It may not be the Transformers update fans were expecting, but a new Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover animated series is sure to get the excitement going. Hasbro Entertainment has joined forces with Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment to develop Energon Universe, based on the comics of the same name created by Kirkman.
As reported by Deadline, the show will bring the universes of the two toy box titans to the small screen, alongside adult sensibilities in the vein of Kirkman’s gritty animated adaptation Invincible, which is currently in its third season and has been renewed for a fifth season ahead of its Season 4 debut next March. Joe Henderson, of Lucifer fame, is attached to write and serve as showrunner on the project.
Since Energon Universe is in the very early stages of production, there’s no word on the voice cast, a targeted release date, or story specifics just yet. It’s also unclear whether it’ll be an adaptation of the comics or an original adventure set within the latter continuity, but currently, Energon Universe hasn’t gotten a full-scale crossover between Transformers and G.I. Joe, only cameos. The series is also set to be the first formal crossover between the two in animation — a much-needed boost for G.I. Joe in particular, following the cancellation of its last cartoon outing, Renegades, in 2011.
The successor of the Hasbro Comic Book Universe, which ran from 2005 to 2018, by IDW Publishing, the Energon Universe debuted in 2023 alongside Kirkman’s original series Void Rivals and centred around two aliens from warring factions who accidentally awoke the spacefaring Transformer Jetfire in its first issue.
It set the stage for Skybound’s Transformers series, initially written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson, and was followed by the launch of the G.I. Joe storyline, after the Decepticons and Autobots engaged in an all-out war on Earth. More recently, it featured characters from M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) and continues to be a commercial and critical success with over seven million copies sold.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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