What You Need To Know About Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts' Human Heroes

The "Transformers" franchise is coming back to the big screen. Production has officially begun on the popular film series' next installment, which will be titled "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," and a slew of exciting details were announced at a virtual press event which Looper attended. 

Directed by "Creed 2" filmmaker Steven Caple Jr., the film is said to draw heavily on the beloved "Transformers" animated series, "Beast Wars," and will be set in locations like Brooklyn, New York, and Peru during the 1990s. Optimus Prime will reportedly be the film's central protagonist, while Scourge — who uses different parts from defeated Transformers to form his own appearance — serves as its primary villain. Optimus and Scourge aren't the only notable "Transformers" characters set to appear in "Rise of the Beasts," either. In homage to the animated series that inspired it, the film will also feature iconic "Beast Wars" figures like Optimus Primal. In addition to the Autobots and Deceptions, the Maximals and Predacons will feature in the storyline. 

Meanwhile, "Rise of the Beasts" will also introduce a handful of new human characters to the franchise as well, with "Judas and the Black Messiah" breakout star Dominique Fishback and "In the Heights" star Anthony Ramos set to lead the film.

While most of the film's major plot details are being kept under wraps for the time being, Paramount has revealed a bit about the characters whom Fishback and Ramos will be playing in it. Here's what we know so far.

For her part in "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," Dominique Fishback will play Elena, a smart artifact researcher who will be working at a museum when we meet her in the film. Meanwhile, Anthony Ramos is set to play Noah, an ex-military man living with his mother and brother in Brooklyn, who prioritizes taking care of his family above all else, and has gotten used to hustling to make ends meet. It's also said that Noah is particularly adept with technology and electronics, which will no doubt come in handy when he starts crossing paths with characters like Optimus Prime.

There's no word, as of yet, about how Elena and Noah will factor into the overall rivalry that develops between Optimus Prime and Scourge in "Rise of the Beasts," nor has it been revealed what their relationships with the Autobots and Decepticons will ultimately be. The two characters both seem uniquely suited to aid the Autobots and Maximals in their fight though, and should be able to hold their own amid the greater chaos caused by the conflict between the opposing Transformers factions.

Fishback and Ramos are now the latest stars to play prominent human characters in the blockbuster franchise, following the work of actors like Mark Wahlberg, Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox, and Hailee Steinfeld in previous "Transformers" films. Now, all that remains to be seen is how well Fishback and Ramos' characters stack up against the personalities and legacies of the franchise's past human characters.