When you think of badass Japanese giant robots, it’s hard not to have your mind immediately wander to the Gundam series. There’s another batch of iconic mecha who are known just as well in Japan as they are overseas in America, though. Transformers has been an iconic entry in the cultural lexicon of Japan for years, with famed Japanese video game developer PlatinumGames even releasing an incredible game based on the series in 2015 titled Transformers: Devastation. Now, the robots in disguise are getting another global entertainment event in the form of a newly announced Netflix animation project titled Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy: Siege.
Netflix describes the brand new animated series as follows:
TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON TRILOGY: SIEGE begins in the final hours of the devastating civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons. The war that has torn apart their home planet of Cybertron is at a tipping point. Two leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron, both want to save their world and unify their people, but only on their own terms. In an attempt to end the conflict, Megatron is forced to consider using the Allspark, the source of all life and power on Cybertron, to “reformat” the Autobots, thus “unifying” Cybertron. Outnumbered, outgunned, and under SIEGE, the battle-weary Autobots orchestrate a desperate series of counterstrikes on a mission that, if everything somehow goes right, will end with an unthinkable choice: kill their planet in order to save it.
Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy: Siege is set to run for six episodes, each one 22-minutes long. While Netflix is announcing and releasing the animated series, Rooster Teeth is producing the show and Polygon Pictures are in charge of animation. Polygon Pictures previously animated the Ajin anime series, as well as the Netflix Godzilla film trilogy and the Show By Rock!! film. While Siege is set to premiere on Netflix this year, two more entries in the trilogy will be following soon after, with the title for the second one teased as Earthrise.
The cast for Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy: Siege includes:
- Jake Foushee as Optimus Prime
- Jason Marnocha as Megatron
- Linsay Rousseau as Elita-1
- Joe Zieja as Bumblebee
- Frank Todaro as Starscream
- Rafael Goldstein as Ratchet
- Keith Silverstein as Jetfire
- Todd Haberkorn as Shockwave, Red Alert
- Edward Bosco as Ultra Magnus, Soundwave
- Bill Rogers as Wheeljack
- Sophia Isabella as Arcee
- Brook Chalmers as Impactor
- Shawn Hawkins as Mirage
- Kaiser Johnson as Ironhide
- Miles Luna as Teletraan I, Cliffjumper
- Mark Whitten as Sideswipe, Skywarp
Rooster Teeth is also known for producing the anime-inspired 3DCG shows RWBY and gen:LOCK. FJ DeSanto, who previously worked on Transformers: Titans Return and Transformers: Power of the Primes, will be the showrunner for Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy: Siege. Contributing writers for the show include George Krstic of Megas XLR fame, Gavin Hignight from Transformers: Cyberverse, and Brandon Easton of Agent Carter and Transformers: Rescue Bots fame.
