It is only a few weeks since we discovered that a new Transformers movie was definitely on the way, that it would bring the Beast Wars characters into the franchise and that it would be arriving in cinemas next year. Now with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts already filming, we have had a first glimpse of what looks like the car form of Mirage, the Autobot spy who was last seen Transformers: Age of Extinction. The images shared on social media of the current filming seemed to give the first look at a pair of silver Porches which are the "alternative" form of Mirage in the series.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is being pitched as the bridge between Bumblebee and the original 2007 Transformers movie, being a sequel to the former and prequel to the latter. While the character of Mirage, along with Optimus Prime, who has been confirmed as the protagonist of the new movie again, have been seen already in previous movies, but this time we are also getting the fresh meat - of the metal variety - in the form of the Predacons and Terrorcons. During a recent press conference, director Steve Caple Jr discussed bringing something new to the franchise.

"We wanted to expand the universe, you have the Autobots and the Decepticons, and I would say my new flair to this is the Terrorcons," he said last month. "The Terracons are a new threat to Optimus Prime, and it's something I pride myself on when entering the franchise. I've done Rocky with Creed, and you bring the nostalgia that fans want, but also bring something they aren't expecting, and the Terracons are that."

"The Predacons in our film are more reptilian in nature. We've seen a few in the other Transformers films, but we've never had the chance to focus in on their logo, their tribe if you will, and we get to see another side to them," Caple Jr. continued. "It's all about building a backstory to these characters that are more than just 'let's take over the world'".

Lorenzo Bonaventura added, "We wanted to give the audience a lot of new. We have exhausted I would say the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons. How do we find a new set of villains and priorities, saving the world is left to the Autobots and in this case the Maximals. Part of the new news, if you've seen the other movies, you're going to see villains you've never seen before and a lot of elements we've never done before."

Transformers: Rise of The Beasts is set in 1994 and being a G1 Optimus Prime back as the focus of the franchise after Bumblebee gave the character a bit of a break. While the Autobots and Decepticons will both feature in the movie, it is the Predacons and Terracons that will breathe new life into the series, as well as continuing the new style that was introduced with 2018's Bumblebee which was received very well. There are a lot of nostalgia related properties out there at the moment, and putting Transformers back into the 90s is certainly going to pick up on that. Transformers: Rise of The Beasts is currently set to arrive in theaters on June 24, 2022.