Paramount Facing Backlash Over Transformers Trailer Due To Comparison To September 11 Attacks
A shot from recently released Transformers: Rise of the Beasts promo, featuring black smoke hovering over NYC with the Twin Towers prominently displayed, is upsetting some fans.
Summer blockbuster season is officially upon us and while the drama surrounding Ezra Miller’s involvement in The Flash has died down, another title is catching some pushback. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts has been upping the ante lately when it comes to pushing promo after promo of the latest installment in the franchise. However, one of those trailers, which you can see below, has been garnering attention for all the wrong reasons as viewers pointed out the eerie similarities between one of the scenes and the tragic and traumatic attacks on September 11, 2001.
The clip in question comes from a featurette that introduces future audiences to the cast and crew of Paramount’s latest Transformers flick. As you can see, the skies above the lower part of Manhattan are covered in thick black smoke. With the Statue of Liberty in the foreground, the Twin Towers stand proudly along the Hudson River shoreline. With the placement of the smoke, it’s understandable how and why people have taken issue with the editing team’s decision.
Initially sharing the behind-the-scenes look on their Twitter page, Paramount Pictures immediately heard the roar of upset audiences in the comments. As soon as the image was flagged, users took to their accounts to share their opinions with the majority of commenters bashing the triggering imagery. Daniel Kibblesmith was the first to sound the alarm on the glaring similarities between the Transformers scene and the most tragic day in recent American history.
His post, which you can see above, ignited the opinion-filled conversation with Kibblesmith saying that while the clip doesn’t bother him, he was just shocked by the decision of Paramount Studios. Another user commented on Kibblesmith’s post, writing that their “brain is so fried by twitter” that they could “genuinely not tell” if the image came from Transformers: Rise of the Beasts or if it was implanted in some way.
Another mentioned that with the heartbreaking and life-changing events now over two decades in the past, they couldn’t believe that no one on the Transformers team spotted this clip and gave it a red flag. Still, others stood by the decision, with many citing that because the movie takes place before the terrorist attacks on 9/11, it should be expected to see some sort of action going on around the towers.
While some may be upset with the latest Transformers snafu, there’s no doubt that its dedicated fandom will still descend upon theaters to catch the franchise’s seventh installment when it lands on June 9. Bringing a slew of new faces into the fold, Rise of the Beasts boasts an A-list lineup that includes Anthony Ramos, Luna Lauren Vélez, Dominique Fishback, Pete Davidson, Dean Scott Vazquez, Tobe Nwigwe, Michael Kelly, Peter Cullen, Tongayi Chirisa, Peter Dinklage, David Sobolov, Michelle Yeoh, Ron Perlman, and others.
Although there’s no doubt that audiences will be lining up to catch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on the big screen, some may instead shift their ticket money to other titles including Barbie and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny should the post have put them off from the next battle for Earth.
