Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Not Being Bumblebee Sequel Addressed By Star

Hailee Steinfeld shares her feelings on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts not being a direct sequel to her 2018 franchise entry Bumblebee.

Bumblebee star Hailee Steinfeld comments on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts not being a direct sequel to her 2018 franchise entry. Directed by Travis Knight, Bumblebee marked something of a reset for the franchise after the poor reception to Transformers: The Last Knight in 2017. The film takes place in 1987, introducing Steinfeld as Charlie, a mechanically-inclined young woman who finds a battle-scarred Bumblebee and starts to fix him up.

Although the latest film takes place only a few years later in the 1990s, it features an entirely new cast of characters. Ahead of the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' release date, Steinfeld reveals in an interview with THR that she tried to never have any expectations that Bumblebee would actually get a sequel, meaning there's no disappointment on her end. Check out Steinfeld's full comment below when asked if she's surprised that the new movie isn't a direct follow-up to Bumblebee:

"Not necessarily. I don't know that I knew the plans beyond that, but I like to take everything one step at a time. I’ve gotten a lot better at that in my life. I tend to get ahead of myself, and so when it comes to these bigger projects that have whispers and more of a future and whatnot, I like to just focus on what's in front of me and make that the best that I can."

After several lackluster entries in the franchise, Bumblebee is arguably the Transformers movie most worthy of getting a direct sequel, due in large part to how compelling Steinfeld's character is. The film boasts an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest score of any movie in the franchise. Bumblebee's box office total, however, while not making the film a flop by any means, is a franchise low at $468 million, which is likely why it didn't get a direct sequel.

Related: Why Hailee Steinfeld Isn't Returning For Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts

While a direct Bumblebee sequel didn't happen, it's entirely possible that Steinfeld and her costar John Cena, who plays Agent Burns, could return in a future film. It's unclear when exactly in the 1990s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts takes place, but if a follow-up film sticks to that same era, it could account for Steinfeld's own jump in age over the last 5 years. With the latest film set to introduce two new human protagonists with Anthony Ramos' Noah and Dominique Fishback's Elena, Transformers 8 could see Steinfeld and Cena's characters join forces with them.

Director Steven Caple Jr. has also teased that he hopes Unicron will become a major Transformers villain in future films after his introduction in Rise of the Beasts. With such a major villain potentially present for future sequels, it sounds like humanity will need all hands on deck, especially those like Charlie and Burns who have previous experience dealing with Autobots and Decepticons. It remains to be seen whether Steinfeld will return after Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, but it certainly seems like the door is still open.

Source: THR