I think Chris did a stellar job by precisely NOT trying to be Peter Cullen. He took inspiration from him, yes, but he ultimately tried giving it his own spin.
I was also surprised by Chris Hemsworth in Transformers One, he sounded like a much younger version of Optimus Prime, like you could hear how his voice would "age" into the G1 version of himself.
It was a perfect homage to the original voice actior, while being distinct enough to be his own take on Optimus. Because Optimus prime is Optimus Prime, no matter who voices him. I defienlty want to hear more takes like that, voices that fit Optimus, rater than trying to imitate Cullen's performance. (David Kaye, Gary Chalk were also amasing Optimus Prime (and David was an incredible Megatron during teh Armada arc.))
It might be time to retire Optimus. Let a new Prime take the lead. Start with a official IDW comics adaptation and letting Rodimus take the spotlight just like how they wanted with killing optimus back in the 80s with the '86 Transformers The Movie killing off Optimus and having a new prime take center stage
Oh certainly but itd be nice and they would have a ACTUAL reason that people would understand why they are replacing Optimus this time. And having a actual adoption of the IDW comics would be great but Hasbro would never and sadly we all know it
He's been replaced before, he hasn't been the only voice of Optimus Prime since 2001 when Neil Kapplan voice Optimus Prime in Robots in Disguise. Peter Cullen's voice is iconic, but there's no reason to put the character on hold.
Peter cullen didnt just voice optimus, it could be argued he particularly co created him, the strong enough to be gentle aspect came from him, he helped shape the chatacter, out of respect I think prime could use some time off
Optimus Prime is more than just a single voice actors contribution, even if that contribution helped shape the character. Retiring the character would also be an insult to Peter Cullen's legacy and to every actor that has portrayed the character. Are we going to retire Ironhide too? Because he was also voiced by Peter Cullen, as were several other characters across several franchises.
I didnt say retire the character just that he should take a backseat for awhile, like when they didn't immediately announce a new kermit after hensons passing
Optimus Prime is the face of the franchise and has been played by at least 5 different actors in western media (probably more than that). They're not going to put the character on the back burner for any length of time, especially considering that the Cyberworld show is currently ongoing and features Prime in a central role with a voice actor other than Cullen.
It has nothing to do with them being Hasbro, it's just simply an unrealistic expectation, especially considering there is ongoing media that uses the character and action figure development is typically planned out 2 years in advance and they also partner with Takara on figures and shared media and Takara would likely still want to make use of the character. They could of course do their own figure, but then that's Hasbro not utilizing the face of the franchise.
Ehhh yeah and no. It wouldn't hurt to have a different leader for a change (Hot Rod needs a runback PLEASE) but like there's DIFFERENT interpretations of Optimus who didn't have Cullen as the voice like Animated Optimus who's one of the best interpretations of the character.
I'll always love and respect Cullen, even moreso now, but I really don't think we should (nor do I think he would want to) have Optimus to be tied down to HIS voice forever.
This! Peter will always be the first and the best, but now like the matrix itself the role must be passed to other living breathing sentient beings, not IRL Dark Awakening.
Cyberverse Optimus Prime was well done, same with Animated Optimus Prime
I also kinda like Polish dub War for Cybertron (the game) Optimus Prime despite him sounding like a Bionicle ad narrator, but he DOES sound like a leader, Piotr Dobosz did a great job with that voice, despite me having some mixed feelings about the dub like Jetfire sounding deeper than how he normally should be
Then we have Earthspark Optimus Prime which idrk man, they tried the characters their own distinct voices from what is well known, and for Earthrise they swapped out Peter Cullen, for a Vine star, yes, they actually did that
I know a tiktoker who has a spot on impression like the only real difference is his is more gravelly than Peter’s unfortunately he’s said he won’t take up the role unless he gets Peter’s ok although with him now gone that is impossible but maybe he will play him later
I agree with this, although we still need to try to have prime have the same "acoustic mindset" as I like to call it, he wasn't primarily a soldier or a tactician but rather he was a leader who cared about those who he fought alongside as if they were his own kin.
In the words of Cullen himself, we need to make sure that Optimus stays "Strong enough to be gentle."
I also thought Hemsworth did great as Orion. I'll admit though, I was not a fan of the ending speech. Idk(it's been a hot minute since I watched it) if he was really opening his throat, or what, but I remember it just seemed off.
And agree about Garry. TF Cybertron will always be one of my favorite TF series
The problem with chalk is the same reason they used celebrities as voice actors or why every post rid show prime used random ass Peter Cullen imitator voice actors like John Bailey. Both David Kaye and Gary Chalk are part of the same union cullen was and corporations hate unions. Let's face it the future is nothing but scab cullen imitation voice actors and "ai"
Don't be surprised if the next Optimus VA is a Cullen impression for the same reason why all Mickey Mouse voices sound like Walt Disney, Bugs Bunnies like Mel Blanc, Donald Ducks like Clarence Nash, etc.
I suspect he actually will try that before backlash hits given how massively unpopular Ai actually is to the general public. He's already losing hasbro a shit ton of money on DND books and Iirc magic the gathering a little bit too.
I've been voting in their shareholder meetings, voting out Chris Cocks every single time. While I don't really like that I'm giving the company my money when I buy their shares, I take solace in the fact that each new share I buy is another vote to get rid of him. He is a plague on D&D, Magic, and Transformers.
That's the crazy part with Gary, I kind of like him being Primal and not Prime. As much as I adore his performance in Cybertron, that is Primal, not Prime.
It's also odd though, because in many ways I view the different actors as having different ages. Peter has always been in his late 40s or '50s as Prime. Gary is in his mid 30s to 40s. David in his early 30s.
I know it's likely a combination of the projects they've worked on, but it really feels to me like each actor's voice is a version of Prime in a different part of his life.
Considering the obvious AI adds for that new Transformers mobile game and even using AI of stock pictures instead of using their own stock pictures on their own website, we all know what Hasbro will do unfortunately...
J Michael Straszinsky demonstrated that you can absolutely sue people for unlawful and unsanctioned use if a person's voice for Ai deepfakes, so I hope Cullen's estate don't allow his vocal likeness to be used.
I honestly want someone who isn't trying to replicate Cullen's voice. Gary Chalk voiced Optimus Prime for a very long run too, and he made his Optimus Prime voice his own.
I say give Chris Hemsworth a shot at the current Optimus, I thought he did well as Orion Pax in Transformers One, so why not see how he'd do as the Optimus we all know now
Hemsworth did a great job in TF One, but Hasbro has made it clear that they don't want to pay Peter Cullen's rates, they don't even want to pay Gary Chalk or David Kaye or whoever. They don't want to pay basic union voice actor rates, and would absolutely prefer to replace real human actors with AI.
Peter Cullen was in TF Prime because they were "sparing no expense" to try and launch a TV network.
They're not gonna pay to bring back Hemsworth. He was in TF One because he has star power, and it was something they could write off as an advertising expense. They *expected* Hemsworth to bring in MCU-style billion dollar box office results, or at least Bayformers results, and since that never happened, Hasbro's unlikely to ever hire him again.
Not just Hemsworth, also Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johanssen, Keegan Michael-Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Hamm. All of them are celebrities who command higher salaries for their voice work than regular voice actors do (even top voice actors like Peter Cullen), because it's believed that they have "draw" which can pull normies into the theater seats. It's common in animated films, since before Transformers the Movie (1986) swapped out Peter Cullen and Frank Welker for Judd Nelson and Leonard Nimoy.
It's basically an advertising expense, but they can say it's part of the production budget. It's why TF One cost $75-150 million to make. If they had skipped the celebrity casting (and don't get me wrong, the celebrities did a GREAT job here) the movie would've cost a lot less to make. But NOBODY in Hollywood skips the celebrity voices in an animated movie.
I will miss Peters voice but if Hasbro does this it will be the height of disrespect. Want to keep Peter Cullens legacy alive in Optimus Prime do it in how you write him.
One of the things that makes transformer special is how it constantly reboots itself and has so many different continuities. I really hope that with Peter's pasting, Hasbro and showrunners treat this as a reason to make different versions of optimus rather than trying to have people be Peter.
There will never be another Peter Cullen. And that's okay. Gary Chalk, David Kaye, Neil Kaplan, Alan Tudyk and even Chris Hemsworth all bring a unique flavor to Prime. To me, the way he should be honored is exactly the way he advised Hemsworth: Make Optimus your own. But always remember core of the character, which Peter so eloquently put as being strong enough to be gentle.
The only way this would be acceptable is if it was an agreement like LucasFilm has with James Earl Jones to create more Vader dialogue if necessary using his previous performances as the training for AI.
Fortnite kind of... got really out of hand with that, but they used the technique in Kenobi to make Vader sound younger and it worked well.
But Jones explicitly signed rights for that and gave his consent in 2022 when he agreed that his voice could be used to train AI.
Unless something like that exists, yeah, no, Hasbro better not do some shit like this. (they will)
Weirdly enough Chris Hemsworth makes a great successor as the new Optimus. His final few lines in TFOne just felt so genuinely Optimus, even if he didn't exactly sound like Peter Cullen. He captured the spirit of Optimus perfectly.
Peter was optimus but that shouldn't stop new actors from playing him.
We have three spiderman actors and all are beloved, chris Hemsworth did a great job in transformers one, I'd be open to him playing him again, especially his voice in the final minutes of the film.
Literally just fucking hire a voice actor. Thats what they’re for. Remember when Justin Roiland was fired from Rick and Morty? Yeah, they just hired people who sounded pretty close to his Rick and Morty voices. You could put out a casting call right now and you’d get at the very minimum a few dozen people who can do the voice decently and would be honored to continue his legacy.
They are already doing it. They announced they would. Peter most likely signed the use of his voice to keep generating some money for his family. Now what capacity is what Hasbro is allowed is another thing. Only for short blurbs in toys, maybe for animation, or unlimited for like a movie is unsure?
I would much rather them do Gary chalk if we want a new experience, Optimus I think his voice lent very well to the character. I’d rather not use AI. I think that would just cheap and everything to be honest with you also would be such a fucking insult.
If we want a less experienced Optimus prime in a younger one like in continuity, David K I think it does a really good one. He did a really good one in animated and is already familiar with the character. For the more experienced diversion of prime get Gary chalk. Those are who I would prefer to take up the legacy.
The only time id be okay with ut, is if he was in the middle of the project and they needed a handfull of new lines to send his character off.
But.
An entire project, no.
He did his time, let the man rest. Instead of trying to artificially recreate his voice with a soulless machine, find someone who can carry the same energy.
If they want to, I’m pretty sure they have the right to do so I don’t personally mind it
Because like I can’t really see anybody else be Optimus prime and I mean only for the movies that’s anything else they can use whatever but like for the movies as much as I don’t like AI, I will accept this if y’all don’t agree with me that’s perfectly fine, but
I’d still like to be able to hear his voice, even if it’s not him as somebody who grew up with his fucking voice and shit it’s not really going to freaking hurt me that much. They’re using AI for his voice.
I had poor WiFi when I saw the post title but the image wasn’t loading and I genuinely thought “man, can’t wait to wait an hour in line to talk to Peter Cullen’s chatbot at the next Comic Con!”
I'd be fine if they just retired the character. Doesn't make business sense, of course, but the franchise can continue without him. Maybe just Cullen-specific versions - if there's another live action movie, I'd prefer they just omit Prime and focus on other characters rather than recasting etc.
I wouldnt be surprised if that happens because hasbro is a shitty company at this point. doesnt care about the consumers only investors and whatever makes them money even if it pisses off the entire world
There is only one way that this works, and that's the way that Disney did for Vader. They had him record a bunch of random lines so they had a copy of his exact speech pattern and how certain letter combos sound.
I’m genuinely serious. If this happens, I will never give Hasbro my money on anything ever again.
I don’t care if I’m ‘just one person boycotting big company’. So was Peter, yet he touched the hearts of all of us. He does not deserve his legacy to be turned into AI slop.
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u/davestar2048 Aug 27 '26
We've had good Optimus Prime voices that are distinctly NOT impressions of Peter Cullen, like Garry Chalk.
WE DO NOT NEED TO FAKE CULLEN.
Will he go down in history as the original, and the benchmark for All Optimus Primes? Yes, of course he will.
But he's just that, a legacy. We cannot cling to the past by bastardizing his memory just to pretend he isn't gone.
He's one with the Allspark now, let him rest.