Autobots, rollout!
There’s an ’80s-set Transformers spinoff on the horizon, and it’s about to place the focus squarely on Bumblebee, the mute Autobot with a big heart and an even bigger playlist of all your favorite songs.
It’s the means through which Bumblebee communicates with his human allies – Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), in this case, who discovers an old VW Beetle in dire need of some repairs. And that’s where Travis Knight’s origin tale truly kicks into high gear.
But despite the ’80s setting and drastic tonal shift from the Bayhem that defined Paramount’s core Transformers series, Bumblebee will still include one or two callbacks to its cinematic ancestors. Indeed, Knight has even carved out room for a very special robot in disguise – Optimus Prime, who will seemingly be making a “cameo of sorts” in the December blockbuster.
I can confirm that Optimus does make something of an appearance – a cameo, of sorts, in the film. We have a lot of wonderful little Easter eggs that are kind of laid out throughout the film. You don’t need to know anything about the Transformers to enjoy it. But there are a lot of fun aspects of the while franchise that we weave into the narrative [of Bumblebee].
That’ll certainly fuel rumors of a possible Optimus Prime origin story booting online at some point in the not-so-distant future, as Paramount looks to expand and evolve its core franchise now that Michael Bay has ostensibly walked away from the CG-laden juggernaut.
Opening in the year 1987, Bumblebee promises to steer Transformers in an entirely new direction this festive season, though it’ll face a tall order if it’s to top Aquaman at the global box office. Both tentpoles have been slated for December 21st.