It has been revealed that the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts recast one of the franchise's iconic robots seen in 2018's Bumblebee.
Rise of the Beasts marks the seventh live-action film in the Transformers franchise as the series looks to take a step away from the Michael Bay era, a transition that started in 2018 with the Hailee Steinfeld-led Bumblebee.
This latest sci-fi epic will see In the Heights star Anthony Ramos star, with Creed II director Steven Caple Jr. at the helm. This will be a bit of a different film, as the series goes through its continued invention, being a direct sequel to Bumblebee, rather than a continuation of Michael Bay's take on Hasbro's iconic twos.
And with this ongoing evolution the Transformers universe is going through, one Bumblebee and Micheal Bay-era character has been recast for this latest film.
Arcee Recast for Rise of the Beasts
As a part of the upcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts film, Autobot mainstay Arcee has been recast.
As reported by Deadline, Arcee will be voiced by actress Liza Koshy in the latest Transformers film.
The fan-favorite character from the cartoon and comics has been seen twice before in live-action played by Grey Griffin/Delisle in 2009's Revenge of the Fallen.
Griffin/Delisle again lent her voice to the female Autobot during the opening minutes of Bumblebee.
Deadline also noted a handful of other actors joining the cast, including MCU alum Peter Dinklage (Scourge), John DiMaggio (Stratosphere), David Sobolov (Rhinox/Battletrap), Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Nightbird), Cristo Fernández ( Wheeljack), and Tobe Nwigwe (Reek).
Why Was Arcee Recast?
It is interesting to see that Arcee has now had three different voice actors for three different live-action appearances. It would make more sense if the original actor from Revenge of the Fallen did not make it through the soft reboot of Bumblebee. But she did, so why was she not brought back again for another round of transforming action?
The likely reason is Arcee's seemingly deeper significance to the plot of Rise of the Beasts. The character's involvement in Bumblebee was minimal, appearing in the devastating final battle of Cybertron, seen in the opening of that movie.
After all, hope is lost and Optimus Prime orders the Autobots to evacuate, Arcee is not seen or heard from again for the remainder of the film.
As seen in Rise of the Beasts' initial trailer, the cunning robotic warrior looks to have a whole lot more to do in this 90s-based adventure. So, just like has been the case with a number of recasts seen in franchises like the MCU, one would assume the main reason for the new hire here was because Arcee is simply going to be more involved than she ever has been.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is set to hit theaters on June 9, 2023.
