Creed II director Steven Caple Jr. left the boxing ring behind for an even bigger adventure. Caple is directing the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts film, which is the seventh live-action project in the Transformers universe, and it arrives in theatres on June 9, 2023.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences and the Autobots on a ‘90s adventure around the world and will take place in different parts of Peru and New York City. The film will introduce a whole new breed of Transformers known as the Maximals as they join the existing battle on earth between Autobots and Decepticons. The first teaser trailer for Caple’s film arrived on Thursday, Dec. 1, and gives a glimpse into the action-packed and star-studded experience that fans who love these movies are in for next year.
In the trailer, the special effects already look out of this world, and Notorious B.I.G’s “Juicy” serves as the song in the background, as a clear reminder that these characters and this story are taking place in ‘90s Brooklyn. “You definitely go to a movie theater to get a sense of wonderment,” Caple tells Complex in a recent interview. “But now that we’re on the screen more and getting this bit of our culture on the screen and embedded within this genre has been crazy for this film itself.”
In April 2021, it was announced that Anthony Ramos would star as the lead Noah, alongside Dominique Fishback as Elena. With Caple at the helm, he was intentional about the diverse casting in order to reflect the moviegoers who have continuously supported these films over the years. “The people on the screen should reflect how we are and who we are as people, especially this generation,” the director adds.
And the rest of the cast is equally stacked with incredible talent, including Pete Davidson, Tobe Nwigwe, Peter Cullen, Ron Perlman, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, Liza Koshy, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Cristo Fernández, and more. Some of those stars will be lending their voices to the Autobots, and Caple previously revealed on Instagram that Davidson would be voicing Mirage and Yeoh will be the voice of Airazor.
Rising of the Beasts is taking us back to the Transformers world for the first time since 2017’s The Last Knight and taking us back to the films that have captured moviegoers around the world since 2007. Complex caught up with Ramos and Caple about choosing the right leading man, the pressures of taking on a franchise film, and their experience filming in Peru. Check out our conversation, which took place ahead of the trailer’s release, below.