Mirage In Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Is Made From A '93 Porsche
We shouldn't get too deep in the weeds on the character nuances of robots that turn into vehicles and vice versa, but Mirage is one of the most interesting figures in the Transformers universe. He's a well-heeled Autobot who abhors conflict. He'd prefer to live with whatever robots that turn into vehicles and vice versa, living the high life, but the Cybertron War forced him to choose sides. Now he resides on Earth, and, despite being a major player in the original "Transformers" cartoon, he hasn't appeared in any of the six theatrically released live-action films.
That will change this summer with Steven Caple Jr.'s "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," in which Mirage will tear onto the big screen as a 1993 Porsche 911 RS voiced by Pete Davidson. If this reads as gobbledygook: I understand. But if you know Porsches, this is a very big deal. Because this is a righteous automobile, and this isn't the first time it's been featured prominently in a Michael Bay-produced movie.
Porsche: there is no substitute
The 911 RS is also known as a 964, and it is one of Porsche's most exquisite creations. When Bay made his feature filmmaking debut with "Bad Boys," he tapped the ultra-rare 1994 MY model as the sports car of choice for Will Smith's rich-kid cop Mike Lowry. When Martin Lawrence's Marcus Burnett disparages the ride as an $80,000 vanity piece absent a cup holder, Lowry fires back, "It's $105,000 and this happens to be one of the fastest production cars on the planet. Zero to 60 in four seconds, sweetie. It's a limited edition."
Damn right, it's a limited edition. And it's the perfect match for Mirage's cocky personality.
/Film's Ryan Scott attended a SXSW panel for "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" today, and Caple explained why he chose the 965 as Mirage's vehicular alter-ego. "I'm from Cleveland, Ohio," he said. "I've never even been in a Porsche."
After praising Bay's use of the 965 in "Bad Boys," Caple discussed how he hooked up with Porsche to bring Mirage to life. He asked the Porsche team "What smokes," and of course, they brought him to their 1989 — 1994 run of 911s. Caple fell fast in love. "It's a glossy car when you check it out, shining from way over here, I can see it popping in the sunlight. And so that is Mirage, that's what he was."
I'm not sure that Davidson is the right voice for a high-performance sports car, but Mirage is going to be a beauty when he gets his close-up. Let's buckle-up, and hope for the best (which is something we rarely get from a Transformers movie)!