'Bumblebee' 2: Everything We Know So Far

Bumblebee, a Transformer spin-off, left everyone’s jaws glued to the floor when it bagged more than $400 million all across the world. Even though it didn’t come near to other Transformer movies with its box-office numbers; it still became Transformer’s best-reviewed title. With those numbers, it seems like a good idea for Paramount to produce a Bumblebee sequel. But, are we going to get one, and.....did we already get one? Let's explore.

When Will Bumblebee 2 Release?

There is no release date for Bumblebee 2 yet. 

Paramount announced that a new "Transformers" movie will release on June 24, 2022. However, in June 2021, the official Twitter of Transformers confirmed that the 2022 release date is not for the Bumblebee sequel but for 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.' The film was later postponed and officially released in June 2023

It's unlikely for the franchise to release two films in a year. So, the earliest possible time we could see Bumblebee 2 would be 2024 if we are even going to get it. It was stated that Bumblebee may have already gotten a sequel in the form of "Rise of the Beasts".

Was Transformers: Rise of the Beasts a Sequel to Bumblebee?

Indeed, "Rise of the Beasts" may not be your typical sequel, but key creatives involved in the series have referred to it as a spiritual successor to "Bumblebee," with elements that tie it to the events of the 2018 film.

During a virtual panel promoting "Rise of the Beasts" in June 2021, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura discussed the film's period setting and how it advances the storyline without interfering with the timeline of the earlier "Michael Bay" films. The decision to set the movie in 1994 was partly due to the great music from that time, providing a natural extension of the 1987 setting of "Bumblebee."

Director Steven Caple Jr., who helmed the project, has also acknowledged that "Rise of the Beasts" serves as a kind of "Bumblebee 2," although not a traditional one. Interestingly, Caple Jr. had been offered the chance to direct a direct sequel to "Bumblebee" initially, but he declined as he didn't want to do a direct follow-up after his work on "Creed II."

However, in 2020, Caple Jr. was presented with the idea of a "Beast Wars" movie, and he eagerly embraced it. To him, the project was the spiritual successor to the 2018 adventure flick, maintaining continuity as it takes place after "Bumblebee." In a May 2023 interview, he reiterated this point, mentioning that even for audiences unfamiliar with "Transformers" lore, all they needed to know was that Bumblebee and Optimus Prime arrived on Earth in 1987 and have a desire to return to Cybertron, events that were established in the 2018 film.

So, while "Rise of the Beasts" may have its unique characteristics, it can be seen as a continuation and a spiritual successor to "Bumblebee," expanding on the story and universe established in the earlier movie.

Bumblebee As A Benchmark For Other Spin-Offs

Now, the interesting thing about the success of Bumblebee is that it has given the Transformers franchise an encouragement for creating more spin-offs, instead of other Transformer movies. Moreover, the success of Bumblebee has become a benchmark for other spin-offs in the future.

Bumblebee fans are anticipating the return of John Cena and Hailee Steinfeld as Jack Burns and Charlie Watson, respectively. Cena, in an interview with Cinema Blend, said that he ‘hopes so’ for a comeback.

On the other hand, Hailee Steinfeld also believes that her character Charlie is capable of learning and growing so much. In the Bumblebee movie, we see Charlie overcome so many things, and yet there is so much that she has to learn and grow into the person she is capable of becoming, explained Steinfeld.

We can also hope for Jorge Lendeborg Jr, Charlie’s neighbor Memo, Pamela Adlon, who plays the role of Sally Watson, Charlie's mother, and Stephen Schneider, reprising his role as Ron, Charlie's stepfather.

If you’re a Dylan O'Brien fan and are anticipating him voicing over Bumblebee in the sequel too, things are not looking so hopeful for you. Even though Dylan had voiced over Bumblebee in the original movie, if the spin-off wants to steer clear of Transformers altogether, there isn’t a chance for Dylan to be voicing over in the sequel too, as Bumblebee talks through a radio.

Will All The Transformers Leave Earth Soon?

The adventures of Bumblebee, with Charlie and Bumblebee going their separate ways (leaving us with broken hearts), don’t opt for a sequel with the same characters right away.

However, there is some possibility for a reboot, like we saw in Transformers with Optimus Prime coming to Earth as a reunion with other Autobots.

Perhaps the sequel will show a refreshed timeline or will venture off from when Bumblebee sends a beacon for all the Autobots to come to Earth and settle. In the case of the latter, maybe we’ll see the Autobots leaving Earth again.

Even though there is no guarantee for Bumblebee's director, Travis Knight, coming back for a sequel, he did mention a few bits for the storyline of a sequel. In an interview with Digital Spy, he said that they might take moments from the original movie and take it from there into a new storyline, like taking a Gen One Optimus Prime or a Gen One Jazz and tell a story from there.

Fans would have to wait for quite a while to see what Bumblebee 2 entails. However, we do believe that Bumblebee 2 will steal hearts just like its predecessor.

This article was recently reviewed and is up to date as of August 3rd, 2023.