The first trailer for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is out, and if you’re a fan of air-cooled Porsche 911s, there’s plenty to be happy about. In the trailer at least, a silver 911 from the 964 era features prominently.
Could it be Jazz? Old school Transformers enthusiasts know that OG Jazz was a Porsche 911 with the biggest whale tail ever. He was too Great cool, and it sure looks like this transforming Porsche shows a bit of swagger when it goes into robot mode. There is even a certain resemblance to Jazz from the first live-action Transformers movie in 2007, where he was forced to live like a Pontiac Solstice until (luckily, some might say) he was ripped in half.
This new movie seems to tug more at the hearts of the first generation Transformers fans vs. Michael Bay-era cops, most notably with Optimus Prime easily recognizable as a red cab-over Freightliner tractor-trailer. However, this sleek 911 is likely the Autobot Mirage, as the trailer shows the Porsche creating mirages of other Porsches during a police chase. Jazz never had this ability, and also, a quick check on the Internet Movie Database lists Mirage as a character, with Jazz not being mentioned in the cast. Shame.
We’re obviously interested in cars, but the new movie also brings the Beast Wars: Transformers saga on the big screen. Aired on television during the latter half of the 1990s, it was a sequel to the original animation Transformers series from the 80s. As the name suggests, the transforming robots of this era use various animals for their alternate modes. The leader of the good guys (called Maximals) is – you guessed it – Optimus Primal.
Based on other cars seen in the trailer, the setting appears to be the mid-1990s. This is the seventh live-action Transformers film in the franchise and the second not to be directed by Michael Bay, although he is listed as a producer. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is set to arrive in theaters on June 9, 2023.
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