‘Bumblebee’ Spin-Off Will Be Like ‘The Iron Giant,’ Claims Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura
Transformers: The Last Knightwill be the last outingfor directorMichael Bay, but it’s only the beginning for theTransformersfranchise. The first of 14 (!) moreTransformersmovies in developmentwill beBumblebee, the ’80s-set prequel for the lovable yellow Autobot.
And while theBumblebeemovie is assembling all sorts of talent behind and in front of the camera —Kubo and the Two StringsdirectorTravis Knightis set to helm the spin-off while Oscar nomineeHailee Steinfeldis circling the lead role — but we all know a good movie is more than just the good talent working on it. Worry not, saysLorenzo di Bonaventura, as theTransformersfranchise producer assures us that the story holds up and even draws comparisons to another beloved and critically acclaimed robot movie:The Iron Giant.
In an interview withCollider, Bonaventura, who has produced all theTransformersfilms and is overseeing its many spin-offs, dished out details on theBumblebeemovie. Bonaventura compared the film’s 1980s setting to the ’90s setting ofThe Iron Giant, saying that it’s a simple story with very few extraneous Transformers that draws on its innocent nostalgic setting.
“There are dramatically less Transformers. We hired purposefully Travis Knight, who is a very distinct filmmaker. You can’t compete with Michael, you’re gonna lose. And also I think the audience wants something different all the time, let’s keep them interested. They’re gonna get a very emotionally complex story, a very tight story in terms of its location and in terms of its storytelling. In fact it reminds me a little bit of ‘Iron Giant’ years ago when I did that movie at Warner Bros. It just reminds me a little bit of that where it was very contained and yet it didn’t feel small.”
The Iron Giantis a 1999 animated classic with a tear-jerking finale that has traumatized many young children and embedded the film in the hearts of many who have seen and loved the film. To make a comparison to that movie is a lofty promise, especially with aTransformersfilm, which aren’t generally known for being the height of prestige blockbuster filmmaking. But even that vague connection drawn by aTranformersproducer gives hope that theBumblebeemovie will have more emotional heft than the otherTransformersfilms and be worth a talented actress like Steinfeld’s time.
Bonaventura also confirmed that the Transformers Bumblebee spin-off will have a female lead, which will lend to a different, less hyper-masculine tone than Bay’sTransformersmovies.
“So it has a very distinct idea in it, and then whatever is gonna happen with the chemistry is what’s gonna happen, but it really is a young female lead opposite Bumblebee, and I think Optimus is gonna be jealous that Bumblebee has his own movie.”
Production for theBumblebeespin-off is slated to begin next month and set for release onJune 8, 2018.
