While Transformers Prime came to an end just a couple of weeks ago, Transformers fans know that the incredibly durable franchise will of course be back with a new animated incarnation. In fact, Transformers Prime executive producer Jeff Kline told me at the start of Prime’s final season that it looked like he and most of the Prime team will be working on the new version

The ever-busy Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Fringe, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and so much more) were also executive producers on Transformers Prime, continuing their involvement with the franchise after the duo wrote the first two live-action Transformers films. I spoke to Orci recently about the next incarnation of Transformers in animation, confirming he and Kurtzman will be producing it and learning a bit more about what Hasbro and their collaborators are looking to create this time.

Loading

No, we are involved in it. We talked about it with Hasbro, and we’re excited about it. It’s not really a reboot, it’s sort of a continuation of it [Transformers Prime] in a tonally different form. We want to make sure we’re servicing the right audiences. We got to do a very adult version of Transformers that you just saw in this cartoon, a very sophisticated one, and we also want to make sure we don’t leave other kids behind, who love Transformers too and don’t want to be as scared as Transformers Prime could make you, that kind of thing. So we’re going to have a good parallel series that is connected, but it’s a little more friendly to the family.We are discussing that very question right now. I’d love to have as much continuity as possible, and that’s part of what’s been fun about being a part of the Transformers universe since we jumped on the movies. It’s trying to take all the research and all the things that they have -- giant bibles and binders of Transformers iterations. So we always tried to thread the needle as best we could of taking their best, favorite stories and kind of putting them in some order that was consistent. That’s always our goal. The degree of success will be up to the audience.I would say that clever wit always makes it something more adult. I think the look of it, you may find, is more kid-friendly. But we certainly don’t intend to be any less entertaining or any less Transformers. But there is a little bit of truth to that. I won’t deny that also, yes, we’re trying to make sure that younger kids who really love Transformers aren’t put off by its intensity.Yes. Assuming they say yes. If they will come back, it’s theirs!

Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @EricIGN , IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at Facebook.com/TheEricGoldman