Pete Davidson Joins 'Transformers' Franchise Amid Emily Ratajkowski Dating Rumors
Pete Davidson has had some major developments this autumn. While the news media has focused heavily on his breakup with Kim Kardashian and his reported new relationship with Emily Ratajkowski, Davidson has also joined the cast of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. He will play the Autobot Mirage in this soft reboot of the beloved franchise.
Davidson and Ratajkowski have been spotted out and about together several times in the last few weeks, and on Monday Glamour reported that there may be something going on between them. Of course, big celebrity announcements can often help promote their work, so Davidson's love life might be good news for Transformers fans. The franchise is getting a facelift with Rise of the Beasts, a new movie based on the Beast Wars TV show that aired in the 1990s. It is directed by Steven Caple Jr. and will be the second movie without Michael Bay as director – though he will remain on as an executive producer. It also stars Ron Perlman, Dominique Fishback and Anthony Ramos.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will reportedly be set during the 1990s and will begin in Brooklyn, New York. However, in the course of the adventure, it will travel to Peru and perhaps other locations around the world. It will apparently tie into the continuity of Bay's existing movies loosely and will introduce the Maximals and the TerrorCons as separate factions of Transformers from the existing Autobots and Decepticons.
This may help explain how Davidson will fit into the story. His character Mirage is an Autobot who does not translate directly to any of the Beast Wars characters and never appeared alongside them on TV. Mirage has generally been depicted as a reluctant fighter, hoping against hope that the Autobots and Decepticons can resolve their differences without bloodshed so that he can return to his idyllic life on Cybertron.
Meanwhile, Yeoh will play Airazor, a winged transformer who specializes in reconnaissance thanks to her ability to fly. She has a dry wit but is just as often stoic and serious. Like other Beast Wars characters, she has an affinity for nature and a conservationist attitude.
Previous announcements confirmed that Peter Cullen will reprise his role as Optimus Prime, and that the Autobots Bumblebee, Arcee and Wheeljack will be in this movie. Perlman will play Optimus Primal while the Maximals Rhinox and Cheetor will be included as well. The Terrorcons Scourge, Nightbird and Battletrap will be in the movie, but none have been cast yet. Ramos will play a human character named Noah while Fishback will play one named Elena.
The inclusion of these two characters raises plenty of new questions about Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and how it will play on the existing continuity. Many fans would welcome a reboot of some kind, feeling that Bay's movies differ greatly from the rest of the franchise. Right now, Rise of the Beasts is slated for release on June 9, 2023.