Chris Hemsworth to voice Optimus Prime after Peter Cullen's passing?

Chris Hemsworth could be heading back into the world of Transformers but this time he may have very big shoes to fill in.

After the announcement of the eighth live-action Transformers movie, speculation has begun circulating online that the Thor star could eventually take over the voice of Optimus Prime, following the death of legendary voice actor Peter Cullen.

An unverified post on X claimed that the Australian hunk has reportedly been cast to voice Optimus Prime in Michael Bay’s upcoming live-action Transformers movie, suggesting that he would succeed Cullen, who passed away on August 26. 

READ MORE: Peter Cullen dead at 85: Optimus Prime voice actor's cause of death revealed?

While there has been no official confirmation of the casting claim, Transformers fans can’t help but wonder what if he could take over the iconic role.

The idea has already produced plenty of passionate reactions online.

“Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime would be insane,” one fan wrote, while acknowledging that replacing Cullen would be “a MASSIVE pair of shoes to fill.”

Others were more enthusiastic, pointing to Hemsworth’s performance in Transformers One as evidence that he could potentially handle the role.

“He honestly did very well in Transformers One so hell yeah,” another fan commented.

Another fan offered a similar view, saying Hemsworth was “great in Transformers One” and that they would prefer a new human voice performance over the possibility of recreating Cullen’s voice through AI.

For the unversed, the Crime 101 actor voiced Orion Pax, the younger version of Optimus Prime, in the 2024 animated.

At the time, the filmmakers specifically wanted a younger-sounding performance that could capture Orion Pax’s naivety, spontaneity and youthful energy.

Now, following Cullen’s passing at the age of 85, fans have begun wondering whether Hemsworth, 43, could eventually make the jump from Orion Pax to Optimus Prime in the live-action franchise.