Bumblebee (Movie)

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## Release

### English

December 21, 2018

**Bumblebee** is an American science fiction action film directed by Travis Knight with a screenplay by Christina Hodson. It is the sixth installment in the live-action *Transformers* series, serving as a prequel to *Transformers*. The film centers around the titular protagonist Bumblebee. The film stars Hailee Steinfeld as Charlie Watson, John Cena as Agent Burns, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Memo, John Ortiz as Agent Powell, Jason Drucker as Otis Watson, and Pamela Adlon as Charlie's mother. It was announced on December 3rd, 2018, that Dylan O’Brien will be providing the voice for Bumblebee.

*Bumblebee* is the first film in the franchise to not be directed by Michael Bay, though he will still stay on board as a producer. It is released on December 21, 2018, by Paramount Pictures . A sequel, *Transformers: Rise of the Beasts* will release on June 9th, 2023.

## Synopsis

20 years before the events of the first film, in 1987, Bumblebee takes refuge in a small California beach town junkyard. A teenage girl learns that it is no ordinary Volkswagen Beetle.

## Plot

 File:Bumblebee (Movie) 0h02m34s.jpg
On Cybertron, the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, are on the verge of losing their civil war with their enemies, the Decepticons, and begin making preparations to leave the planet. The Decepticons ambush them during the evacuation, and Optimus sends a young scout, B-127, to Earth in order to set up a base of operations where the Autobots can regroup. B-127 reaches Earth alone in 1987, crash-landing in California and disrupting a training exercise being conducted by Sector 7, a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial activity on Earth. Sector 7 Colonel Jack Burns presumes B-127 to be a hostile invader and attacks, driving B-127 into the forest, where he is then ambushed by the Decepticon Blitzwing. When B-127 refuses to reveal Optimus's whereabouts, Blitzwing spitefully tears out his voicebox and damages his memory core; despite this, B-127 manages to kill Blitzwing before collapsing from his wounds. Before entering stasis, B-127 scans and transforms into a nearby 1967 Volkswagen Beetle.

 File:Bumblebee (Movie) 0h27m55s.jpg
Charlie Watson, a teenage outcast traumatized by the death of her father and resentful of her mother Sally for remarrying, finds B-127 in his Beetle form in a scrapyard belonging to her uncle Hank, who gives it to her as a birthday present. Upon starting B-127, Charlie unknowingly accidentally activates a homing signal that is detected in space around the surface of one of Saturn's moons by Decepticons Shatter and Dropkick, just as they are in the middle of interrogating the captive Autobot Cliffjumper. After brutally killing him for defiance, the pair head to Earth, where they masquerade as peacekeepers to persuade Sector 7 to help them find and capture B-127, whom they deceive into thinking is a dangerous traitor and criminal.

 File:Bumblebee (Movie) 0h46m51s.jpg
Meanwhile, Charlie revives and befriends the amnesiac B-127, whom she nicknames “Bumblebee” and teaches him how to communicate through his radio. Together, they unlock a message from Optimus urging Bumblebee to defend Earth in their absence, which restores some of his memories. Bumblebee is discovered by Charlie's neighbor Memo, who agrees to protect their secret due to his feelings for Charlie. Left alone, Bumblebee accidentally destroys Charlie's living room and causes an energy spike that attracts Sector 7's attention. When Sally blames Charlie for the destruction, Charlie angrily leaves with Bumblebee and Memo, only for the group to be intercepted by Sector 7, Shatter, and Dropkick. Bumblebee is captured while Charlie and Memo are returned home. Charlie finally expresses her pain over her father's death and makes amends with her brother, who helps Charlie follow Burns to the Sector 7 outpost where Bumblebee is being held. Shatter and Dropkick torture Bumblebee into revealing the Autobots’ whereabouts and leave him for dead after revealing their plan to bring the Decepticons to Earth. Powell is killed before informing Burns the truth about Decepticons. Charlie revives and restored the rest of Bumblebee's memories with one of Sector 7's high voltage guns. After fighting past Burns' obstruction and attempt to re-secure Bumblebee, the pair set out to prevent Shatter and Dropkick from contacting the Decepticons with a beacon. Burns and his men also attempt to stop Shatter and Dropkick, but Shatter destroys their helicopter and nearly kills Burns, who is saved by Bumblebee.

 File:Bumblebee (Movie) 1h45m58s.jpg
Bumblebee kills Dropkick and Charlie deactivates the Decepticon beacon, causing an enraged Shatter to pursue her. Bumblebee causes a flash flood by puncturing a dam wall, crushing Shatter under the rubble, before being rescued by Charlie. Realizing that he had been wrong about Bumblebee, Burns buys them time to escape before the army arrives. Charlie, realizing that Bumblebee has a greater purpose on Earth, tearfully parts ways with him. After saying goodbye, Bumblebee scans a 1977 Chevrolet Camaro and drives away. Charlie returns to her family while Bumblebee meets up with Optimus Prime, who is disguised as a red 1977 Freightliner semi truck, as more Autobots arrive on Earth. At last, Charlie repairs her father's old car and drives along the street in California.

 File:Bumblebee (Movie) 1h49m01s.jpg

## Cast

### Transformers

#### Autobots

* Bumblebee voiced by Dylan O'Brien (main protagonist)
* Optimus Prime voiced by Peter Cullen
* Arcee voiced by Grey Griffin
* Wheeljack voiced by Steve Blum
* Brawn voiced by Kirk Baily
* Cliffjumper voiced by Andrew Morgado
* Ratchet voiced by Dennis Singletary
* Ironhide

#### Decepticons

* Shatter, a Decepticon Triple Changer who transforms into a red Plymouth Satelliteand a Harrier Jump Jet She will be voiced by Angela Bassett. (main antagonist)
* Dropkick, a Decepticon Triple Changer who transforms into a blue AMC\_Javelin and a Bell AH-1 SuperCobra He will be voiced by Justin Theroux. (major antagonist)
* Blitzwing, a Decepticon who transforms into a red/white McDonnel Douglas F-4 Phantom II. He is voiced by David Sobolov. (overarching antagonist)
* Shockwave voiced by Jon Bailey
* Soundwave voiced by Jon Bailey
	+ Ravage
* Seekers voiced by Kirk Baily
	+ Starscream
	+ Thundercracker
	+ Skywarp
	+ Thrust
	+ Many others Seekers

### Humans

* Hailee Steinfeld as Charlie Watson, a feisty and kind teenage girl who finds and befriends Bumblebee (secondary protagonist)
* Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Memo (tritragonist)
* John Cena as Jack Burns, an agent of Sector 7 (central antagonist)
* Jason Drucker as Otis Watson, Charlie's younger brother
* Pamela Adlon as Sally Watson
* Stephen Schneider as Ron
* Ricardo Hoyos as Tripp
* John Ortiz as Agent Powell of Sector 7
* Glynn Turman as General Whalen
* Len Cariou as Uncle Hank
* Kollin Holtz as Craig
* Gracie Dzienny as Tina
* Fred Dryer as Sheriff Lock
* Isabelle Ellingson as Mean Girlfriend
* Mika Kubo as Mean Girlfriend
* Felicia Stiles as Party Goer
* George Anagnostou as Party Goer
* Brandon Wardle as Party Goer
* Lenny Jacobson as Roy
* Megyn Price as Amber
* Krystin Goodwin as News Reporter
* Nick Pilla as Seymour Simmons
* Sachin Bhatt as Pilot Hutton
* Tim Martin Gleason as Charlie's Dad
* David Waters as Impatient Guy
* Antonio D. Charity as Bill the Mechanic
* Courtney Coker as Young Agent
* Edwin Hodge as Danny
* Jake Huang as Danny's Paintball Team
* Holland Diaz as Danny's Paintball Team
* David Cutler as Danny's Paintball Team
* Lars Slind as Humvee Driver
* Nico Abiera as Boardwalk Patron
* Jiana Alvarez as Teen Partygoer/Mean Girl
* Yianni Apostolopolous as Teen Partygoer
* Jace Areff as Karate Studio Friend
* Manny Avina as Karate Student
* William W. Barbour as Student
* Emilee Bickert as Mean Girl
* Paul Black as Agent Scott
* Marcella Bragio as 80's girl
* Walker Brinskele as Party Goer
* Robert Chestnut as News Cameraman
* Natalie Conneely as Camper
* Steve Dakota as Townie
* Tom David as Sector 7 Agent
* Ryan Day as Party Goer
* Rachel DeAngelis as Boardwalk Goer
* Matthew Dunn as S-7 Agent Marks
* Chance Falcon as YoYo Kid
* Michelle Fang as Mean Girl/Party Goer
* Logan Fromme as Ride Enthusiast
* Mateo Garcia as Otis Dojo's Friend
* Apollo Garza as Sheriff Deputy
* Matthew B. Henry as Sector 7 Agent
* Damon Hoffman as Soldier
* Stephanie Holden as Teen Party Goer
* Antoine Holmes Sr. as Sector 7 Army Soldier
* Spencer Holmes as Sector 7 Army Soldier
* Logan Hunt as Young Agent
* Christian Hutcherson as Howie (Sector 7 Tech)
* Mia Jómor as Party-Goer
* Paul Kennedy Jr. as Lance Corporal Martin
* Kevin Kent as Sector 7 Machine Gunner
* Joseph Krachenfels as Sheriff
* Anthony Latona as Agent Crest
* Reuben J. Lee as Army APC .50 Cal Gunner
* John Lobato as Party Goer
* Chris Markle as Corporal Taylor
* Eric Martinez as Teenager
* Andrea Lea Martzipan as Boardwalk Patron
* Sasha McCulloch as Boardwalk Teenager
* Heidi Michaelis as Neighbor
* Ed Moy as Karate Instructor
* Sierra Anne Murphy as Boardwalk Teenager
* Dave Reaves as Humvee Machine Gunner
* Jeff Redlick as Neighbor
* Agustin Reiter as Boardwalk Teen
* Rick Richardson as Sheriff
* Christopher Mark Rodriguez as Sector 7 Agent
* Antonio Rosa as Sector 7 Agent
* Vanessa Ross as The Mean Girl
* Boston Rush Freeman as Otis' Dojo Friend
* Gregory Schwabe as Sector 7 Tank .50 Cal Gunner
* Thomas W. Stewart as Townie
* Jesse Stoudt as Boardwalk Pedestrian
* Tony Toste as Roller Coaster Rider
* Deena Trudy as Sector 7 Agent
* Etienne Vick as Townie
* Galen G. Wathen as Neighbor
* Rose Maria Wilde as Party Goer
* Barry Alan Williams as Boardwalk Patron
* Ronnie Yelverton as Townie
* Pablo Zavala as Neighbor

## Production

On February 12, 2016, it was announced that the sixth film in the Transformers series *Transformers 6* would be released on June 8, 2018, while later it was revealed that the film would be an untitled spin-off, featuring Bumblebee. On November 11, 2016, Deadline reported that Paramount Pictures was moving forward with the project by revealing that Christina Hodson had written the script for the spin-off, and she was one of the female writers Paramount and Michael Bay hired in the "writers room." On March 2, 2017, Deadline reported that Travis Knight was hired to direct the film. In May 2017, it was revealed that the film's story would be set in the 1980s, and that it would have fewer robots. In the same month, it was announced that it would be titled as *Transformers Universe: Bumblebee*.

### Casting

In May 2017, it was reported that Hailee Steinfeld was in talks for the female lead in the film, and she confirmed her involvement later in June. On July 11, 2017, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. joined the cast as the male lead. On July 12, 2017, The Tracking Board confirmed that Rachel Crow had been cast in the film. On July 13, 2017, the rest of the core cast of the film was confirmed, including Jason Drucker, Abby Quinn, Ricardo Hoyos and Gracie Dzienny. On July 22, 2017, it was reported that Pamela Adlon had been cast in the film to play Steinfeld's mother. On July 31, 2017, the film added John Cena to its lead cast along with Kenneth Choi and Stephen Schneider in the supporting cast.

On October 2, 2017, while interviewing in promotion for the home media release of *Transformers: The Last Knight*, voice actor Peter Cullen revealed that he would be in the film . With the release of more trailers, his reprisal as Optimus Prime was known.

### Filming

Principal photography on the film began on July 31, 2017, in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, and was scheduled to finish on November 16, 2017, under the working title Brighton Falls. Instead, filming concluded 6 days earlier, on November 10th, 2017.

Later, in November 2017, the film was revealed to have changed its title to *Bumblebee: The Movie*, as well as having wrapped up filming.

On 24th September 2018, the second trailer was released, revealing the appearance of Shockwave, Optimus Prime, Soundwave, and Ravage with Generation 1-inspired designs .

## Release

The movie was released in theaters in the United States on December 21, 2018.

## Video Gallery

Bumblebee (2018) - Official Teaser Trailer - Paramount PicturesBumblebee (2018) - New Official Trailer - Paramount Pictures

## Notes & Trivia

* At San Diego Comic Con, the Bumblebee panel revealed several pieces of information. The red and white jet in the trailer had initially been believed to have been Starscream, and Paramount even used the name in pre-release information before removing it from their website. At the SDCC panel, Travis Knight revealed that the character was actually Blitzwing. The other two Decepticons featured in the movie, Shatter and Dropkick, were revealed to be Triple Changers. Shatter was inspired by Nightbird, and Dropkick was inspired by Megatron.
* Bumblebee is seen watching *The Breakfast* club and mimics the fist pump by Judd Nelson's character. Judd Nelson voiced Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime in *The Transformers: The Movie*.
* Bumblebee was supposed to be a sort of reboot to Transformers.

## References

1. ↑ ‘Maze Runner’ Star Dylan O’Brien Is The Voice Of ‘Bumblebee’ In Paramount’s Standalone Film
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bumblebee (2018) - Release Info - IMDb
3. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 31, 2017). "'Transformers' Spinoff 'Bumblebee' Flies To December 2018". Deadline.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Peter Cullen Confirmed In The Bumblebee Movie - Transformers News - TFW2005 (2 October 2017).
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Bumblebee Trailer Breakdown With Director Travis Knight Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "EW" defined multiple times with different content
6. ↑ San Diego Comic Con 2018 – Bumblebee The Movie Panel
7. ↑ Lesnick, Silas (May 23, 2017). "Licensing Expo 2017 - Full Gallery at ComingSoon.net". ComingSoon.net.
8. ↑ Wood, Matt (November 12, 2017). "The Bumblebee Movie Just Got A New Title And A Cool 80s Logo - CinemaBlend". CinemaBlend
9. ↑ Bumblebee (2018) - New Official Trailer - Paramount Pictures

de:Bumblebee: The Movie
es:Bumblebee (película)
ru:Бамблби (фильм)

## External links

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