'Bumblebee' Seemingly Includes a 'Transformers: The Movie' Easter Egg
It looks like Bumblebee, the forthcoming Transformers spinoff, will include a pretty overt [...]
It looks like Bumblebee, the forthcoming Transformers spinoff, will include a pretty overt callback to Transformers: The Movie in the form of a nearly-identical shot of Optimus Prime standing (and leaping, and shooting) against a crowd of Decepticons.
Bumblebee is the first Transformers flick not to be directed by franchise veteran Michael Bay, who has overseen all five installments since the first in 2007. Bay's movies certainly contained familiar names and concepts from Transformers mythology, but the general consensus from fans was that he was more interested in fitting those concepts into his own aesthetic, rather than paying homage to the originals.
You can check it out below (apologies for the image quality, but you get the idea):
So this was a fun little thing I noticed in a #Bumblebee video that @NewTSage posted the other day. #Transformers pic.twitter.com/IyV0GSiLM3
— Russ Burlingame (@russburlingame) November 30, 2018
Bumblebee takes place in 1987, 20 years before the events of the first Transformers movie. Hailee Steinfeld stars as Charlie Watson, a teenage girl who discovers that her yellow Volkswagen Beetle is a giant alien robot.
In December, Paramount released the first official synopsis for the prequel film:
"On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug."
Bumblebee is directed by Travis Knight, who is best known for Laika animated features Kubo and the Two Strings and Coraline. The film also stars John Cena, Pamela Adlon, Stephen Schneider, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Jason Drucker, Kenneth Choi, Ricardo Hoyos, Abby Quinn, and Grace Dzienny.
Bumblebee is just the first step in Paramount's plans to expand the Transformers movie franchise. The studio convened a writers' room to brainstorm ideas for the Transformers cinematic universe. There are rumors that a film called Transformers One is in development. The film would reveal the origins of the Autobots and Decepticons. There are also plans for a crossover with GI Joe and other Hasbro properties.
Production on Bumblebee began in July 2017 in California. The film is the sixth in the Transformers live-action series. It follows 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight, the final film in the franchise to directed Michael Bay, who has directed every film in the series so far. The future of the core film series is currently unclear. Paramount removed Transformers 6 from its release schedule and has officially put the film on hold.
Bumblebee opens in theaters on December 21st.
