Blood drips from a crucifix, Nazis are on the rise and it looks like Optimus Prime is dead.
The Transformers movie franchise has been throwing explosive insanity at moviegoers since 2007. Next year, the conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons continues in Transformers: The Last Knight. From what’s been revealed in so far, the fifth movie in the series could be the craziest entry yet. Check out The Last Knight‘s first trailer finally arriving online.
If there’s one thing that can class up a Transformers movie, it’s narration from Anthony Hopkins. The Last Knight trailer begins with historical scenes, from medieval archers shooting flaming arrows to a battle in Nazi-controlled territory during World War II. As Hopkins‘ character tells us that victory isn’t possible without sacrifice. We learn how dire things are on Earth in the present day. A city is devastated, Optimus Prime is floating lifeless out in space and the human protagonist from Age of Extinction, Cade Yeager, appears to be wanted by authorities. To make matters worse, an immense and surely evil force is heading to Earth.
Then we get to the familiar kind of Transformers insanity. The robots in disguise tearing each other apart, humans doing what they can in these conflicts with guns and explosives, etc. However, the trailer ends with a truly shocking moment. We see Bumblebee charging at a now-operating Optimus Prime. If it weren’t for his popularity and the fact that a spinoff has already been announced, I’d wonder if this series had actually decided to kill off Bumblebee permanently.
The Autobots and Decepticons are still at war with each other in the modern era. The trailer confirmed previous reports that we’ll be visiting multiple time periods. Yes, these robotics beings have had been involved in Earth‘s affairs longer than previously suggested. Of course, there are still plenty of questions that need answering. What’s happened on Earth between Age of Extinction and The Last Knight to make things even worse on our planet? Why is Optimus Prime attacking Bumblebee? How does the Arthurian era and World War II fit into the plot? Ideally, all these elements come together to form a seamless story, but that might be too much to hope for.
As far as the human characters go, Transformers: The Last Knight‘s lineup of returning faces includes Mark Wahlberg as Cade Yeager, Josh Duhamel as William Lennox, Tyrese Gibson as Robert Epps, Stanley Tucci as Joshua Joyce and John Turturro as Seymour Simmons. The new players being introduced include Isabela Moner as Izabella, Liam Garrigan as King Arthur, Jerrod Carmichael, Mitch Pileggi, Laura Haddock and Anthony Hopkins.
Transformers: The Last Knight hits theaters on June 23, 2017. While this will be Michael Bay‘s last time directing a Transformers film. The series is already set to continue afterward with Transformers 6 and a Bumblebee spinoff.