The Transformers franchise has been, well, transformed many times over the years into various properties from a toy line into a comic book series, multiple animated series and a slew of live-action blockbusters. It’s now taken shape as the CG animated feature film Transformers One.
Billed as an “untold origin story,” written by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari and set on the planet Cybertron, Transformers One centers on the history of the Transformers and the relationship of two workers, Orion Pax and D-16, who segue from brothers-in-arms to sworn enemies as Optimus Prime and Megatron, a conflict that changes the fate of Cybertron forever. (If you’ve driven on Sunset Boulevard recently, you may have seen the billboard featuring the winning tagline, “Bros Before Foes.”)
The star-studded voice cast of the Josh Cooley-directed film includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm.
Find out who voices which character below.
Chris Hemsworth as Orion Pax
The Aussie superstar takes on the role of Orion Pax, the future leader of the Autobots once he transforms into Optimus Prime. Once the story begins, Orion Pax and D-16 find themselves at the bottom of the pecking order as worker bots in the Energon mines deep within Cybertron in Iacon City. They ultimately team up to unravel an ancient mystery that ultimately tears them apart. “Like many of my friends, I grew up playing with Transformers and watching cartoons,” Hemsworth has said. “Later, I became a big fan of the films. Just to be involved is incredible; to be voicing Optimus is another level entirely.”
Brian Tyree Henry as D-16
The longtime Transformers fan takes on the voice role of D-16, the future Megatron. “At the beginning, D-16 is a scrappy, smart, hard worker who follows the rules and hates injustice. He aspires to be more, but he’s not going to cross any lines. When he realizes that everything he thinks he knows is a life, the disillusionment changes him,” Henry explains in the film’s production notes.
Scarlett Johansson as Elita-1
The veteran A-lister takes on the role of a female mining manager who is a reluctant participant on the journey to the surface of Cybertron but ends up pushing the other robots to become who they need to be amid the conflict and the adventure. “Casting an actress like Scarlett with her acting chops and her iconic voice was so effective,” executive producer Zev Foreman, head of Hasbro’s film division, says in the production notes.
Keegan-Michael Key as B-127
The veteran comedy star takes on the role of B-127, who eventually becomes Bumblebee. The high-profile robot is mostly silent in other chapters of the story but this iteration finds the younger version much more vocal — and hilariously so. “We decided to make him extremely talkative. In fact, he never stops talking,” Cooley has said. “I immediately thought of Keegan. He can say any line of dialogue and it’s funny. That is just a fact.”
Steve Buscemi as Decepticon Starscream
The beloved character actor takes on the voice of Decepticon Starscream, the second-in-command of the Decepticons, a group of villainous alien robots that are out to conquer Cybertron and the rest of the universe. “Steve was always the first choice,” Cooley previously confirmed. “He was just perfect. I’ve been admiring his work forever. It was such a great to be able to describe what I was looking for and have him say, ‘Great, let’s do it.’ And then he’d just jump in the booth and start screaming.” That’s why some have described the turn as “gonzo.”
Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion
Often referred to as an elder statesman or mentor, Alpha Trion is said to be one of the oldest living Transformers who was once believed to have died beside the Primes. In his younger years, he played a pivotal role in establishing Cybertron’s dominance as an independent galactic power. He is generous with sage advice and helps guide Optimus Prime and Elita-1.
Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime
The Mad Men star, who recently snagged an Emmy nomination for his turn on Fargo, takes on the role of Sentinel Prime, known as the leader of Iacon City. “Jon’s performance as Sentinel Prime is everything we were hoping it would be,” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura says in the production notes. “He’s a guy in command. He is the epitome of the leader you hope to have in a society like this. And then you see the underbelly of this character. It’s really quite shocking.”
