After years of being Michael Bay’s favourite toy, the Transformers series is about to become something else in the hands of director Travis Knight. The series is getting a new iteration in Bumblebee, heading back to the 1980s with a fresh lead in Hailee Steinfeld, and the new trailer gives our best look yet at what the director has in store. Knight looks to be dialing into the coming-of-age, kid-and-their-car relationship that made Bay’s 2007 original the most engaging of the series, and he’s also got a few treats in store for fans of the classic animated series.
Not only does Bumblebee signal what could be a complete reboot of the Transformers franchise, but it’s taking everything back to the basics and to where it all began. The Bumblebee character returns to his original Volkswagen Beetle form, which already has many old-school fans of the influential toy line and cartoon very happy. It looks like Paramount has ditched the rest of the modern Transformers film franchise to bank on what the Bumblebee standalone movie will bring to the table at the box office.
As well as teasing a charming friendship between Steinfeld’s Charlie and the titular yellow VW Beetle, the trailer confirms that Bumblebee isn’t the only Cybertronian involved here. The film is about to give OG Transformers fans the thing they’ve wanted all along: the colourful, stripped-back original designs of the Autobots and Decepticons. Peter Cullen is back as Optimus Prime, while the likes of Shockwave, Starscream, Shatter, and Dropkick all put in appearances. And yes, there’s triple-changing in there too.
Bumblebee has a December 21, 2018 release date directed by Travis Knight, starring Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena.
Source: Paramount Pictures
