HUB’s Mike Vogel Talks Transformers Prime and SDCC News!

Although Transformers fans are sad at the ending of the Transformers Prime TV series, if for no other reason than it has been the best iteration of the franchise since the ending of the original Transformers TV show back in the 80’s, there is hope on the horizon. The HUB Network’s Mike Vogel discusses below what to expect with the ending of Prime and hints at a pretty huge announcement coming this summer at SDCC. Check the story out below and share your thoughts after the JUMP!

(Source: TFormers.com)

Colliger have published an interview with Mike Vogel, head of development for Hasbro Studios, based in Los Angeles. Mike is the go between the cartoon is produced for The Hub and the Hasbro toy brand team. He talks about managing the day to day production for the entire Hub Network where he addresses a couple of questions about the Beast Hunters Prime series and sets some expectations for big news that will be revealed to the fans at Comic-Con.
Did you feel like there was enough of an opportunity to wrap up the story you were telling with Transformers Prime, for the third and final season?

VOGEL: There absolutely was. The plan for Transformers Prime was always to do three seasons. We knew, from day one, where we were going to try to wrap everything up, before we decided what the next chapter of Transformers was going to be. And it was really successful in working with the toy teams to find something new. Transformers Prime is an Emmy Award-winning show. We took some of the most beloved characters from Hasbro and reinvented them with a new CG look and new adventures, and I think we did a great job with that. But by the time we got to Season 3, we knew that we wanted to add in a new element. We knew broad strokes, from day one, where we wanted the series to end, but when we got to the season, we said, “Well, what’s something new that we can add, that’s going to be really exciting.” In working with our creative team, along with the creative team in Rhode Island, we came up with the idea of a new faction for Transformers. It’s not just Autobots and Decepticons. We added in Predacons. For me, watching these episodes as they came in, the little geek in me who grew up watching Transformers as a kid, gets super thrilled that there’s a giant dragon, breathing fire and attacking Autobots. It doesn’t really get much cooler than that.

How often do you want to rotate the characters or add new characters, in shows like Transformers or G.I. Joe? Is that something you’re always thinking about?

VOGEL: That’s one of the unique challenges of a TV show that also works with a toy brand. It’s about finding that balance. With a toy brand, obviously you want to be able to sell new characters, each season, and you want to introduce new characters with new abilities and all the cool stuff that you get. At the same time, you don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water. There are certain characters, like Bumblebee and Optimus Prime, and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony, that you’re not going to get rid of. They’re always going to remain the ambassadors of your brand, but you create stories that allow you to bring in new characters. What was great about Transformers Prime was that it’s not like we got rid of Megatron and Starscream, or Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. They’re still there. And we figured out a really cool way to bring this awesome new character, Predaking, to life within the story that we were already telling. With something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you wouldn’t want to get rid of two of your ninja turtles and add in two new characters. You always want those four guys to be there. You just want to add in new characters to make the story even bigger and more epic.