'Bumblebee' movie news: Bumblebee to go old school in upcoming 'Transformers' spin-off film

Bumblebee to go old school as a Volkswagen Beetle in the upcoming spin-off film "Bumblebee"Facebook/transformersmovie

The first look for the upcoming spin-off film "Bumblebee" caused a stir on social media. A picture from Empire Magazine revealed the official alternate mode of the famous Autobot member Bumblebee.

A photo uploaded by Comic Fade on Twitter unveiled the official alt mode of Bumblebee in the form of a vintage Volkswagen Beetle. The image is a preview from Empire's 2018 issue. Before being able to transform into a Camaro, Bumblebee first replicated the design of a European Type 1 Volkswagen beetle. Bee's old alt version can be traced back from the Generation 1 cartoon series "The Transformers."

The post also features "Pitch Perfect 3" star Hailee Steinfeld who will star in the upcoming solo "Transformers" movie. Steinfeld will portray the role of 18-year-old Charlie Watson alongside the 1987 Bumblebee.

Steinfeld also posted on Twitter a photo of her on the set of the movie. The actress/singer captioned the image with "Meet Charlie Watson." Steinfeld's character is a young student and mechanic who discovered Bumblebee. The story takes place during the 1980s when Bee sought shelter at a Junkyard in California.

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star John Cena will also star alongside Steinfeld in the upcoming "Transformers" movie, although Paramount Pictures and the film's producers have not released any information about Cena's character.

The movie will be directed by animator and director Travis Knight who is famous for his 3D stop-motion film "Kubo and the Two Strings."

There is still no word from the production team on whether or not the other Autobots like their leader Optimus Prime will be included in the film.

The last "Transformers" movie did not do well with critics. "Transformers: The Last Knight" received low scores from reviewers, including a 16% rating from Rotten Tomatoes and 5.2 out of 10 from IMDb.

According to Movie Web, both critics and fans of the popular franchise have high expectations from "Bumblebee." The film is scheduled to be released on Dec. 21, 2018.