Bumblebee: The Movie, a spin-off of the live-action Transformers film series, could be the first entry in a new film franchise.
As the film’s lead actor Hailee Steinfeld told IGN: “I think that we’ll see how the first one does, how people receive it and how it turns out and then hopefully start the conversation and what happens after that.”
The ‘80s set film, a prequel to 2007’s Transformers, has finished shooting and is scheduled to be released December 21, 2018.
“I liked the opportunity of creating something new and different but obviously it is under the same roof of these films that I am a fan of,” Steinfeld revealed. “I didn’t have any reservations, maybe a few nerves just because of the fact the fan base is so incredibly loyal and hardcore. I wanted to make a film that they’ll love. This movie is, of course, part of the Transformers legacy but it is a standalone film and it is its own story and it goes back in time to the ’80s before any of the Transformers [movies] came about.”
“It’s very character-driven and storyline-driven, which is good. I think will be interesting to see it play out because you still get the action and the Transformers themselves. There’s a whole lot in it for the Transformers fans that I think they’ll love, but it’s definitely about storyline and characters.”
Making Bumblebee wasn’t without its challenges for the Edge of Seventeen and True Grit actress. One major hurdle for Steinfeld was getting used to acting opposite a co-star who wasn’t physically there. She explained: “I was willing to accept early on when the opportunity came around. It was funny because it became obviously more and more real the closer we got to making this movie and I started to question how I was going to do it.”
”I thought that I should be fine. ‘It’ll all be ok, I know the story, I’ll know my part and I’ll know what I’m doing.’ And then part of me was like. ‘Oh my God! What if we end up doing four, five, six takes? I’m just going to go crazy because I’m just literally talking to nothing and assuming or hoping that what I’m doing is right.”
Bumblebee was also another first for director Travis Knight, the man best known for his work on Laika’s Coraline, Paranorman, The Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings.
“It was definitely a process. With his background in animation, he was able to see, visually, a final product. It was nice to have somebody that could verbally translate what that was. But it was difficult. It was hard, I think, for both of us to sort of maneuver,” she explained. “Not only was this something completely new to me but it was something completely new to him and a different, you know, a different way. It was definitely a work in progress but I think we got a good thing going and hopefully, we’ll see what happens.”
Steinfeld reprises the role of Emily in Pitch Perfect 3, a threequel billed as the end of the franchise. However, the actress thinks this might not be the final time we see the Bellas.
“I don’t know for sure,” she mused. “I like to believe that it’s not entirely over for them. I think that right now with the journey that they’ve been on that is what has come to an end. There’s this moment of like ‘This is fun, this is a bond and this is something we’ll always have but we need to move on with our lives,’ so I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”
Even if this does turn out to be the end of the road for Fat Amy and friends, Steinfeld is very open to a TV show inspired by the musical comedies saying, “That’s a great idea. I feel like there is still life left in these characters and their stories aren’t entirely finished being told.”
Pitch Perfect 3 hits theaters on December 22, 2017.