For years, there’s been talk about Transformers and G.I. Joe, two of Hasbro’s biggest toy franchises, crossing over in a theatrical setting. In 2023, the groundwork was finally laid for that with the G.I. Joe tease tacked onto Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ ending, but it remains to be seen whether this crossover movie will actually happen. However, there’s a different kind of onscreen Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover that’s being put together, and I’m jazzed about Invincible’s Robert Kirkman being involved with it.
Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment are teaming up to make an adult animated series called Energon Universe, which is based on the same-named comic book franchise published by Skybound. Lucifer’s Joe Henderson has been tapped to write the series and serve as showrunner, and Deadline states that Energon Universe will be “broad, with adult sensibility in the vein of Kirkman’s gritty adult animated series Invincible.” The Transformers and G.I. Joe characters will be joined by Void Rivals, an original IP created by Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici in 2023 that’s part of the same comic book line.
Transformers and G.I. Joe are usually depicted as family-friendly properties, and if/when that crossover movie gets off the ground, it’s a safe bet it’ll be PG-13. That said, I’m all for Transformers and G.I. Joe coming together with Void Rivals within more R-rated confines. Robert Kirkman and the rest of the talent behind Invincible have done stellar work, with the Amazon Prime Video subscription-exclusive series’ fourth season premiering in March 2026 and a fifth season already ordered. I absolutely welcome these properties being adapted in a similar manner.
Per this report, Energon Universe “is expected to be taken out to buyers shortly.” So we’ll have to wait and see if it’s set up on Prime Video alongside Invincible or ends up at a different streamer. I also welcome seeing Joe Henderson tackle a comic book adaptation that’s more faithful to its roots, as the Lucifer TV series deviated significantly from its source material. The comics Energon Universe also includes M.A.S.K. within its mythology, but it’s unclear if that task force will be included in the animated series.
Energon Universe is just one of many projects that Hasbro has coming up on the film and TV side of things. Others include a Monopoly movie at Lionsgate, a live-action Magic: The Gathering film and TV universe with Legendary (plus an animated series at Netflix), and a Power Rangers TV reboot at Disney+. The Energon Universe comic book line has been a tremendous success since launching two years ago, selling over 7 million combined units worldwide.
We’ll keep you apprised on Energon Universe’s development as more updates come in. As for the Transformers/G.I. Joe movie, it was reported in June 2024 that Derek Connelly was writing the script, so it’d be nice to learn where things stand with that project more than a year later.
