The most difficult thing about the Transformers x GI Joe crossover movie is the number of characters that will appear – “We're still working on it,” says producer | THE RIVER

The two big action series, “Transformers” and “GI Joe”, will collide on the big screen. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, producer behind both universes, spoke to Collider about the latest status of Paramount's crossover blockbuster project.

“Right now, we are thinking about how to integrate GI Joe and Transformers. We are currently in the creative stage. We haven't found the key yet. It's difficult because there are so many characters to feature, and if there are too many, we won't be able to deliver good characters. The difficult part this time is figuring out how to combine humans and robots with as few characters as possible. This is the big point we are thinking about now. We are working on it diligently.”

The idea of ​​limiting the number of characters is the same as what was said in an interview for “Transformers: The Beast Awakens”. In “The Beast Awakens”, the two worlds of “Transformers” and “Beast Wars” were crossed over, but Bonaventura told THE RIVER that he had limited the number of characters to properly portray each character. In addition, Steven Caple Jr., the director of “The Beast Awakens”, also said that he was advised by his senior Michael Bay to think about the number of characters and the time they would appear.

From the Transformers side, classic characters such as Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Megatron will undoubtedly appear. Meanwhile, the GI Joe universe has been effectively rebooted with 2021's GI Joe: Snake Eyes of the Dark, and it is highly likely that Henry Golding's protagonist Snake Eyes and his rival, Storm Shadow, will appear, and it is also easy to organize new characters.

One important character who is likely to be a key player is Chris Hemsworth, who has been reported to be in negotiations to appear in the film. Hemsworth voices the young Optimus Prime in the animated film “Transformers: One,” but it is unclear what role he will play in this crossover. Hemsworth is known for his intense action scenes in films such as “The Avengers” and the “Tyler Rake” series, so it is likely that he will confront or cooperate with the Transformers as a skilled agent on the GI Joe side.

However, Hemsworth doesn't know what role he'll play, as Bonaventura is still in the outline stages. “That's a question I get a lot. Lorenzo approached me when we were taping[for Transformers: One]. We just started talking about how we could expand this universe and what kind of interesting things we could do,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “Obviously, I follow good filmmakers, good scripts, good stories. There's a lot of potential to reinvent and try new things in this universe, both in the GI Joe universe and in the Transformers universe.”

Transformers: One, in which Hemsworth will voice the main character, will be released in Japan and the US on September 20, 2024. The crossover film with GI Joe is scheduled for release in the US in 2025-2026.

Source:Collider,Entertainment Weekly