Spider-Man: Homecoming actor Jorge Lendeborg Jr. is ready to make the jump to another big franchise by taking on the male lead in Paramount's Transformers standalone movie Bumblebee. Pitch Perfect actress Hailee Steinfeld has also signed on for the movie, which is set to go before cameras beginning in August.
Bumblebee will be the first spinoff film from the Transformers franchise, and Paramount hopes it will help establish an expanded universe that they can keep revisiting in the future. This summer's Transformers: The Last Knight helped set up Bumblebee by fleshing out some of the character's backstory, showing him popping up in WWII. The spinoff film is expected to be set in the 1980s and may depart from the other Transformers movies by featuring old school character designs.
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THR reports that actor Jorge Lendeborg Jr. has jumped aboard as one of the human characters who will be involved in Bumblebee's story, specific details of which are being kept under wraps. The exact nature of Lendeborg's character is a mystery as of now but it has been revealed that his co-star Steinfeld is playing a tomboy who works as an auto mechanic and befriends the title character. Kubo and the Two Strings director Travis Knight is at the helm, working from a script by Christina Hodson (Unforgettable).
Lendeborg is becoming a hot name in Hollywood, with roles lined up in Robert Rodriguez's James Cameron-produced sci-fi movie Alita: Battle Angel as well as the YA novel adaptation Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. In addition to his role in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Lendeborg is also coming off appearances in the Showtime series The Land and the comedy Brigsby Bear. Lendeborg will also be seen in the 2017 drama Shot alongside Noah Wyle.
Transformers producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura has revealed that Bumblebee will be a "smaller" movie than the other Transformers films, which were all huge-budget action extravaganzas directed with explosive abandon by Michael Bay and featuring multiple characters from the Transformers toy series and animated properties. Di Bonaventura said the movie will focus on Bumblebee dealing with life without the guiding presence of Optimus Prime, and will show how his relationship develops with Steinfeld's character after the two find each other. Decepticons of course will show up to make life miserable for Bumblebee and the human characters he encounters.
The Transformers franchise overall has grossed $1.4 billion domestically and $4.27 billion worldwide, with The Last Knight tallying just $119 million at the U.S. box office as part of its somewhat underwhelming $496 million worldwide haul to date.
Next: How Transformers: The Last Knight Sets Up Bumblebee
Source: THR
