Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

• Anthony Ramos as Noah, an ex-military electronics expert who lives with his family in Brooklyn, trying to support them[7]
• Dominique Fishback as Elena, an artifact researcher at a museum whose boss keeps taking credit for her work[7]
• Luna Lauren Vélez[8]
• Tobe Nwigwe[9]

• Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobot resistance, who transforms into a 1987 Freightliner FLA semi truck[10]
• Bumblebee, an Autobot scout who transforms into a modified yellow and black second generation 1970s Classic Chevrolet Camaro with all-terrain extensions[11]
• Mirage, an Autobot who transforms into a silver-blue Porsche 964[11]
• Arcee, an Autobot who transforms into a red-white Ducati 916 motorcycle[11]
• Wheeljack, an Autobot scientist and mechanic who transforms into a brown and white 1970s Volkswagen Type 2 panel bus[12][13]

• Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal, the leader of the Maximals, who transforms into a gorilla[2]
• Rhinox, a Maximal who transforms into a rhinoceros[11]
• Airazor, a Maximal who transforms into a peregrine falcon[11]
• Cheetor, a Maximal who transforms into a cheetah[11]

• Scourge, the leader of the Terrorcons and a trophy hunter, who transforms into a black Peterbilt 359 logging semi truck[11]
• Nightbird, a Terrorcon who transforms into a Nissan Skyline GT-R R33[11][14]
• Battletrap, a Terrorcon who transforms into an orange 1980s GMC TopKick C7000 tow truck[13]

In December 2018, when asked about the future of the Transformers franchise, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura stated that another big Transformers movie" would be produced and that it would be "different than the ones that we've done before". He described the process as more of an "evolution", saying that there is more freedom to create and what they can do with it. After the success of Bumblebee, he acknowledged that the series will make some changes in tone and style, inspired by the film.[15]

Director Travis Knight said his goal was to return to his animation studio Laika,[16] though he acknowledged that he has a few ideas for a Bumblebee sequel.[17] John Cena expressed interest in reprising his role in a sequel.[18] Writer Christina Hodson said that "[she] knows where [she wants] to go with the next one".[19] In late January 2019, a sequel was announced, due to the film's international box office performance.[20] In March, di Bonaventura confirmed they were developing a script for a Bumblebee sequel.[21]

In January 2020, Paramount Pictures was reportedly working on two different Transformers films, one written by James Vanderbilt and another written by Joby Harold.[22] In November, Steven Caple Jr. was hired to direct Harold's script.[23] On February, it was revealed that the film was going under the working title Transformers: Beast Alliance, hinting the introduction of characters from the Beast Wars franchise.[24] During a virtual event held by Paramount in June, di Bonaventura and Caple revealed the official title as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (revealing to be both a Bumblebee sequel and Beast Wars film in one),[4] and confirming that it would feature the Terrorcons, the Maximals, and the Predacons.[1] The visual effects for the Beast Wars characters will be provided by the Moving Picture Company.[25] The film's tone and action were heavily influenced by Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).[26]

In April 2021, Anthony Ramos was cast for the lead role in the film.[27] Later that month, Dominique Fishback was cast opposite Ramos.[28] It was also revealed that Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters had been hired to rewrite Harold's screenplay.[28] Ultimately, Harold, Metayer, Peters, along with Erich and Jon Hoeber received screenplay credit, with Harold solely receiving story credit, while Ken Nolan, Tony Rettenmaier, Juel Taylor, and James Vanderbilt received "additional literary material" credit off-screen.[29] In June, actress Lauren Vélez revealed that she has a role in the sequel.[30] In the same month, Peter Cullen was confirmed to return as Optimus Prime for the film,[4] and Ron Perlman was announced to be reprising his role as Optimus Primal from the Power of the Primes web series a week later.[2] In July, Tobe Nwigwe revealed that he had a role in the film.[9]

Principal photography began on June 7, 2021, in Los Angeles.[31] Filming also took place at Machu Picchu,[4] Montreal[32] and Brooklyn. On October 20, it was announced that filming had officially wrapped.[33]