This might not be the role fans were hoping Hailee Steinfeld would take after her amazing job in “The Edge of Seventeen,” but it looks like she’s set to join the “Transformers” universe in their first spin-off, “Bumblebee.” Depending on what you think of Michael Bay’s robot franchise, this news might be the best thing ever or just feel like a waste of talent.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Steinfeld will play a “tomboy who also holds a job as a mechanic after school.” Fans of the “Transformers” film series might immediately think of Megan Fox’s character from the early films. In those, Fox played a teen that was also good with cars, but she was definitely not a tomboy, as Michael Bay liked to point out with his camera angles. With a different creative team, maybe “Bumblebee” will give Steinfeld more to do than just look cute.
Helming the picture will be Travis Knight, who runs animation house Laika, and recently made his directorial debut, “Kubo and the Two Strings.” Obviously, this is a big departure for the director, as he’s now going to be responsible for making a the first spin-off in the extended “Transformer” universe. Hopefully, Knight can bring some of the heart and fun that was seen in ‘Kubo.’
No other plot details or cast has been announced yet, but they’re looking to start filming this summer. “Bumblebee” is written by Christina Hodson, who’s only two other credited scripts are for the recently released “Shut In” and “Unforgettable.” Both of those films are very, very different than a big-budget, sci-fi film based on a cartoon, so it should be very interesting seeing what she does with this film.
“Bumblebee” is set for release on June 8, 2018.