“Bumblebee,” a spinoff from the “Transformers” film series, is the major Paramount film being shot in Marin, a Paramount spokesperson confirmed Friday.
The spokesperson, who was unnamed, declined further elaboration except to say the film is due for a summer 2018 release.
The Paramount confirmation came as other news surfaced in recent days pointing toward the film.
Deborah Albre, Marin liaison to the California Film Commission, noted that a recent Los Angeles Times story referenced “Bumblebee” as being eligible for $22 million in tax credits — the largest amount assigned to a major film since the state film tax credits program started in 2015.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Albre said of the film project’s tax credits, which are tied into the local economy through jobs and use of area resources.
Last month, Albre and other sources indicated that Paramount was planning to shoot a major feature film in Marin and was building a set in Peacock Gap area of San Rafael.
The location for “Bumblebee,” a prequel to the popular “Transformers” franchise, has been a closely held commodity.
The L.A. Times article, which quotes unnamed Paramount sources, said “Bumblebee” is being shot in Northern California and other parts of the state.
The film, which stars Hailee Steinfeld and is directed by Travis Knight, will be set in the 1980s, and “will have a vibe reminiscent of the 1999 animated film The Iron Giant, which tells the story of a boy who forms an unlikely friendship with a giant robot innocent to the violent ways of mankind,” according to ScreenRant.com.
The California Film Commission website lists the film only as a “Untitled Paramount Project,” but notes in a press release that the $22 million in tax credits is the largest amount to qualify under the program to date.
Bumblebee is said to be a fictional animated character in the form of a small yellow Autobot. The prequel is said to go back in time to when Bumblebee was in his early years on Earth.
“Bumblebee” is one of several Paramount projects being shot this summer in Marin.