Transformers One Cast & Character Guide: What The Actors Look Like In Real Life

The animated movie, Transformers One, boasts a high-profile cast and includes a number of MCU stars. Set on the planet of Cybertron instead of Earth, Transformers One aims to explore the relationship between Optimus Prime and Megatron. The story of Transformers One will mainly cover the early years of Autobots and Decepticons on their home planet and how their respective leaders turned from allies to enemies. With an origin story reminiscent of Netflix’s War For Cybertron trilogy and with no human characters involved in this animated adventure, Transformers One aims to be a unique Transformers movie.

Helmed by Toy Story 4 writer Josh Cooley, Transformers One offers a lot of promise – especially the cast list. Although none of the cast members from the original Generation-1 animated series and the live-action Transformers movies return, the voice cast still includes a talented bunch of actors (including some MCU stars and Academy Award nominees). Some of these actors have also had prior voice acting experience which builds up anticipation for their unique takes on legendary Transformers like Elita, Sentinel Prime, and Alpha Trion.

Chris Hemsworth As Orion Pax/Optimus Prime

Date Of Birth: August 11, 1983

Actor: Chris Hemsworth was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1983 and had his breakout role as Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That casting changed the trajectory of his career, with him returning to play the god of thunder in 10 Marvel movies and TV shows. This gave him plenty of franchise experience before Transformers One, as he’s also been part of the Extraction, Mad Max, and Men in Black franchises. He replaces Peter Cullen as the voice of Optimus Prime, marking the first time someone other than Cullen has played Optimus Prime in a Transformers movie.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Chris Hemsworth leads the Transformers One cast as the Autobot leader Optimus Prime. However, before he assumed this title, Optimus Prime was an Autobot known as Orion Pax. Transformers One will delve deep into his origins to show how he became a tactical and selfless leader in the future.

Brian Tyree Henry As Megatron

Date Of Birth: March 31, 1982

Actor: Brian Tyree Henry was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1982, and he turned to plays and musicals to hone his craft early on. His breakout role came as Alfred ‘Paper Boi’ Miles in the hit series Atlanta. This propelled him to land several notable movie roles, and even a few standout TV show appearances, such as his Emmy-nominated performance in This Is Us. He’s done everything from superhero movies and big blockbusters to Oscar-nominated dramas. He even has experience doing voice acting before Transformers One.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Brian Tyree Henry received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in
Causeway

Character: Brian Tyree Henry plays Megatron, the primary antagonist in the overall franchise, in Transformers One. However, the movie looks to humanize the leader of the Decepticons by focusing on how Megatron and his peer, Optimus Prime, had similar origins. However, it’s only the path that Megatron chooses later that makes him who he is. Brian Tyree Henry joins the likes of Frank Welker and Hugo Weaving to voice the character.

Scarlett Johansson As Elita-One

Date Of Birth: November 22, 1984

Actor: Scarlett Johansson was born in New York City, New York in 1984 and began acting as a teenager. She had her breakout role in Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola’s 2003 movie co-starring Bill Murray. Prior to joining the Transformers One cast, Johansson became most famous for playing Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She has also received awards recognition for her performances in other movies, as she has two Oscar nominations to her name, but no wins.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Scarlett Johansson received Oscar nominations for
Jojo Rabbit
and
Marriage Story

Character: Scarlett Johansson is part of the Transformers One cast as Elita-One, a classic Cybertronian Transformer that has somehow been ignored in every Transformers live-action movie. Starting out as the manual laborer Ariel, Elita became one of the leading Autobot resistance leaders on Cybertron. Always siding with Optimus Prime, the Autobot was also his love interest at a point in time. Since the movie is a prequel, an earlier version of Elita-One will be featured here.

Keegan-Michael Key As Bumblebee

Date Of Birth: March 22, 1971

Actor: Keegan-Michael Key was born in Southfield, Michigan in 1971, and he played minor roles in various projects in the 1990s and early 2000s. His breakout role came with Mad TV and joining the cast in 2004. This is where he met Jordan Peele, leading to the creation of their hit sketch comedy series Key & Peele in 2012. The longtime comedian has over 100 credits to his name, including plenty of work in animation before Transformers One.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Keegan-Michael Key plays Bumblebee in the Transformers One cast. The loyal Autobot who becomes one of Optimus Prime’s staunchest allies, is much younger and naive in his time at Cybertron.

Jon Hamm As Sentinel Prime

Date Of Birth: March 10, 1971

Actor: Jon Hamm was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1971 and had his first acting role in the first grade, playing Winnie-the-Pooh for a school play. He continued to act as he got older, and his true breakout role came as Don Draper in Mad Men. The success of the hit series propelled Hamm to be cast in plenty of other movies and TV shows over the years. This has resulted in multiple Emmy nominations, although his lone win has come from Mad Men.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Jon Hamm is part of the Transformers One cast thanks to his role as Sentinel Prime. He is the leader of the Autobots before Optimus Prime and is typically an inspirational figure for Orion Pax. Hamm follows in Leonard Nimoy’s footsteps after he voiced the more evil version of the character in Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Laurence Fishburne As Alpha Trion

Date Of Birth: July 30, 1961

Actor: Laurence Fishburne was born in Augusta, Georgia in 1961, and he got a big break when he was cast in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. This led to him landing notable roles in projects like The Color Purple, Boyz n the Hood, and What’s Love Got to Do with It in the years that followed. The latter earned him an Oscar nomination. He’s also been part of major franchises before Transformers One thanks to The Matrix, John Wick, and more.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Laurence Fishburne is part of the Transformers One cast as Alpha Trion, one of the oldest-living Transformers on Cybertron. His role in the movie is as the Autobot who gives Orion Pax, Megatron, Bumblebee, and Elita-One their All-Sparks so they can unlock their full capabilities.

Steve Buscemi as Starscream

Date Of Birth: December 13, 1957

Actor: Steve Buscemi was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1957 and spent the late 1980s building his resume before breaking it big. After repeatedly working with the Coen Brothers, he received a breakout role in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs in 1992. His work with the Coen Brothers continued with Fargo, leading him to then work with Simon West, Michael Bay, and more notable directors. It was also around this time that he began working with Adam Sandler, resulting in their collaboration on multiple projects. Buscemi has even been in Transformers before, by voicing Payday in Transformers: The Last Knight.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Steve Buscemi is part of the Transformers One cast as the movie’s main villain, Starscream. The notable Decepticon in the franchise’s lore occupies this role as Megatron’s villainous turn is a major component of the story.

Transformers One Supporting Cast & Characters

More Autobots & Decepticons Appear

Vanessa Liguori as Airachnid: The Transformer known as Airachnid appears in Transformers One, and she is voiced by Vanessa Liguori. Airachnid is a spider-looking Transformer whose loyalty constantly changes. Liguori’s previous credits include The Sopranos and Law & Order.

Jon Bailey as Soundwave: Jon Bailey reprises his role as Soundwave from Bumblebee in Transformers One. He plays the Decepticon working for Starscream. Bailey has voiced several different Transformers characters in different animated projects, including Optimus Prime, Shockwave, and Megatron.

Jason Konopisos-Alvarez as Shockwave: The voice of Shockwave in Transformers One belongs to Jason Konopisos-Alvarez. He’s appeared in a variety of movies, TV shows, and video games over the years, including Barry, Starfield, and Harold & Kuman Escape From Guantanamo Bay.

Evan Michael Lee as Jazz: The trusty Autobot Jazz appears in Transformers One, with Evan Michael Lee providing the voice. He’s best known for his video game voice roles, including Spider-Man 2, Fortnite: Chapter 5, and Guilty Gear: Strive.

Isaac C. Singleton Jr. as Darkwing: The Decepticon known as Darkwing is also in the movie voiced by Isaac C. Singleton Jr., who has been in everything from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl to Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes. He’s also voiced Soundwave in various animated Transformers projects previously.

Jinny Chung as Chromia and Arcee: The Transformers One cast is rounded out by Jinny Chung playing Chromia, a tough Autobot who is often close to Ironhide. She also voices Arcee, who last appeared in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Her previous acting credits include The Stranded and single-episode appearances on For All Mankind, Shameless, and This Is Us.