You Need To Know About In Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts
The "Transformers" live-action movie franchise is already one of the most successful in history, which likely explains why the series shows no signs of slowing down despite some pretty dreary reviews from critics. There have already been five films in the rebooted series that began in 2007, plus the "Bumblebee" spin-off that premiered in 2018. Now, there are four more "Transformers" movies in development. These include an animated feature that tells the Autobots' origin story; a seventh film in the live-action franchise, which was thought to be canceled; and a standalone film directed by Angel Miguel Soto (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The first of these four projects to premiere will be "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts." As director Steven Caple Jr. confirmed in a virtual press event attended by Looper, "Rise of the Beasts" will be inspired by "Beast Wars: Transformers," the animated spin-off TV series that aired from 1996 to 2001. Set on a prehistoric Earth, "Beast Wars: Transformers" chronicles the war between the Maximals (a.k.a. the first Autobots) and the Predacons (a.k.a. the first Decepticons). Both of those factions will be appearing in the film.
If that wasn't enough excitement, Caple Jr. also confirmed that another longtime "Transformers" faction will appear in "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," and they just so happen to be one of the most dangerous enemies the Autobots have ever dealt with.
The Autobots have a new enemy to worry about
At the virtual press event, Steven Caple Jr. announced that "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" will include a new threat to the universe: the Terrorcons. They're usually a sub-faction of the Decepticons, and they first appeared on the O.G. cartoon series that aired in syndication from 1984 to 1987. They've reappeared in various "Transformers" media since then, but this will be their first appearance in the live-action films.
As a group, the Terrorcons have traditionally worked with the Decepticons to fight the Autobots, although their shaky loyalties mean they often cross the Decepticons, too. As transformers, they're more animalistic than their Decepticon counterparts. Since "Rise of the Beasts" will feature animal versions of the Autobots and Decepticons, they should fit right in with the rest of the film.
The Terrorcons include six members: There's the leader Hun-Gurr, a gluttonous robot with two mouths; Rippersnapper, who is obsessed with status and dominating others; Blot, a "disgusting" robot that stinks and oozes various fluids; and Sinnertwin and Cutthroat, two mechanical sadists who love violence. Finally, there's Cindersaur, a fire-themed Transformer who's also the dumbest sentient robot in the "Transformers" universe. Together they form the Abominus, a combiner that's essentially a mindless killing machine.
There's no guarantee that the movie versions will resemble their animated counterparts from the neon decade. Luckily, we'll only have to wait about a year to find out what's up with this iteration.