'Bumblebee' Spinoff Movie News: Optimus Prime Might Return
Optimus Prime might make his major comeback in the "Bumblebee" spinoff, which is slated for release in 2018. Although the studio behind the upcoming spinoff has yet to confirm the return of the character, the voice actor behind Optimus Prime revealed recently that he would be part of the movie, somewhat confirming the Autobot leader's return to the franchise.
In an interview, fans asked Optimus Prime voice actor Peter Cullen if he would be part of the upcoming movie. The actor, who has lent his voice to the character since the 1980s, gave a simple affirmative answer. The actor was interviewed to promote "The Last Knight's" home video release, but the audience grabbed the opportunity to ask him about his involvement in the "Bumblebee" spinoff.
Although Cullen's confirmation made some fans excited for Optimus Prime's possible return to the franchise, it also left some fans wondering why franchise producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura would include the character in the upcoming installment, considering his previous promise that fewer Transformers would appear in the spinoff.
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It is worth noting that while Cullen confirmed that his voice would be heard in the upcoming movie, he never said that Optimus Prime would appear in his full form. Hence, it would be safer for fans to wait for the movie producers to confirm Optimus Prime's appearance in the spinoff before assuming anything. Work on the "Bumblebee" spinoff got underway only recently, so any official update on the character's involvement in the movie might not be out anytime soon.
Directed by Travis Knight, the spinoff will follow Bumblebee as he finds refuge in a junkyard in a beach town in California. The broken and battle-scarred Transformer will be discovered by Hailee Steinfeld's Charlie, who will try to revive him. The movie stars Steinfeld, Pamela Aldon, and Stephen Schneider and is set to hit theaters in December 2018.
