Bumblebee Star Hailee Steinfeld Addresses Sequel and Transformers Franchise

After starring in a number of critically acclaimed movies, Hailee Steinfeld's Bumblebee became her highest-profile project in her career, one that was met with massive praise from critics. The film served as a prequel to the live-action Transformers franchise, but in the years since the film was released, no updates have been given about Steinfeld potentially returning to the series, and while fans would understandably love to see her return for a follow-up, she had no intention of taking on the project in order to be part of a long-running franchise. The first installment since Bumblebee, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, lands in theaters on June 9th.

When asked by The Hollywood Reporter if she was surprised that Rise of the Beasts isn't a direct continuation of Bumblebee, Steinfeld confirmed, "Not necessarily. I don't know that I knew the plans beyond that, but I like to take everything one step at a time. I've gotten a lot better at that in my life. I tend to get ahead of myself, and so when it comes to these bigger projects that have whispers and more of a future and whatnot, I like to just focus on what's in front of me and make that the best that I can."

Bumblebee marked a significant outlier in the live-action Transformers franchise in multiple ways. While the second and third entries in the series both earned over a billion dollars at the global box office, Bumblebee is the lowest-grossing entry, as it sits at only taking in $465.2 million worldwide. However, the first five entries in the franchise all earned poor reviews, with the debut entry sitting at 58% positive reviews according to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. 

The last sequel in that timeline, 2017's Transformers: The Last Knight, sits at only 16% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Not only is Bumblebee the best-reviewed entry in the series and the only entry that is "Certified Fresh" on the website, but it also sits at an impressive 91% positive reviews, a commendable feat for any franchise film.

With Bumblebee taking place in 1987 and Rise of the Beasts taking place in 1994, there are still many years of adventures to explore that take place before the 2007 Transformers, so even if Steinfeld isn't involved in the latest film, there are still opportunities for her to return in the future.

Would you like to see a direct continuation of Bumblebee? Let us know in the comments!