The future of the Transformers franchise might be uncertain, but we’re definitely getting at least one more movie. The spin-off Bumblebee hits theaters in December and will focus on the earlier adventures of the much-loved yellow VW Autobot. The first trailer has now arrived.
The trailer confirms earlier reports that the movie will have a smaller feel than the main Transformers films. It’s set in California in the 1980s, and stars Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) as a young woman who finds Bumblebee in a trash heap. We see Steinfeld and Bumblebee slowly bonding, and there’s a brief appearance from Starscream, who, like Bumblebee, can be seen in his classic ’80s design. Check it out above.
Bumblebee also features WWE star John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Jason Drucker (Diary of Wimpy Kid), Ricardo Hoyos (The Belko Experiment), and Gracie Dzienny (Chasing Life). It’s directed by Travis Knight, who previously helmed the Oscar-nominated animated movie Kubo And The Two Strings. It hit theaters on December 21.
When Bumblebee was first announced, it was supposed to be the first in an ongoing spin-off universe of Transformers movies. However, last year’s Transformers: The Last Knight was a financial disappointment compared to the previous four films. As a result, the Transformers movie originally scheduled for 2019 has been removed entirely from Paramount’s schedules.
This follows the rumors back in February that Habsro, the toy manufacturer which owns the rights to Transformers, is planning to reboot the whole franchise. It was also reported that a new agreement with Paramount means that Hasbro will have greater control over the property, including greenlighting movie projects.