Transformers One producer and director explain why Chris Hemsworth is the perfect young Optimus Prime – and how he follows in Peter Cullen’s footsteps

For decades, Peter Cullen has provided the iconic voice of Transformers’ Optimus Prime. Upcoming film Transformers One, though, heads back to Cybertron to before Optimus Prime became leader of the Autobots – with a new actor rolling out into the recording booth.

Known as Orion Pax, the younger version of the character is now voiced by Chris Hemsworth. Speaking to GamesRadar+ at San Diego Comic-Con, Transformers One producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura explained why a different actor was chosen for the role.

“Peter Cullen will remain part of the live action franchise,” Lorenzo di Bonaventura assured told us during SDCC. “But the very idea of this – Peter was too old.”

Bonaventura continued, “You had to have that youthful exuberance, naivety, the thing that comes as a younger person. But – at the same time – we wanted to find an actor [where] you could believe the voice could become Peter Cullen as they get older. Chris has that kind of low voice to begin with, you know? That was the hope, that we would find an actor that would have those two abilities. And we were lucky to get Chris.”

Director Josh Cooley – who grow up with Cullen as his Optimus Prime – echoed those comments.

“It needs to have a different type of character,” Cooley said. “A little bit of a looseness and fun to him, someone who is not as refined yet… Talking to [Chris] about the character, it became clear that a lot of Orion Pax is Chris. He would read the lines and go, ‘Let me try it this way’ and it just naturally comes out of him.”

Transformers One stars Chris Hemsworth as Orion Pax, Brian Tyree Henry as D-16, Scarlett Johansson as Elita, Keegan-Michael Key as B-127, Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion, and Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime. Steve Buscemi is also set to appear as Starscream. The movie heads into cinemas on September 20 in the US and October 11 in the UK.

For more, check out the latest Transformers One trailer, the SDCC 2024 schedule and the ongoing SDCC 2024 live blog.