Transformers One has been rolling out teases since announcing its A-list cast, launching the first trailer from space, and inviting fans to see early screenings months ahead of its release, so its presence at this year's San Diego Comic-Con was to be expected. While there, director Josh Cooley (Toy Story 4) joined Collider's media studio to share some of the extensive work that went into telling this origin story between a young Orion Pax (Chris Hemsworth) and D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry), who would go on to become Optimus Prime and Megatron.
At some point in the story's progression from script to screen, it was decided the best way to capture the magnitude of Cybertron's early days was to take the franchise back to where it began: animation. Since Pixar and creatives like the team behind the Spider-Verse have brought the format back into the foreground of film, tapping a filmmaker like Cooley makes perfect sense. Though this marks only his sophomore feature as a director, Cooley's background in storyboarding, world-building through his writing, and his first-ever movie, Toy Story 4, earning an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature proves this guy knows his stuff.
During his conversation with Steve Weintraub, Cooley discusses his own love for Transformers and why this project meant so much to him and his team from the moment he read the script. He talks about why this epic story could only be told on screen through animation, the inspirations for the unique design, and never sacrificing story for spectacle. Cooley discusses working with the legendary VFX company Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) as animators, expensive shots, scenes that couldn't make the cut, where they're at with sequels, and tons more. Watch the full interview in the video above or read the transcript below.
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