More details have emerged about the 2018 Transformers Bumblebee spin-off film, and it sounds like a nice callback to the 2007 blockbuster.
On Monday, Paramount shared the release date and a brief synopsis of the film, which is set to be a period piece taking place in 1987.
Bumblebee will be on the run, hiding out in a junkyard in a small California beach town. As one can expect, Bumblebee is in a state of disrepair, hence the junkyard. Fortunately, a junior or senior in high school named Charlie discovers Bumblebee and fixes him up. But she quickly realizes the old junker car she is repairing is anything but a car!
An 80’s coming of age tale that also involves giant robots? Sounds like a win-win-win. Additionally, the movie will see beloved Autobot Bumblebee in his original Generation 1 form: a yellow VW Beetle.
As for the cast, main character Charlie will be played by the always-spunky Hailee Steinfeld. Joining her are Pamela Adlon, Stephen Schneider, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Jason Drucker, Kenneth Choi, Ricardo Hoyos, Abby Quinn, Rachel Crow, Grace Dzienny, and the one and only John Cena. Travis Knight will direct the film, with Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg returning as producers.
Knight formerly directed the stop-motion movie Kubo and the Two Strings. He will be working off a script from Shut In scribe Christina Hodson.
Production on the movie began on Monday in California.
The movie is expected to release next year on December 21, 2018.
This is the first Transformers spin-off film and will be a testing ground for a potential Transformers Cinematic Universe. The franchise has currently made $3.7 billion worldwide. The latest film, Transformers: The Last Knight raked in $568.9 million since it was released on June 23, 2017.
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