Bumblebee had to pass on a pitched scene that would have involved a G1 (Generation 1) version of Megatron. Bumblebee is the newest Transformers film that stands as the franchise's first spinoff, and a prequel to the series that started in 2007 with Shia Labeouf. Bumblebee is also the first film in the series that doesn't include Michael Bay as the director.
While previous Transformers movies have mainly relied on action sequences and big-budget special effects, Bumblebee is said to be focusing more on bringing humor and heart to the Transformers franchise. One of the ways the film is doing this is by setting the movie in the 1980s, the same decade that the Transformers toys were invented. In this way, the film is relying on nostalgia to get people invested in the movie by bringing fan-favorite Transformers characters to life with their G1 designs. While many characters like Optimus Prime and Soundwave will appear in the film with their G1 designs, the franchise's biggest villain was purposefully left out of the movie.
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In an interview with i09, Bumblebee's director Travis Knight explained that he had an idea to include a G1 version of Megatron in the film, but the scene didn't end up happening to maintain continuity with the Transformers franchise. When explaining the development of the G1 designs for Bumblebee, Knight commented, "I had this whole thing boarded where we’re where we see [Decepticon leader] Megatron and he comes in like Sauron, just blowing s--- up and laying waste to everything. However, he then realized in this world, Megatron is currently frozen on Earth, as seen in 2007's Transformers, so that was out".
While the Transformers series has been an incredibly lucrative franchise for Paramount Pictures, recent additions to the series have been less than well received by critics. Despite this, Bumblebee has so far gotten great reviews from fans and critics alike, with many claiming that it's the best film in the Transformers series. Bumblebee is even sitting pretty on Rotten Tomatoes with a 97% fresh rating; beating out Aquaman which is at 68% and Mary Poppins Returns which is at 78%.
While diehard Transformers fans would've loved to see the original design of Megatron on the big screen, it's probably for the best that the film didn't include the scene that Knight described. Even though Bumblebee is thought to be a soft reboot of the Transformers series, the film is still a prequel to the 2007 Transformers film. Megatron has also been included in every single movie in Bay's Transformers series, so including the character again in Bumblebee might have just come off as repetitive. Despite Megatron not being in the movie, Transformers fans will likely have a good time at the theater given the film's great reviews thus far.
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Source: i09
